SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
and dlreding the adions of the latter. He called it a ghoft or 
fpirit, and faid it was the KafFer way of fwearing. It appeared 
that if a Kaffer fwore by a deceafed relation, his oath was con- 
fidered as inviolable. A promife was always held facred when 
a piece of metal was broken between the parties ; a pradice not 
unlike the breaking of a fixpence between two parting lovers, 
ftill kept up in fome country places of England. That thefe 
people have not bewildered their imaginations fo far vv'ith me- 
taphyfical ideas of the immortality of the foul, as the more 
civilized part of mankind have given into, and that their no- 
tions have been little direded towards a future ftate of exift- 
ence, was clear from his replies to various queftions put to him 
on that fubjed. As little information was likely to be gained 
on fuch abftrufe points through the medium of a Hottentot 
interpreter, the converfation was turned to other fubjeds lefs 
embarrafhng, and fuch as came more immediately before the 
fenfes. 
Their (kill in mufic is not above the level of that of the Hot- 
tentots. They have in fad no other inftruments except the 
two in ufe among the latter, and a fmall whiftle made of the 
bone of fome animal, and ufed fometimes for giving orders to 
their cattle when at a diftance. They feldom attempt to fmg 
or to dance, and their performances of both are miferably bad. 
A KafFer woman is only ferious when fhe dances, and at fuch 
times her eyes are conftantly fixed on the ground, and her 
whole body feems to be thrown into convulfive motions. 
A greater 
