2l8 
TRAVELS IN 
more of aftronomy than that in about thirty days the moon 
will have gone through all its different phafes ; and that in 
about twelve moons the fame feafons will return. Their only 
chronology is kept by the moon, and is regiftered by notches 
in pieces of wood. It feldom extends beyond one generation 
till the old feries is cancelled, and fome great event, as the death 
of a favorite chief, or the gaining of a vidory, ferves for a new 
sera. 
Not the fmalleft veftige of a written charafler is to be traced 
among them ; but their language appears to be the remains of 
fomething far beyond that of any favage nation. In the enun- 
ciation it is foft, fluent, and harmonious ; has neither the mono- 
tonous mouthing of the favage, nor the nafal nor guttural 
founds that prevail in almoft all the European tongues. It is 
as different from that of the Hottentots as the latter is from the 
Engli£h. In a very few words, and thefe are generally proper 
names, they have adopted the palatial clacking of the tongue 
ufed by the Hottentots. The mountains and rivers in the 
country, for inftance, ftill retain their Hottentot names ; a pre- 
fumptive proof that the Kaffers were intruders upon this 
nation. It is fingular enough that the Kaffers, as well as the 
Hottentots, fhould have obtained a name that never belonged 
to them. The word Kaffer could not be pronounced by one 
of that nation. They have no found of the letter R in their 
language. A Koffray^ among the Indians, is an infidel, a pa- 
gan, and was a general name applied by the early voyagers to 
thofe people, in whom they did not perceive any traits of a 
religious nature j hut the origin of the name of Hottentot 
feems 
