SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
41 
boor fo far gets the better of his paffion, on feeing that his bead 
is completely exhaufted, that inftead of drawing his knife, or 
kindling a fire under its belly, he unyokes it, the chances are 
ftill ten to one the animal never rifes more. The moment it is 
left alone a flock of the Egyptian vultures, and the ftill more 
voracious vulturine crows, are fure to tear it in pieces, making 
it undergo a moft cruel and protracted death. I faw an inftance 
of this kind that was really fhocking to the feelings of humanity. 
On the only great and public road, leading from Cape Town 
towards Rondebofch, a road that at leaft a thoufand people, of 
one defcription or another, pafs in the courfe of the day, I ob- 
ferved an ox lying, in the midft of the way and within two miles 
of the town, with part of the bowels torn out of the belly. The 
third day after this I palTed the fame way, and the ox was ftill 
alive with its head ere(£t, and the bowels lying on the ground 
befide it ; and thus it might have lain to linger away with pain 
and hunger, perhaps as many days more, had I not requefted 
the chief officer of the police to fend a perfon and difpatch it. 
The habitude which the people of this colony neceflarily acquire 
it witnefling inftances of cruelty on human as well as brute 
creatures, cannot fail to produce a tendency to hardnefs of heart, 
and to ftifie feelings of tendernefs and benevolence. In fad: the 
rigour of juftice is rarely foftened with the balm of mercy. All ' 
criminals, condemned to fuffer the punlfliment of death, are af- 
terwards hung in chains clofe to the public road, to be eaten by 
the crows and vultures. And, under the old government, when 
a flave had been guilty of murdering a colonift, implacable ran- 
cour, not fatisfied with putting In pradice every fpecies of tor- 
ture that malignant and diabolical ingenuity could invent, as 
VOL. II. G long 
