SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
»47 
The condition of thofe who engage themfelves from year to 
year is Httle better than that of the other. If they have already 
families, they ered for them little ftraw-huts near the farm- 
houfe. Their children are encouraged to run about the houfe 
of the peafant, where they receive their morfel of food. This 
is deemed fufficient to eftablifh their claim to the young Hot- 
tentots ; and fhould the parents, at the end of the term for 
which they engaged, exprefs a defire to quit the fervice, the 
farmer will fuffer them to go, perhaps turn them away, and 
detain their children. 
■ Thofe who are unmarried and free are fomewhat better in 
their fituation than the others, though not much. The pitiful 
wages they agree for are flopped upon every frivolous occafion. 
If an ox or a fheep be miffing, the Hottentot muft replace 
them ; nor would he hp fiifFercd to quit his fervice till he has 
earned the value of them. An ox, or a couple of cows, or a 
dozen flieep, worth forty or fifty fhillings, are the ufual wages 
of a whole year ; and it frequently happens that a bill for 
tobacco or brandy is brought againft them to the full amount. 
In fuch a fituation, and under fuch circumftances, it may 
eafily be fuppofed that the Hottentot has little inducement to 
engage in marriage. Thofe who do fo have feldom more than 
two or three children ; and many of the women are barren. 
This, however, is not the cafe when a Hottentot woman is 
conneded with a white man. The fruit of fuch an alliance is 
not only in general numerous, but are beings of a very different 
nature from the Hottentot, men of fix feet high and ftout in 
u 2 propor- 
