SOUT*HERN AFRICA. 197 
fome property for the captain and officers had his brains dafhed 
out with an iron bolt by one of his neighbours. 
In June 1797, the Hercules, an American fhip, was ftranded 
between the mouths of the Keifkamma and the Beeka. By the 
time that the crew, confifting of about fixty perfons, had got on 
fhore, they found themfelves furrounded by Kaffers, and ex- 
pedled immediately to have been put to death by thefe favages. 
Inftead of which, to their no fmall degree of joy and furprife, a 
chief gave orders for an ox to be inftantly killed, and the flefh 
diftributed among the unfortunate fufFerers. There is, how- 
ever, one temptation which a Kaffer cannot refift — the fight of 
metal buttons ; and thofe who fuffered fhipwreck, and who 
happened to have any of thefe articles about their perfons, had 
them cut off without much ceremony. They were deprived of 
no other part of their property ; and they were condudied in 
fafety to the refidence of fome of the colonifts, from whom a 
demand was made of five rixdollars for the captain, and an 
equal fum for the whole of the crew, as a full compenfation for 
their trouble — a very moderate and juft demand ; and it were 
to be wifhed that the example of the Kaffers was obferved on 
fome more civilized coafts. 
Having arranged the bufinefs that brought us into KafFer- 
land with the king, we made him a prefent confifting of flieets 
of copper, brafs-wire, glafs-beads, knives for fkinning animals, 
iooking-glaffes, flints, fleels, and tinder-boxes, and a quantity 
of tobacco. His mother alfo received a prefent of the fame 
nature. Except this lady, all the other women kept in the 
back- 
