370 TRAVELS IN 
harm that would come to the Hottentot, having had former ex- 
perience of the ftrength of their ftomachs, yet it was no eafy 
matter to convince the reft of it ; and his abfence was alfo a very 
ferious inconvenience. In the morning however he made his 
appearance. He had fallen afleep, it feemed, about the middle 
of the preceding day, and had not awakened till night. Though 
very dark and unacquainted with a fingle ftep of our route, he 
had found us by following the tra£t of the waggon. At this 
fort of bufmefs a Hottentot is uncommonly clever. There is 
not an animal among the numbers that range the wilds of 
Africa, if he be at all acquainted with it, the print of whofe 
feet he cannot diftinguifh. And though the marks by which 
his judgment is directed be very nice, they are conftant in ani- 
mals in a ftate of nature, whereas domefticated animals are liable 
to many accidental variations. He will diftinguifh the wolf, 
for inflance, from the domeftic dog, by the largenefs of the 
ball of the foot, and the comparative fmallnefs of the toes. 
The print of any of his companions' feet he would fmgle 
out among a thoufand. The peafantry are alfo tolerably expert 
in tracing game by the marks of their feet ; it is, in fa£t, a 
part of their education. An African boor gains a fort of 
reputation by being clever op het /poor. This is the method 
by which, on moonlight nights, they hunt down the poor 
Bosjefmans. 
At the eaftern extremity of the fandy plain, I was fortunate 
enough to procure frefli oxen, to enable me to pafs the northern 
point of the Picquet berg^ a clump of mountains, probably fo 
named from their pofition in front of the great chain. Grain, 
fruit, 
