388 
TRAVELS IN 
The latter, who have felzed upon the choiceft part of their 
country, allow" them to eredt their huts in the neighbourhood of 
their farms, on condition of their furnifhing a certain number 
of people to protedt their cattle againft the attacks of Bosjefmans, 
or wild beafts of prey. A dozen years more, and probably a 
fliorter period, will fee the remains of the Namaaqua nation in 
a ftate of entire fervitude. Such are the effedts of an encroaching 
peafantry, fan£tioned by the low policy of a government that 
could defcend to employ agents to effedt the purchafe of whole 
herds of cattle for a cafk of brandy. To this government, was 
fo little a concern of fuch great magnitude, that it authorized 
thofe agents, for the greater convenience of tranfporting their 
brandy, to make an expenfive road acrofs a point of the 
Khamies berg, which ftill bears the honorable name of the 
Company s road. The government having fixed no limits to 
their colony, nor their fubjedts to their avarice, the latter found 
it ftill more convenient to fettle themfelves in the midft of the 
harmlefs Namaaquas, who confidered them as the moft accept- 
able neighbours in the world. For a bottle of brandy, which 
coft fixpence, they willingly exchanged an ox ; and fuch is ftill 
the infatuation of this people for the noxious liquor, that they 
will even now exchange a fheep for the fame quantity of it. 
How great foever may have been the avaricious defigns of 
the firft fettlers of the Khamies berg, and the degree of blame 
imputable both to them and the government, it is but juftice 
to remark, that the prefent inhabitants have much the appear- 
ance of being a harmlefs and honeft fet of people. Thofe heroes 
in infamy, whofe charaders, as drawn in the page of the French 
traveller 
