TRAVELS IN 
lent polfons, thaf aft on the animal fyftem, whether taken into 
it by the ftomach or the blood. The farmers pull up the root 
and leaves wherever they find them growing. It was faid that 
the juice of this bulb, mixed up with the mangled body of a 
certain fpecies of fpider, furnifhes the Bosjefmans with poifon 
for their arrows, more deadly than any other they are acquainted 
with. This fpider fhoyld feem to be peculiar to the weftern 
coaft of the country, at leaft I never met with, nor heard of it, 
on the other fide. Its body, with the legs, which are fhort, is 
three inches in diameter, the former black and hairy, the latter 
faintly fpotted ; the beak red. It lives under ground, con- 
flru£ting over its hole a cover compofed of the filaments fpun 
from its entrails, and earth or dung. This cover is made to turn 
on a joint. When the animal is watching for its prey, it fits 
with the lid half open, ready to fally out upon fuch infedis as 
ferve it for food. On the approach of danger it clofes the 
cover, and in a fhort time cautioufly opens it again to fee if the 
enemy has retreated. 
The Namaaqua Hottentots feem well acquainted with 
poifonous fubftances, though they now make ufe of none. 
The bow and arrow, their ancient weapons, are become ufelefs. 
The country they now inhabit is almoft entirely deferted by 
all kinds of beafts that live in a ftate of nature, and the dread 
of Bosjefmans prevents them from ranging far over the country 
in queft of game. Formerly, however, the kloofs of the 
Khamies berg abounded with elands and hartebeefts, gemsboks, 
quachas, and zebras, and were not a little formidable on account 
of the number of beafts of prey that reforted thither. A few 
days 
