1811. 
HOTTENTOT CONGREGATION. 
109 
period, falls short of this estimate, in proportion to the demand of 
the neighbouring farms for Hottentot labourers. 
On looking up the valley, a grand scene presents itself : the 
Baviaan's Kloof exhibits a deep recess, where one mountain shutting 
in before the other, would lead the spectator to suppose that, along 
the dark defile, he might find a road through, to the other side of the 
range ; but these mountains can be traversed only by a steep and 
rugged foot-path, which leads over their summit. Clouds often 
envelope their craggy tops, and mist and rain fall more frequently 
here than in the open country. This, unfortunately, happened now 
to be the case ; yet, at intervals of fair weather, I found an oppor- 
tunity of making a sketch of the scene. 
At ten o'clock in the morning, the bell summoned the Hottentot 
congregation to church ; and soon were seen coming from all quar- 
ters, men and women, who, to the number of about seven hundred, 
assembled and took their seats in a very orderly manner. Several of 
the men still wore the Hottentot sheep-skin cloak, or kaross ; but 
none were without trowsers : the rest were clothed in woollen 
jackets, with shirts, hats, and shoes. All the women were remark- 
ably clean, and neatly dressed in European costume ; and the ma- 
jority even wore stockings. The whole appeared very attentive to 
the service, performed in the Dutch language, and which consisted 
in reading that part of the New Testament relating to the Cru- 
cifixion and in singing psalms at intervals. This latter part of the 
ceremony was exceedingly interesting, and even gratifying, by the 
exactness with which the whole congregation kept time, and by 
the perfect unison they preserved throughout. From amongst the 
women, I could distinguish some good voices ; and the service of the 
day sufficed to prove to me, that Nature has certainly not denied to 
Hottentots a musical ear. 
To every philanthropist it could not fail to be a treat of the 
purest kind ; to witness a despised and degraded portion of his 
fellow-creatures taken under the kind protection of those who have 
had the more fortunate lot of being born to the improvements of 
European knowledge; to behold them thus reclaimed from disgust- 
