438 COVETOUSNESS. — GUNPOWDER. — THERMOMETERS. 7-9 Nov. 
having asserted that it was all expended, although not more than an 
eighth-part of it had been actuall)' used, he sent for him, and required 
that be should account for it according to agreement. But this 
he peremptorily refused to do ; and, declaring himself offended at 
the missionary for asking it, threatened that he would live at Klaar- 
water no longer ; but, as soon as he returned home, would imme- 
diately collect together all his cattle, and withdraw to some other spot. 
About a week before we left Klaarwater, Mr. Jansz had fur- 
nished him with gunpowder and lead ; but for which no game at all 
was ever returned ; and for the half of a sea-cow, which, on the same 
conditions, was soon afterwards due to him from the Klaarwater 
Captain, Adam Kok, he received a quantity equal only to a fourth 
of what was retained by Kok. In the same manner, I had, on this 
excursion, given ammunition to another Hottentot, who satisfied his 
conscience with giving me the half of a large bird ; and on the next day 
after he had told me that all was expended, he shot a quakka with 
his own powder, although he had no means of getting a grain ex- 
cepting that which he had received from me. I had given also a 
large quantity to Hans Lucas, who, in this particular, I found no 
better than the rest of his associates : this produced nothing for me : 
yet he, also, with his oiim powder, had managed to procure for him- 
self a tolerably large stock of dried meat. Such is the value of 
gunpowder here, that these people are tempted to obtain it by every, 
and any, means ; which shows, that, if a traveller could be supposed 
to have any to spare, he might readily purchase with it whatever 
they possessed. 
8^^. The weather was at this time excessively hot ; and to day the 
thermometer rose to 100^ (30*4 Reaum. 38'3 Centig.) With respect 
to thermometers, a fatality seemed to have hung over them this day : 
by an accident, the one I had in use, fell and was broken ; and hardly 
was its place supplied by another, when that also met with a similar 
fate. Having no other instrument, all further observations were 
therefore interrupted till I returned to Klaarwater ; when I was 
obliged to request Mr. Anderson to return me the one I had pre- 
sented to him soon after my first arrival there. And in order to 
