1811. LOW DEGREE OF INTELLECT.— HORRID TALE. 4gl 
few moral points ; but he declared they were so stupid that it was 
not in his power to make them comprehend at all. The principal 
question, and to which I was most desirous of having their answer, 
was, one would think, so intelHgible, that their not understanding it 
must have been either pretended stupidity, or a wilful misrepresen- 
tation by the interpreter : I asked what they considered to be good 
actions, and what, bad ; but to this they made no reply, nor could 
they at all conceive its meaning. I showed them a looking-glass : 
at this they laughed, and stared with vacant surprize and wonder, 
to see their own faces ; but expressed not the least curiosity about 
it ; nor do I believe it excited in their minds one single idea ; and 
I may not, perhaps, be doing them an injustice by asserting that, 
whether capable of reflection or not, these individuals never exerted 
it. When asked what were their thoughts respecting the glass ; 
what were their notions respecting white men ; their senseless looks 
seemed to say, they made an effort to think, but found themselves 
utterly unable : their only answer was ; I don't know. 
They related to us, without the least emotion, and with ap- 
parent indifference, a horrid occurrence which had lately taken 
place in their kraal. This old man had three sons, one of whom 
had been married several years to a woman by whom he had two 
children. One of the brothers had conceived a liking for the woman, 
and she on her part was not averse to change her husband ; it was 
therefore agreed between them, that he should be put out of their 
way. This (I shudder in relating it) was accomplished by the 
atrocious demon beating out his brother's brains as he lay asleep. 
This inhuman act appears to have excited no feelings of liorror in 
the horde : the pair were at this time living together contented, and, 
seemingly, undismayed by their own reflections on the nefarious 
deed they had committed. Conscience herself seemed to hav^e 
neglected her duty, and bestia] ignorance to have usurped her place. 
Instead of chasing him for ever out of their kraal, the father and the 
remaining brother allowed him to continue in their society on the 
same terms as if nothing of the kind had happened. I saw the 
murderer ; he was a youth of apparently seventeen or eighteen years 
