482 
HOSPITALITY AND ROBBERY. 
23—27 Nov. 
return home, without accomplishing a principal object of their 
journey. Many superstitious beliefs of this sort among the Briquas 
are connected with the growth of their corn, one of which I unwit- 
tingly offended against, during my residence at Litakun, and should 
have incurred heavy displeasure, but for some management in ap- 
peasing their apprehensions, a circumstance which will be related 
hereafter. 
24:th. The water at Eland's Valley being nearly dried up, 
Speelman was obliged to remove with my oxen to the Kraal at 
Groote-Doorn (Great Thorn), so called, from a few trees of Acacia 
giraffcB which grow there. 
The whole waggon-load of meat which we brought to Klaarwater 
as a stock for our future journey, was totally eaten up in four days, 
although I had nobody but Philip to feed. It was not consumed by 
the crows, nor by the vultures, but by the Klaarwater Hottentots, 
who are by no means inferior to them in the power of smelling out 
meat, wherever it may be concealed. From an early hour in the 
morning, till late at night, my waggons were constantly visited by 
men, women, and children, whose only object was to eat. But, from 
the moment the last of the stock was gone, from that moment not 
one visitor more came near me. Yet still it was impossible to ac- 
count for this rapid disappearing of the meat, without supposing that 
they came secretly and stole it by night, as there was nothing to pre- 
vent them but their own sense of honesty ; nobody sleeping at the 
waggons but myself, and Philip remaining every night at the village 
to be in attendance on Gert. Nothing could be more vexatious 
than this loss, or, more correctly speaking, robbery, as provisions 
were not easily to be purchased, and a large supply not by any soli- 
citations to be obtained from the inhabitants of this place. 
25th. Berends's party, besides elephants, had shot a variety of 
other animals, some of the meat of which they brought home salted ; 
and in dining to day with the missionaries, I partook of Eland^ 
Buffalo^, Hippopotamus, and Camelopai^d, of all of which the meat was 
* Bos Coffer. 
