500 MUSIC — CONJUGAL AFFECTION. 28, 29 Dec. 
The strings, twisted of their due thickness, were made from sheep's 
entrails, and the horse's tail supplied the hair for the bow. 
When I had examined the various parts of it, and pronounced 
it a clever piece of workmanship, the maker, who was not without 
a moderate share of vanity on some occasions, seemed quite happy, 
and not a little proud of my approbation. But my own pleasure and 
surprise were heightened still more, when, on desiring to hear a 
specimen of his playing, he clapped his Cremona to his shoulder, 
handled his bow with all the grace of a Hottentot, and fiddled away 
a dance, in so lively a manner, that my men and myself were all in 
the highest degree delighted. Philip, in spite of all his gravity, such 
is the power of fiddles, now looked smiling ; and declared that Speel- 
man should teach him how to move his fingers and play that mooi 
liedje (pretty song). 
But to poor Gert, this could only serve to remind him, in a 
most sensible manner, of the distressing loss of that hand with 
which he had, as he then told us, often used that bow and enliven- 
ed his companions : yet with the calmness of a philosopher he ex- 
pressed his hope that he might still be able to play again, when his 
thumb and finger were quite healed, and sufficiently strengthened. 
This was a hope in which, I am happy to say, the poor fellow was not 
disappointed ; and he afterwards proved to us, that he could play 
so much better than Speelman, that he was soon acknowledged to 
be the best musician of our party. 
As Speelman, when he came for his rations, always begged hard 
for a larger portion for his lieve vrouw (dear wife), as he called her, 
I had entertained a high opinion of their conjugal affection ; but 
Philip privately came to tell me that this dear zmfe often gets a 
sound beating, and that her husband appeared to be seeking an 
excuse for a separation a mensd et tJioro. Some time afterwards, 
when Hannah came to Klaar water to wash the linen, I discovered 
that she received but a very small part of her rations" of tobacco, 
and hardly ever got a taste of the brandy. But Speelman, as if to 
divert me from reproaching him with this unfair conduct, seldom 
came home without bringing some curious bird or insect ; and I 
