1811. 
COMMENCEMENT OF DIFFICULTIES. 
503 
Opportunity of hearing a great deal of village talk, and sometimes 
reported whatever he thought important for me to know. Through 
him I now began to learn that the general feeling of these people 
was unfavourable to my expedition ; for it had been by some means 
told and circulated amongst them, that I intended to take the same 
journey as those unfortunate travellers already alluded to. This was, 
indeed, the same, in effect, as telling them that all who joined me 
would be murdered by the savages. Hitherto I had not been able 
actually to hire any men, although three or four had half-promised 
to go. Still I perceived every where a disposition to avoid any po- 
sitive engagement ; and, until I heard it from Gert, I was at a loss to 
guess the cause. For not having disclosed to any person, excepting 
the missionaries, that I had a positive intention of travelling far 
beyond Litaakoon, the reluctance which the Hottentots seemed to 
have against my undertaking, appeared unaccountable ; especially as 
these people feel so much pleasure in hunting, and in a constant 
change of abode, that travelling and our mode of life must have 
presented some temptation, as being more congenial to their habits, 
than any other employment. Offers of high wages had been made 
to them, yet hitherto without effect. 
As soon as I became aware of the real cause of this disincli- 
nation to enter my service, I immediately endeavoured to counteract 
it, by frequently repeating an assurance that no idea of following the 
track of those travellers was ever entertained ; and that I had cer- 
tainly no intention of running into obvious danger ; but would give 
them my promise to turn back, the moment we should discover that 
there was, by advancing further into the interior, any evident risk 
of our safety ; that as I was perfectly independent, and accountable 
to no one for the course I was to take, or for the time of my return, I 
was perfectly at liberty to regulate my travels, just as it might be 
thought safe and agreeable ; and as it was, undoubtedly, quite as 
much my wish as theirs to return again in safety to my home and 
to my friends, I should of course never be so senseless or so mad, 
as to venture into countries which presented no prospect or chance 
of our safe retreat ; that I had much more at stake than they had, 
and consequently should be proportionally more watchful of danger ; 
