1812. 
MISSIONARY OBJECTIONS. 
531 
people were decidedly averse to any road being discovered in that 
direction, lest the Cafires should take advantage of it, or the Dutch 
farmers be tempted to come and take possession of their land ; in 
fine, he did not think that I should get any body to go with me. Thus, 
to every thing that was said, nothing but difficulties were started in 
reply; and that this, as he candidly remarked, was a scheme, of 
which, for many reasons, he could not approve. 
What some of these reasons were, I afterwards learnt, both 
from himself, and from his fellow missionaries : they apprehended, 
that, by opening a new road to another part of the Colony, there 
would be a more frequent communication and traffic with the boors, 
to whom the Hottentots would be constantly selling' their cattle ; 
that it was a disadvantage to the mission and their people to be too 
dependant on the Colony, and to make such journeys often ; which 
would, it was feared, be the case, if they found their way to any 
nearer town than the Cape or Tulbagh ; and that their connection 
with the Colony ought, for their own welfare, to be as slight as 
possible. As far as these reasons might be meant for the advantage 
and civilization of the people whom they had undertaken to instruct, 
this line of policy, I am convinced, is more likely to produce a con- 
trary result. 
But these representations, in which I did not place entire con- 
fidence, had by no means the intended effect of discouraging ms ; 
and I returned to my waggons, there to devise the best mode of 
carrying this plan into execution. My own men were of the same 
opinion as myself, that we had better undertake the journey without 
the incumbrance of a waggon, which, at first, I had some idea of 
taking with us ; and that we should mount ourselves on pack-oxen, 
as being much more expeditious. This plan, therefore, I resolved 
to adopt ; as the country, which was utterly unknown to every body 
at Klaarwater, might, as had been hinted, be found impassable, at 
least for waggons. 
6th. By supposing that we should travel all the way in nearly the 
same course by the compass, and allowing ninety miles by the road, 
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