116 Transactions of the Boyal Society of South Africa. 
but they do not indulge in polygamy, being constant to one wife. If they 
should tire of her they might do away with her and take another. 
Even in dry seasons, when great privations are endured, they have 
never been known to practise cannibalism. 
They have a weird custom concerning the aged amongst them. When 
the latter can no longer follow the clan, which is constantly moving after 
the game, the younger men make a small kraal of thorny bushes and put 
the aged into this, together with a supply of food. When this is con- 
sumed they die of starvation, as the party has moved away. The thorny 
shrubs are supposed to prevent wild animals from devouring them. 
Bushmen are very revengeful ; when once they have a grudge against 
any one they never forget it, but wait patiently for their revenge. They 
never surrender ; when driven into a corner they fight to the death {4) ; 
they are loyal to a master when attached — loyal unto death. In some 
cases they will kill their own relatives if necessary. This they can do in 
the coolest way, as the following illustration will show. " Droog Klaas " 
was a lazy Bushman who would not work, and who lived by stealing the 
stock herded by his relations for white masters. These herds got into 
trouble about missing stock, so they formulated a plan for the thief's 
destruction, finally inviting him to a daga smoke (wild hemp), this weed 
having the property of rendering its smokers quite senseless. Droog 
Klaas was very strong, so they cautiously asked him to wrestle after a 
while to try his strength ; then as he still retained his strength, they 
persuaded him to smoke more daga, and when fully drunk they caught 
him by the hands and feet and one of the party calmly cut his throat. 
Janetje," an old girl long in the employment of the narrator's father, 
was of a mild disposition, and always respectful towards even the younger 
children, always calling them " Bassie " and " Nonnie," but to illustrate 
the inborn revengefulness of the Bushman nature, this true account of her 
actions is given, as told by her own sons to the narrator : Bushmen once 
stole some stock which were herded by Janetje's husband, " Zwaart-Piet " 
by name, and their sons, "Platje" and "Klaas." A hunt was organised to 
kill the thieves. Zwaart-Piet had an old-fashioned muzzle-loader. He was 
rather reckless, and went near the hole in which the Bushmen had taken 
refuge. Unfortunately, his gun would not go off, so while bending down to 
examine the cause of his failure, he was shot with a poisoned arrow and 
dropped dead. Years later a young Bushman came to Janetje's kraal, say- 
ing that he had been captured by a white man, had escaped, and was going 
to tell his people where the white man's cattle was grazing, so that they 
could come and steal them. By dint of questioning Janet je found out 
that he was the nephew of the man who shot her husband. Cautioning 
her people to let her alone and do as she pleased, she picked up a knob- 
kerrie (club), and, passing close to where the young stranger sat chatting 
