MISCELLANEA. 
477 
dwarfish. They possess an intense love of liberty; and the 
scarcity of water in the desert they inhabit is a more effectual 
guarantee for it than the most powerful armies or fleets. The 
manner of procuring water is very singular. The country is 
remarkably flat, but intersected in different parts by the beds 
of ancient rivers, cutting through a soil of light-coloured soft 
sand, nearly pure silica. . These beds contain much alluvial 
soil, and this being hard baked by the burning sun, rain 
water stands in pools here and there for several months. 
Sometimes the bushmen cover these with sand for the sake 
of security, and even make a fire over the spot, but this does 
not prevent the attainment of the precious liquid. 
“ When they wish to draw water for use the women come 
with 20 or 30 of their water vessels in a bag or net on their 
backs. These water vessels consist of ostrich eggshells, with 
a hole in the end of each, such as would admit one’s finger. 
The women tie a bunch of grass to one end of a reed about 
two feet long, and insert it in a hole dug as deep as the 
arm will reach ; then ram down the wet sand firmly round 
it. Applying the mouth to the free end of the reed, they 
form a vacuum in the grass beneath, in which the water col- 
lects, and in a short time rises into the mouth. An eggshell 
is placed on the ground alongside the reed, some inches below 
the mouth of the sucker, and a straw guides the water into 
the hole of the vessel, as she draws mouthful after mouthful 
from below. The whole stock of water is thus passed through 
the woman’s mouth as a pump, and when taken home is 
carefully buried. I have come into villages where, had we 
acted a domineering part and rummaged every hut, we should 
have found nothing, but by sitting down quietly and waiting 
with patience until the villagers were led to form a favorable 
opinion of us, a woman would bring out a shellful of the pre- 
cious fluid from I know not where.” 
Addison was certainly right in making his African hunter 
“bless his stars and think it luxury” when he chanced to 
light on “ an mitasted spring.” This bemouthed water, how- 
ever, is by no means the worst modification of the element 
which the traveller in Africa is compelled to accept with 
thankfulness. At one place (Nchokotsa) — 
“The water was bitter, and presented indications not to 
be mistaken of having passed through animal systems 
before.” 
XXXI. 
63 
