IIOTTEKXOTS, 
103 
of the ah’ ; so that they require very few clothes, and in fact go 
almost quite naked. The only covering of the men consists of two 
leather straps, which generally hang down the back from the chine 
to the thighs, each of them in the form of an isosceles triangle, 
their points uppermost, and fastened to a belt which goes round their 
waist, their bases not being above three fingers broad; so that the 
covering they form is extremely trifling. These straps have very 
little dressing bestowed upon them, so that they make a rattling 
noise as the Hottentot runs along; and Omanthor supposes that 
they may produce an agreeable coolness by fanning him. Besides 
this, the men have a bag or flap made of skin, which hangs down 
before, and is fastened to the belt already mentioned. They call this 
puise by the Dutch name of jackal, it being almost always prepared 
of the skin of that animal, with the hairy side turned outwards. 
The w omen cover themselves much more scrupulously than the men, 
having always two and sometimes three coverings like aprons, though 
these seem to be abundantly small for what we should term decency in 
this country. The outermost of these, which is the largest, measures 
only from six inches to a foot in breadth. All of them are made of a 
skin well prepared and greased, the outermost beingadorned with glass 
beads strung in different figures. The outermost reaches about half 
way down the thighs ; the middle, about a third, or one half less ; 
and the third scarcely exceeds the breadth of the hand. The first is 
said to be designed for ornament, the second as a defence for mo- 
desty, and the third to be useful on certain occasions. 
The other garments of the Hottentots are formed of a sheep’s 
skin, with the woolly side turned inwards, this forming a kind of 
cloak, which is tied forw'ards over the breast; though sometimes, 
instead of a sheep’s skin, some smaller kind of fur is used as a 
material. In warm weather they let this cloak hang carelessly 
over their shoulders, so that it reaches down to the calves of 
their legs, leaving the lower part of the breast, stomach, and 
fore part of the legs and thighs, bare ; but in cold weather they 
wrap it round them, so that the fore part of the body is pretty 
well covered by it as far as the knees; but as one sheep-skin 
is not sufficient for their purpose, they sew a piece on. the top 
of each side w'ith a thong or cat-gut. In warm weather they some- 
times wear the w'oolly side outwards, but more frequently take off 
the cloak altogether, and carry it under their arm. This cloak, or 
krosse, serves them not only for clothes, but for bedding also ; and 
in this they lie on the bare ground, drawing up their bodies so 
close, that the cloak is abundantly sufficient to cover them. The 
cloaks used by the women differ little from those already described, 
excepting only that they have a long peak on them, which they turn 
up ; forming with it a little hood or pouch, with the hairy side inwards. 
In this they carry their young children, to which their mothers’ 
breasts are now and then thrown over their shoulders ; a custom 
among other nations, where the breasts of females, from want of 
support, grow to an enormous length. The women commonly wear 
no covering on their heads, though our author says he has seen one 
or two who wore a greasy night-cap, made of skin, with the hair 
taken off. 
