104 
HOTTENTOTS. 
Those who live nearest the colonists have taken a liking to the 
European hats, and wear them slouched all round, or only with one 
side turned up. The women also frequently go bare-headed ; though 
they sometimes wear a cap made in the shape of a short truncated 
cone. This appears to be the section of some animal’s stonmch, 
and is perfectly blacked by soot and fat mixed up together. These 
caps are frequently prepared in such a manner as to look shaggy ; 
others have the appearance of velvet, and in our authorls opinion are 
not Inelegant. Over this they sometimes wear an oval wreath, or 
kind of croM'n, made of a buffalo’s hide, with the hair outermost. 
It is about four fingers’ breadth in height, and surrounds the head so 
as to go a little way down upon the forehead, and the same depth 
on the neck behind, without covering the upper part of the cap above 
described. The edges of this wreath, both upper and under, are 
alwavs smooth and even, each of them set with a row of shells of the 
cyprea kind, to the number of more than thirty, in such a manner, 
that, being placed close to one another, their beautiful white enamel, 
together with their mouths, are turned outwards. Between two rows 
of these shells run tw o others parallel, or else w'aved and indented in 
various ways. The Hottentots never adorn their ears or noses, as 
other savages do ; though the latter are sometimes marked with a 
black streak of soot ; at others, though more rarely, with a large 
spot of red lead ; of which last, on festivals and holidays, they like- 
wise put a little on their cheeks. 
The necks of the men are bare, but those of the women are orna- 
mented with a thong of undressed leather, upon which are strung 
eight or ten shells. These shells are sold at an enormous price, no 
less than a sheep for each, as it is said that they come from the dis- 
tant coast of Caffraria. , 
Both men and women are very fond of European beads, particu- 
larly the blue and white ones, of the size of a pea ; of which they tie 
several rows round the middle, and next to the girdles which hold 
the coverings above mentioned. Besides these ornaments, they use 
rings on their arms and legs, most of them made of thick' leather 
straps, generally cut in a circular shape ; which, by being beat, and 
held over the fire, are rendered tough enough to retain the curva- 
ture that is given them. 
From these rings it has been almost universally believed that the 
Hottentots wrap guts about their legs, in order to eat them occa- 
sionally. The men, wear from one to five or six of these rings on 
their arms, just above their wrists, but seldom on their legs. The 
matrons of a higher rank have frequently a considerable number of 
them both on their arms and legs, especially on the latter, so 'that 
they are covered wdth them from the feet to the knees. These rings 
are of various thicknesses, from that of a goose-quill to tw'o or three 
times that size. Sometimes they are made of pieces of leather form- 
ing one entire ring ; so that the arms and feet must be put through 
them when the bearer wishes to put them on. They are strung upon 
the legs, small and great, without any nicety ; but are so large, that 
they shake and get twisted, when the person walks. Rings of iron 
or copper, but especially of brass, of the size of a goose-quill, are 
