FOURTH JOURNEY, 
I15 
courfe with them as before ; for the whole family immediately ^^^9^ 
betook themfelves to flight, except a little Dog, which feemed 
to be equally unacquainted with Europeans. Here we Rayed 
fome time, and examined their huts. In them we found 
feveral fpecies of aromatic plants which they had been drying, 
and a few fkins of Seals. Their huts were much fuperior to 
thofe of the generality of Hottentots ; they were loftier, and 
thatched with grafs ; and were furnifhed with ftools made of 
the back bones of the Grampus. Several fpecies of fifh were 
fufpended from poles Ruck into the ground. Having nothing 
about us which we thought would prove an acceptable prefent, 
Colonel Gordon cut the buttons from his coat, and depoRted 
them among the aromatic plants which were drying. In the 
mean time we again obferved thefe natives at the fame place 
where we had RrR difcovered them. We made every poRible 
Rgn in order to allure them to us, and difpatched one of our 
Hottentots, who fpoke to them and affured them we had no 
evil intention. After fome time. Colonel Gordon went to them 
while I remained at their huts with the guns, and after much 
perRiaRon he induced them to return to their Kraal. They 
were eleven in number, and v/ere the only natives who inha¬ 
bited this part of the country. We inquired after other nations, 
but they could give us no account, except of the Nimiquas, 
whence we had juR come. A Nimiqua woman who lived 
with them, was the only one of the company who knew any 
thing of Europeans. Though few in number, they were go- 
verned by a chief, whofe name was Cout. The mode of living 
amongR thefe people was in the higheR degree wretched ; 
.and they are apparently the dirtieR of all the Elottentot tribes. 
