Lake Ngami/Chapter 23
CHAPTER XXIII.
In the afternoon of the 20th of February we drove in to Eikhams during a terrific thunder-storm, drenched to the skin. The deluging rain continued to descend the whole of the ensuing night, and the place on the following morning looked like a foaming torrent. In consequence of this inundation, our ox-gear, and, in short, every thing untanned, was completely saturated, and greatly resembled a heap of moist wash-leather.
The starved native dogs had taken advantage of this circumstance, and devoured rather more than two feet of our "trek-touw." The curs are of the greatest annoyance to the traveler in Namaqua-land, for, since the owners rarely feed them, they greedily devour almost every thing they come across. I have had my powder-flask, "veld" shoes, and even rifle (the stock of which may have happened to be covered with hide, in order to keep it from cracking) abstracted by them from my side during the night. A person's first impulse on making the discovery is to vow vengeance on the head of the thieves; but, on seeing the emaciated state of the poor creatures, in which every rib might be counted, anger is turned into pity, and the uplifted arm, ready to strike the blow, falls to its place.
It has been said with much truth by a missionary that "the Namaquas feed their dogs with stripes." From being constantly kicked and knocked about in the most brutal manner, they gradually become so accustomed to ill-treatment that flogging produces little or no effect. When struck, they merely shrug up their backs, open their jaws, grin in a ghastly manner, and, if the chastisement be continued, howl most piteously. This, and their skeleton appearance, are enough to sicken a person.
It would be somewhat difficult to determine to what species of the canine race these dogs belong, or from what breed they originally descended. They bear some slight resemblance to those I have seen at the homesteads of the Swedish peasants.[1]
Jonker had removed his werft to some little distance from Eikhams. He invariably did this every year after the rains, in order to save the pasturage for the dry season. I rode over to the village, where I found nearly the whole tribe— women and children, at least—congregated. This was an opportunity I had long desired, since it would enable me to form a rough estimate of their number. Jonker and most of the men were absent; but by counting the huts, and taking the average number of individuals to each, I came to the conclusion that the aggregate of Namaquas capable of carrying arms did not exceed five hundred. The servants, or rather slaves, on the other hand, consisting of Bushmen, Hill-Damaras, and impoverished Damaras, were probably three or four times as numerous. By supposing each man to be possessed of one gun, which is perhaps below the mark, Jonker's tribe possess in round numbers two thousand firelocks. If their courage corresponded to their numerical strength, they might prove a formidable body even to Europeans, but this is fortunately far from being the case.
Jonker was indebted to us several head of cattle, and we were accordingly anxious for his return, but no person could or would inform us when this was likely to happen. With regard to other inquiries, such as the object and motive of his present journey, the answers were equally unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, the shyness of the natives, when interrogated on these points, coupled with our knowledge that Jonker was accompanied by almost all his warriors, made us suspect that he had gone on a plundering expedition against the Damaras.
After a few days' stay at Eikhams we directed our steps to a powerful tribe of Namaquas, known as the "Roode-Natie," or Red Nation. I had two objects in view for visiting these people, namely, to trade, and to learn something about them and their country. Every one I met, including the missionaries, represented them as the most barbarous and brutal of all the Hottentots in Great Namaqua-land. Only one trader had visited them, and him they treated so shamefully as to discourage others from making a like attempt. I was determined, however, if possible, to ascertain the cause of their evil reputation, and to endeavor to establish friendly relations with them.
My reception was such as to corroborate the ill reports that had reached my ears. At the first werft we came to they stole a large quantity of clothing belonging to our servants, but, after some trouble, we succeeded in recovering the property. At the next village they threatened to shoot us on the spot if we did not sell our things at their own terms! Three different times their chief sent to say that if we attempted to stir without his orders he would fire upon us. To this insolent message we quietly replied that he would have been at liberty to prevent our coming to his werft, but, with regard to our departure, we should consult our own convenience. Finding us determined, and that we were preparing to start, he soon came to terms, and in the most humble manner offered an explanation and apology for his rude conduct, which, under the circumstances, we thought it best to accept.
We were just about to turn our backs upon the Red Nation when a messenger arrived from Cornelius, the chief, with a civil and pressing invitation to visit him at his kraal. After some little hesitation, we consented, and speedily followed the envoy. On arriving at the werft, prettily situated at the foot of a hill near the banks of the Kubakop River, which here forced its passage through a very remarkable range of mountains, I immediately called the tribe together and reproached them for their bad behavior toward strangers. I moreover explained to them the impolicy of such conduct, and how very injurious it would prove to their own interest, since they were entirely dependent on the Cape Colony for their supplies of arms and ammunition, clothing, and other commodities.
My efforts in bringing about a thorough good understanding were successful. A short time afterward, indeed, a number of traders, encouraged by my favorable reception, visited these people, and supplied their wants at the same rate as paid by the other Hottentot tribes residing in Great Namaqua-land. Moreover, they have lately admitted a missionary among them, and it is to be hoped that through good examples they may ultimately be civilized.
The chief stronghold of the Red Nation is about the Kubakop, but a part of the tribe is settled on the Fish River. Taken as a whole, they possess probably the worst portion of the northern part of Great Namaqua-land. They call themselves Kaikhous, a word signifying large ridges of hills, in contradistinction to Zwartboi's tribe, the name of which is Kharikhous, or small ridges. They look upon Jonker and his people, who are known as "Oerlam," not only with jealousy, but with something akin to contempt.
I found but few Damara slaves among the Red Nation, which at first struck me as singular, for their outrage on the Damaras was, at least, of equal extent to that perpetrated by the rest of the northern Namaquas. I could only explain this by supposing that they killed their prisoners. I afterward learned that my conjecture was correct, and that, having surrounded a werft, they coolly shot down every soul, women and children not excepted. However, having lately discovered that the Damaras make useful drudges, they have, from interested motives, become less bloody-minded.
While staying with Cornelius I was attacked by ophthalmia, and for a few days suffered great agonies, but, fortunately, before the disease had arrived at its maximum, it took a favorable turn.
Having succeeded in disposing of the greater part of our goods, we took leave of our host, and bent our steps toward Rehoboth, which was on our road to the Cape. The day after our departure we met with vast numbers of the larvæ of the locust (gryllus devastator, Lich.), commonly called by the Boers "voet-gangers," literally, foot-goers. In some places they might be seen packed in layers several inches in thickness, and myriads were crushed and maimed by our wagon and cattle. Toward nightfall they crawled on to the bushes and the shrubs, many of which, owing to their weight and numbers, were either bowed down to the ground or broken short off. They were of a reddish color, with dark markings, and, as they hung thus suspended, they looked like clusters of rich fruit. As they hopped along the path and among the grass, their appearance was no less curious and striking.
These "voet-gangers" are justly dreaded by the colonists, as no obstacle seems capable of staying their progress. They are said to cross stagnant pools—ay, even the Orange River—by the leading multitudes throwing themselves heedlessly into the water, where they are drowned, thus affording the survivors a temporary bridge. Fires, which are lighted in their path in the hope of staying their course, are extinguished by their myriads. "All human endeavors to diminish their numbers," says a recent author, "would appear like attempting to drain the ocean by a pump."
As we traveled on next morning we encountered the locust itself, and in such masses as literally to darken the air.
"Onward they came, a dark continuous cloud
Of congregated myriads numberless,
The rushing of whose wings was as the sound
Of a broad river, headlong in its course
Plunged from a mountain summit, or the roar
Of a wild ocean in the autumn storm,
Shattering its billows on a shore of rocks."
Our wagon, or any other equally conspicuous object, could positively not be distinguished at the distance of one hundred paces. In a particular spot, within the circumference of a mile they had not left a particle of any green thing. The several columns that crossed our path in the course of the day must each have been many miles in length and breadth. The noise of their wings was very great, not unlike that caused by a gale of wind whistling through the shrouds of a ship at anchor. It was interesting to witness at a distance the various shapes and forms that these columns assumed, more especially when crossing mountain ranges. At one time they would rise abruptly in a compact body, as if propelled by a strong gust of wind; then, suddenly sinking, they would disperse into smaller battalions, not unlike vapors floating about a hill side at early morn, and when slightly agitated by the breeze; or they would resemble huge columns of sand or smoke, changing every minute their shape and evolutions.
During their flight numbers were constantly alighting, an action which has not inaptly been compared to the falling of large snow-flakes. It is, however, not until the approach of night that they encamp. Woe to the spot they select as a resting-place! When the rising sun again speeds their departure, localities which, on the preceding evening, were rich in vegetation, are bare and naked as the Sahara. "When a swarm alights on a garden," says Mr. Moffat, "or even fields, the crop for one season is destroyed. I have observed a field of young maize devoured in the space of two hours. They eat not only tobacco and every other vegetable, but also flannel and linen."
From what has been said, it is evident that the husbandman has just reason to be appalled at the approach of this destructive insect. To the poor Bushmen, "the children of the desert," on the other hand, who have neither herds to lose by famine nor corn-fields to be destroyed by their devastations, their arrival is a cause of rejoicing. Pringle, in his song of the wild Bushman, has the following lines:
"Yea, even the wasting locust-swarm,
Which mighty nations dread,
To me nor terror brings nor harm;
I make of them my bread."
On the present occasion we found a great number of Hottentots, as also Hill-Damaras, busy collecting the locusts, which was done in a very simple and ingenious manner. Having gathered together large quantities of dry fuel, fires were lighted directly in their path, and as the insects passed over the flames, their wings were scorched, and they fell helplessly to the ground.
They are also collected by cart-loads at night when they have retired to rest; but this plan is occasionally attended with danger. "It has happened that in gathering them people have been bitten by venomous reptiles. On one occasion a woman had been traveling several miles with a large bundle of locusts on her head, when a serpent, which had been put into the sack with them, found its way out. The woman, supposing it to be a thong dangling about her shoulders, laid hold of it with her hand, and feeling that it was alive, instantly precipitated the bundle to the ground and fled."
The locusts, after being partially roasted, are eaten fresh, or they are dried in the hot ashes, and then stored away for future emergences. The natives reduce them also to powder or meal by means of two stones or a wooden mortar, which powder, when mixed with water, produces a kind of soup or stir-about. I have tasted locusts prepared in various ways, but I can not say that I have found them very palatable. But they must contain a vast deal of nourishment, since the poor people thrive wonderfully on them.
Birds of almost every description, more especially storks and kites, are seen devouring them greedily.
The great enemy of the locust, however, is the locust-bird, or the "spring-haan vogel," as it is termed by the colonists. This is described as a species of thrush, about the size of a swallow, and is a constant attendant on the insect. It is even said to build its nest and rear its young in the midst of locusts, which, moreover, occasionally prey on each other; for when a locust becomes maimed or crippled, its companions instantly pounce upon and devour it.
The locust which causes such havoc to vegetation in Africa is said to be a different species to that common to Asia, where also, though perhaps not to the same extent, it commits great ravages.
The Cape Colony has been particularly subject to this dreadful scourge, which is invariably followed by famine. The inroads of the locusts are periodical; according to Pringle, about once every fifteen years. In 1808, after having laid waste a considerable portion of the country,[2] they disappeared, and did not return till 1824. They then remained for several years, but in 1830 took their departure. The proper home of the locust is yet a mystery. Experience only tells us that they come southward from the north. They rarely appear in any number except in years of abundance.
Almost every day during several months we encountered innumerable swarms of these insects, and it was not till we had crossed the Orange River that we fairly lost sight of them.
On the 15th of March we reached Rehoboth, where, as already said, there is a missionary station pertaining to the Rhenish Society. Here I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the Rev. Messrs. Kleinschmidt and Vollmer. They resided in substantial clay houses thatched with reeds. The church, in the erection of which Mr. Kleinschmidt had taken a very active part, is a handsome and roomy structure, capable of holding several hundred people. From the disproportionate breadth of the building, however, the roof could not sustain its own weight, and some time previously to my visit the greater part had fallen down. Divine service, nevertheless, continued to be performed in that portion of the building which remained uninjured.
At this period the station was in a most flourishing condition. But, alas! circumstances have since changed, and it is now a question whether the mission can continue to exist. Should it be abandoned, ten years of unremitted labor and exertion will be entirely lost, and I sadly fear it will break the heart of its founder—the worthy and venerable Kleinschmidt.
Rehoboth is well supplied with good and clear water from a fountain hard by. There is also a copious warm spring flowing from a limestone rock; but the water is looked upon as unwholesome, and only made use of for cattle, washing of clothes, and the seasoning of timber.
The warm spring in question is situated on rising ground, and consequently affords facilities for irrigation, though, unfortunately, the soil is scanty and unfavorable for gardening. The missionaries and a few natives have by perseverance succeeded in fertilizing patches of ground which are tolerably productive. Indeed, I have known a fig-tree—certainly not above five or six feet in height—in Mr. Kleinschmidt's garden to produce a dish of fruit every day for a space of more than three months. The garden vegetables which thrive best are pumpkins, calabashes, watermelons, &c. The wild gourd, or melon, is also found in great abundance about Rehoboth. When ripe, this fruit is collected by the natives, dried, and stored away for seasons of scarcity.
- ↑ Mr. Lichtenstein, when speaking of the Bushmen dogs, which may be considered identical with those of the Hottentots, thus writes: "These dogs, in their size and form, have a striking resemblance to the black-backed fox of Southern Africa, the jackal, as he is falsely called, canis mesomelas; so that it seems very probable that the one is really a descendant from the other, only that the properties of the animal are, in the course of time, somewhat changed, from its having been tamed and trained by the hand of man."
- ↑ Barrow, who wrote about this period, and who gives a remarkable account of the devastations of these insects, probably alludes to this very circumstance when he says,
"The present year is the third of their continuance, and their increase has far exceeded that of a geometrical progression whose ratio is a million. For ten years preceding their present visit the colony had been entirely freed from them. Their last departure was rather singular. All the full-grown insects were driven into the sea by a tempestuous northeast wind, and were afterward cast upon the beach, where, it is said, they formed a bank of three or four feet high, which extended from the mouth of the Bosjeman's River to that of the Becka, a distance of near fifty English miles; and it is asserted that when this mass became putrid, and the wind was at southeast, the stench was sensibly felt in several parts of Sneuwberg. * * * The larvæ at the same time were emigrating to the northward. The column of these imperfect insects passed the houses of two of our party, who assured me that it continued moving forward, without any interruption except by night, for more than a month."