Lake Ngami/Chapter 27
CHAPTER XXVII.
On the 25th of August we left the inhospitable banks of the Orange River. After rather more than a week's slow travel through dreary and uninteresting tracts of land, covered by a deep, yielding sandy soil, bearing a dwarfish vegetation, we arrived at Komaggas, also a Rhenish missionary station. The Rev. Mr. Weich now officiated here.[1] The congregation consists of a promiscuous collection of Hottentots and the offspring of other dark-colored natives.
Komaggas is picturesquely situated, and well supplied with water. Gardening is brought almost to perfection; and, notwithstanding the dryness of the atmosphere, corn is cultivated with success in the neighborhood. Indeed, the best wheat in the west part of the colony, I am informed, is grown here; but its cultivation is attended with much labor, since it can only be raised on the summit of hills (which retain moisture longer than the lowlands) rising not unfrequently several thousand feet above the sea.
Except at the station and one or two other spots, the extensive grounds are scantily watered and ill adapted for grazing. During our visit, numbers of cattle were dying from starvation. The region is, moreover, in some seasons infected by diseases fatal to beasts of pasture, and these maladies, of late years, have been of so destructive a character as nearly to exterminate the cattle. Indeed, many of the Bastards and Hottentots, who chiefly inhabit these parts, and who were formerly living in great abundance, are reduced to beggary from this cause.
I now determined to leave Hans, and proceed in advance to Cape-Town, with a view of making arrangements about the sale of the cattle and the intended expedition to the Ngami. As we were now in a locality where horses might be obtained, I procured three or four of these animals without delay, partly for cash and partly for cattle. The rate of exchange was from five to ten oxen, according to the qualities of the horse; or, if money, 100 rix doll. (£7 10). A first-rate hack might be purchased for £10, though, of course, high-bred horses were more expensive.
The Cape Colony horse is a wonderful beast. He is supposed to be of Spanish descent, but of late years has been much crossed by various breeds. Without any pretension to beauty, he is, perhaps, unrivaled in docility, hardiness, and endurance. In eight days (one of which was devoted to rest) I rode, accompanied by a Hottentot servant, from near Komaggas to Cape-Town, a distance of upward of four hundred miles by road, thus averaging fifty miles per day. On an after occasion I remember to have performed upward of ninety miles at a very great pace, only once or twice removing the saddle for a few minutes. And be it borne in mind that the animals were young, indifferently broken-in, unshod, and had never been stall-fed.A most striking instance of the extraordinary endurance of Colony horses occurred a few years ago in Great Namaqua-land. The animal in question belonged to a son of the Hottentot chief Zwartbooi, who one day, while hunting in an open tract of country, fell in with a troop of eleven giraftes, to which he immediately gave chase, and the whole of which he rode down and shot in succession. But the immense exertion was too much for the gallant creature, whose life was thus sacrificed.
This remarkable horse was well known throughout Great Namaqua-land, and is said to have been quite mad with excitement when he observed a wild animal. He only ceased to pursue when the game was either killed or no longer in sight.
The Colony horses, with a little training, answer admirably for either hunting or shooting. They may be taught to remain stationary for hours together by merely turning the bridle over their heads, resting the extremities of the reins on the ground. They seldom trot; the usual pace is a canter, and occasionally an amble.
So much has already been said and written on the Cape Colony, its sturdy Boers, its soil, its productions, and so forth, that it would be superfluous to add any thing farther. Suffice it to mention a few of the most remarkable incidents of my journey.
Soon after leaving Komaggas, my horse—a young half-trained stallion which had only been ridden thrice—shied, and, rearing on his hind legs, came to the ground on his back with sudden violence. Providentially, the soil was soft and yielding, and although I sustained his whole weight for a few seconds, I escaped with no worse consequence than a tight squeezing.
After leaving Komaggas the homesteads of the Boer became daily more numerous. Riding up one morning to a house, with a view of obtaining some bread and flour, I was greeted with the following civil address: "Daar komt weder die verdoomde Engelsman;" that is, "There comes again the cursed Englishman." Though I had heard much of the aversion these men entertain for all that is British, and their coarse language in general, I certainly had not expected that they would have carried their animosity so far. Walking straight up to the individual that had thus accosted me, I said, in as good Dutch as I could muster, "My good friend, in my country, when a stranger does us the honor to pay us a visit, before even asking his errand or his name, much less abusing him, we invite him to our table; and, when he has quenched his thirst and satisfied his hunger, we may probably inquire whence he comes or where he goes;" and with this I leaped into the saddle. The fellow clearly felt the rebuke, for, on turning my horse's head away, he endeavored to persuade me to stop; but his rude salutation had quite spoiled my appetite.
As a rule, however, though frequently coarse and abrupt in their language and conversation, they are undeniably hospitable; and when a person can converse with them in their own language, and accommodate himself to their manners and peculiarities, they are excellent fellows, as I have often experienced. To several of their customs, nevertheless, the stranger will find some difficulty in reconciling himself.
In these localities, on meeting a wayfaring man, the Dutch Boer invariably thus accosts him: "Good-day! Where do you come from? Where are you going? Are you married? How many children have you?" and so forth. If you should be so unfortunate as not to have entered into the marriage state, he is astonished beyond measure, and looks upon you with something like contempt.
Like most people who are novices in a foreign language, I committed at first sad mistakes, and many a joke and laugh originated at my expense. Once, indeed, my awkwardness cost me the loss of a supper, of which I stood greatly in need, having ridden some fifty miles in the course of the day without tasting food of any description. In the Dutch language, "danken" signifies a direct refusal; but, not being aware of this, I interpreted it in the very reverse sense, as meaning, "If you please." As often, therefore, as I repeated the ominous word, so often had I the mortification of seeing the smoking dishes pass by me!
Refreshing myself one afternoon at a comfortable farmhouse, the worthy host inquired whence and how far I had journeyed. Having made a rough calculation in my own mind, I told him the approximate distance. No sooner had I done so than he clasped his hands together, and, turning to his wife, exclaimed, in the utmost amazement, "Gracious heavens! the man has been in Timbuctoo!" "No, my good friend, not quite so far," I remarked. But he became too much absorbed in the novel idea, and, without attending to me, he went on to say, "Yes, indeed, the man has been at Timbuctoo." I again took the liberty to remonstrate, when his brother, who was also present, ejaculated, "Yes, brother, you are right. Timbuctoo! ah! eh? yes! Let me see, Timbuctoo. Ah! I remember to have read that it is situated at the end of Africa, in a place where you can see nothing but sand." Once more I attempted to explain, but to no purpose. Right or wrong, I must have been at Timbuctoo. I secretly wished I had been there.
Finding they apparently knew more about my travels than I did, I left them to themselves to discuss the merit of the journey, and, diving into the eatables which had been liberally spread before me, I did ample justice to their hospitality.
On the 22d of September I reached Cape-Town, where my appearance afforded no little delight and amusement to the mob, who shouted merrily after me, "Look at the jockey! ha! ha! ha!" My dress was certainly highly picturesque. An old English hunting-cap—a present from a friend— adorned my head. The striped jacket that I wore, now well bleached with sun and rain, had shrunk to such a degree as to reach only a few inches down my back; and as for sleeves, they just covered the elbows, the rest having been left on the "Wacht-een-bigte" bushes. My nether garments, consisting of a pair of moleskin trowsers, were on a par with my jacket, for they hardly reached to the calf of my leg; and, to complete the "turn-out," my "veld" shoes were of untanned leather, and so sunburnt as to resemble bricks. And as Cape-Town at that time could boast of no "Moses and Son," or "Silver and Co.," it was only by degrees, and exploring the different shops, that I was able to remodel my dress.
I lost no time in advertising our cattle; and, having secured a good auctioneer and made some other arrangements, I again set off to join my party.
Just as I left Cape-Town, my horse, which was excessively shy, took fright, and started off at a rate which would have "taken the shine" out of even John Gilpin's runaway steed. In the attempt to stop him, the bit (a very substantial one) broke, and in an instant I was at the animal's mercy. Finding myself in an awkward predicament, and being desirous to shorten the race as much as possible, I unhesitatingly gave him both spur and whip, and, as a consequence, ditches, walls, and fences were leaped and passed at a fearful rate, to the great danger of myself and those I encountered. I do not profess to be skilled in horsemanship, my experience as an equestrian being very small. It was, therefore, as much as I could do to keep my seat. Nevertheless, I had the good fortune to escape unhurt, for after a while my steed became exhausted, and pulled up of his own accord.
I found Hans in good health. The Dutch Boers had once or twice behaved rudely, but the Dane's herculean appearance and independent manner quickly cooled their ire, and he was allowed to pass unmolested. He told his adventures with graphic effect and racy humor.Oranges, which are very abundant in these parts, were beginning to ripen. One day some of our Damaras expressed a wish to taste the enticing fruit, and, being supplied with a shilling, they started off. In a short time they brought back no less than two hundred oranges. They had scarcely finished a dozen or two, however, before the effect became irresistible. The acidity of the fruit at this time of the year was so great that it acted with the force of gun-cotton; and, after having a "good blow-out," they were so disordered as to be unable to taste food for several successive days. Indeed, they were effectually cured of their orange mania.
At the bivouac fire I was often entertained with ghost-stories. John, our wagon-driver, who seemed fully to believe in apparitions, was the chief narrator.
"Ghosts," said he, "abound in and about the neighborhood of the Cape. At times they appear in the shape of dogs; at others, in that of human beings. Once, late at night, I was coming from Simon's Bay, when the oxen all of a sudden stopped short, and would have darted right into the bush had I not been quick to turn them. Just then, nothing could be seen; but presently a large white dog, with a chain round the neck, appeared. He passed us slowly without injuring us in any way, and shaped his course over a cross-road, when we continued our journey. At another time I met the "spook" (ghost) in the form of a very tall black man, accompanied by a large dog of the same color.
"Frequently, when returning late at night to my master's place, while yet at a distance, I have seen the whole yard and dwelling-house splendidly illuminated, but on coming to the spot all was gone.
"As a protection to the garden, my master had erected a hut, where men slept at night. After a while, however, the place became so haunted that the watchmen fled, and slept any where they could in the bush. The 'spooks' were seen continually to promenade up and down the walks arm-in-arm, taking an occasional peep into the house."In dark nights a ghost would sometimes appear at the head of the team, and, laying hold of the thong attached to the leading ox, would conduct the cattle out of their proper course, I being totally unconscious of the proceedings at the time.
"Again, I would hear wagons and carriages coming along the road at a brisk pace, and, while making way for them to pass, I found, to my astonishment, that the vehicles were already far ahead of us."
On the 18th of October, and when within a day's ride of Cape-Town, we disposed of our cattle by public auction.
Owing to the great distance we had brought them, and the scarcity of pasturage during the latter part of the journey, our cattle had become very lean, and, although they were in themselves an exceedingly fine lot, their want of condition neither suited the butcher nor the grazier. In their emaciated state, indeed, it would require fully a year before they would become acclimatized and refattened, in which interval, and before getting accustomed to their new pasturage, many would probably die. They scarcely averaged £2 per head. The cows sold almost the best; not on account of the milk they yielded, for that was little or nothing, but simply because, strange to say, they were exempted from a peculiar disease (strangury) which kills the oxen in these parts. The Boers are in consequence obliged to make use of cows for agricultural purposes.
It is customary on these occasions to give a banquet to the purchasers, who chiefly consist of Dutch farmers; and if the cattle are known to be fit for slaughter, the butchers of the metropolis also come in for a share. A large quantity of wine is supposed to be necessary to facilitate the sale. Fortunately, this kind of liquor is very cheap; and though a person may have to entertain from fifty to one hundred people for two days together, the expense of such festivities rarely exceeds seven or eight pounds sterling.
Our hands being now free, the first object to which we turned our attention was to secure a vessel to carry us back to Walfisch Bay. There happened just then to be none at the Cape but we were promised one within a certain period. In the mean time, we occupied ourselves in making the needful purchases, &c.
I also made excursions into the neighborhood. Among other interesting places, I visited, in company with Mr. Bain (the distinguished South African geologist), the famous pass, called after my kind host, Bain's Kloof, through which the road leads across the Drakenstein mountains from the village of Wellington to the district of Worcestershire. The vignette below is a view of a certain part of the pass designated
DACRE'S PULPIT.
Dacre's pulpit, and has been selected from the portfolio of an accomplished friend in Cape-Town.
We had nearly finished our arrangements when the news arrived at the Cape of the extraordinary successes met with at the Australian gold-diggings, and the same mania, though not quite to the same extent, which had turned the people's heads all over the world, took possession of the inhabitants of this colony. Every available vessel was bought up or chartered for the "diggings." I began seriously to apprehend that this would deprive us of the craft we had engaged. Indeed, the owner did actually sell her, but, fortunately, placed another at our disposal, the alteration, however, causing us very great delay.
Though the loss, at this period, of the assistance of Hans would have been grievous and irreparable, I thought it my duty to explain to him the respective advantages of remaining with me and going to Australia. By adhering to the trading, he would be pretty sure to secure a fair income annually, while by adopting the other plan he might have the chance of realizing a fortune in the course of a year or two. I urged that if he felt at all inclined to try his luck at the "diggings," he should not hesitate; for, in that case, I would take charge of his goods and dispose of them as if they were my own. Hans evidently appreciated my well-meant intentions, but generously refused to do any thing that was not in strict accordance with my own wishes. However, I could not take advantage of such an offer in his position, but told him to think the matter well over by himself, and to be entirely guided by his own inclination.
After much hesitation, Hans finally came to the determination to migrate to Australia, and John Allen having also expressed a wish to accompany him, I drew up an agreement between them of such a nature that they might dissolve partnership if they wished, without detriment to either. With regard to myself and Hans, we agreed to share each other's fortunes, though far apart, bad or good.
Matters having been thus far settled, I immediately arranged about the passage of the two adventurers; provided them with a supply of every article necessary for such an expedition, and nearly one hundred pounds sterling in ready money. This change in our original plans proved of great inconvenience to me, inasmuch as we had already sunk every available shilling of our small capital in the intended expedition to Walfisch Bay. However, it was all successfully arranged, and in the early part of January, 1853, they took their departure.
Thus once more I was alone. I could not help reflecting on the difficulties of my position. Two of the best men that, perhaps, ever set foot on African soil, with whom I had shared hardships and privations of no trifling character, had left me to seek their fortunes in remote climes. On me alone, then, devolved the task of watching over and improving the united interest of myself and Hans. Another duty, not less urgent, claimed my attention, namely, that of solving the grand geographical problem—the discovery of a route from the west coast to the Lake Ngami.
On mentioning my trying position to some Cape friends, they coolly advised me to dispose of my goods and return to Europe. I turned in disgust from the proposal, which only served to urge me to renewed exertions. My spirits rose in proportion to the difficulties.
Immediately on the departure of Hans and John Allen, I hastened to attend to my own affairs. I was tolerably well supplied with every thing but servants and instruments for taking astronomical observations. After much search and many bargains, I succeeded in getting together a very fair set of the latter, consisting of a large, good-working sextant, a box-sextant for taking angular bearings, two artificial horizons (one of colored plate-glass mounted in brass, with leveling screws, and another for mercury), an excellent azimuth compass, one or two good pocket-compasses, three boiling-point thermometers for ascertaining heights of places above the level of the sea, two telescopes, one for common fieldwork, and the other large enough for occultations, a chronometer watch, and two ordinary watches. Mr. Maclear, the royal astronomer at the Cape, kindly assisted me in selecting most of the above instruments. He, moreover, took a great deal of pains in adjusting them, and showing me their use, though I fear I almost wore out his patience, for I was excessively stupid in this respect. But I trust the result has proved that his labor was not altogether thrown away.
Shortly after our arrival at the Cape I had been fortunate enough in securing the services of an old acquaintance, Timbo, who had safely returned from St. Helena, where he left Mr. Galton. He proved invaluable to me. To his charge my dogs and native servants were confided, and they throve wonderfully under his management.
I had intended to send two or three Damaras with Hans to Australia; but one day, previous to his departure, they came to me in great tribulation, and said they did not want to go any farther, but wished to return with me to their own land. If such was really their intention, it became my duty to gratify them; but I could not help feeling a little vexed, for, since no one but Timbo could speak their language, I strongly suspected that he had influenced their decision. With a view of ascertaining the fact, I called him, and told him my opinion; but he stoutly denied the charge, adding, "Suppose, master, me was to take a horse from the stable in the Kaap to Wynberg, or to any other strange place, and then leave him to himself, surely he would return whence he came; and so it is with the natives." I was struck with the sagacity of the remark, and said no more about the matter.
Timbo had procured a passage from St. Helena in the Birkenhead man-of-war, and on the voyage he got acquainted with an English lad, George Bonfield, aged sixteen. A mutual attachment sprung up between the shrewd Ethiopian and the youthful Saxon, and in a short time the former was the means of indirectly saving the life of the latter. On the arrival of the vessel at the Cape, the boy requested permision to land, in order to enjoy the society of his swarthy friend. This was granted, on condition that he should rejoin the vessel at Simon's Bay.
While doubling the southern extremity of Africa, the unfortunate Birkenhead struck, and, as is well known, was totally lost, with almost all hands on board.
Timbo took every care of the boy, whose life had thus been saved. He put him to school, and afterward secured him a berth with a tradesman in Cape-Town. Finding that the youth was anxious to see something more of the world, and to add to his store of knowledge, I took him into my employ. He accompanied me to the Great Lake, and when, in the course of the journey, I became ill, and crippled by wounds inflicted by wild animals, his presence and tender care greatly relieved and soothed my sufferings.
On Timbo's recommendation, and from possessing a smattering of Portuguese, I engaged a Mozambique liberated slave of the name of Louis; but he turned out the filthiest, laziest, most sensual, and most useless man I ever came across. Just as I was about to engage him, he said, "Of course, master give me my washing and ironing." "My good fellow," I replied, "has Timbo not explained to you the sort of country we are going to? You must thank your stars if you get water enough to wash your face, much less your clothes. And, if you happen to get a sufficiency for the latter purpose, you will certainly have to cleanse your own garments. In the wilderness, according to an old saying, 'every man is his own washerwoman.'"
A young Hottentot, whom I engaged as wagon-driver for the journey, ran into debt, and shuffled his cards so cleverly that I did not become aware of the circumstance until the day fixed for our departure, when there was, of course, no time to look for another driver, and I had no alternative left but to pay his liabilities. The last of my servants, also a Hottentot and a wagon-driver, known as "old Piet," was, however, a most excellent and well-behaved man. He had been, it is true, in the habit of getting drunk, but, once out of the Cape, he proved himself a hard-working, honest, and faithful fellow, and has never since left my service.
NEGRO BOY.[2]
Finding that a Mr. Reid, whose acquaintance I had made in Great Namaqua-land, and who had been very kind and attentive to me when I was laid up by fever, was about to undertake a trading excursion to Walfisch Bay, I gladly availed myself of the opportunity thus afforded of dividing between us
the expenses of a vessel; a considerable sum was accordingly saved to me.
At last, after many difficulties and delays, we were ready; and on the sixteenth of January, having embarked in the schooner Flying Fish, we unfurled our sails and bade farewell to Cape-Town, where, during a second stay, I enjoyed much kindness and hospitality.
- ↑ This institution was founded by the Rev. Mr. Schmelen. In 1830, during the administration of Sir Lowry Cole, it received by charter an extensive grant of territory from the British government at the Cape. On that memorable occasion the zealous missionary presented to the governor a translation of the four Gospels in the Namaqua tongue.
- ↑ The above wood-cut is a portrait of a negro youth born and bred at the Cape. He has been jobbing, and is returning home with the various articles intrusted to his charge.