ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF KINDNESS. 261

table with his hat on, his pipe generally stuck in it by way of ornament. Previous to dinner

a small tub of water is brought to him, in which his face, hands, and feet are washed. The tub is then taken to the next in importance in the family, who is generally the eldest son or the mother, who go through the same process; and afterwards the whole group do the same in their turn. After this is concluded, a little boy, generally some adopted or favourite slave, stands up and chants a long poetical grace, to which the most respectful attention is paid, and the repast commences. No one can stay too long at the house of a Dutchman, nor can he ever wear out his blunt hospitality. When you talk of leaving, the boor is distressed, and immediately asks with the utmost simplicity, "An't I nice?-An't wife nice?-An't slaves good?" If business be advanced as the excuse to go, he urges you to stay with "Never mind the business now, do it another time." If you still persist, he is sorry; concern and regret are expressed by the whole family; and his slaves are drawn up to witness your departure. He expects no other acknowledgement of his attention than a pinch of snuff to each of the

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slaves, who, when they get it, immediately commence rubbing their teeth with it.

The Dutch at the Cape appear to agree with the Spanish proverb that " haste comes from the devil," for they are most dilatory persons in transacting business. If a Dutchman calls on a person there, and you ask him about the health of his wife, give him some refreshment and plenty of conversation, the probability is that he will go away without transacting the business he came upon. He departs highly satisfied with you, and calls you “ a nice man,” and even "a Christian man."

The composure of these people under accidents and annoyances is very remarkable; they are certainly the most resigned and patient class of beings under the sun. If their waggon should stick fast in a kloof, as the morass is called in the colony, or in the sand, the Dutchman betrays no impatience; he quietly takes off his oxen, and lets it remain with the utmost composure for as many days as may elapse until another waggon or a team of oxen comes to his assistance, and extricates him from his difficulty. The Dutch women are generally lively and affable, and own as good-natured faces as ever were moulded.

CHAPTER XIII.

A trip into the Country.-Reception at a farm-house.— Bees.--Garden.-The Kraal and its keeper.-Cuds of bones. Cornucopiæ. Sheep's tails. The dormitory and its accompaniments.-Dutch mode of living.—Crocuses.- -A Hottentot dance.-An egg newly laid.-Sir John Truter. Effects of generosity.-An expected feast. -Hottentots, their character and peculiar habits.-Poisoned arrows. Method of killing the Ostrich.-Comparative Anatomy. Good works of Missionaries.

On the 3rd of November I left Cape Town on a visit to an English gentleman, who had married into a Dutch family, and lived a short distance from the town. The first few miles of the road the travelling was excellent, till we turned out into a dreary and barren sandy country called the Flats, which in some degree resemble the barren heath tracts of England. The sand appeared to be as pure as if it had just been washed, and was covered with a scanty vegetation. The part we travelled over was intersected by cart-tracks, which, with the broken

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A TRIP INTO THE COUNTRY.

Nor

surface of it here and there, not unfrequently risked the upsetting of our light vehicle. were the tracks of any use to us, for more than once we should have lost our way had it not been for the knowledge of the driver, who, by the by, was rather puzzled now and then.

After rather a tedious journey we descried a house in the distance, which, I was informed, was the habitation of which I was in search. As the vehicle drew up to the door, the attention of the slaves was attracted, and there seemed to be an eager inquisitiveness as to what manner of person I might be. Shortly, however, I was met by the owner of the house, and greeted by the smiling face of a fine old Dutch lady, who, I afterwards found, was his motherin-law. The old lady received me with great kindness on my being introduced to her, and we very soon became acquainted; indeed a very short time was necessary for rubbing off the shyness of a first interview between persons circumstanced as we were.

The first thing that attracted my attention was a swarm of bees that had attached themselves to the parlour window, occupying the space between the shutter and the glass. On

enquiring about them, I found that they had taken a liking to the situation for several years, and always persisted in swarming there, although repeatedly driven away. After the fear of being stung by them was got over, I contemplated the labours of these little creatures with much pleasure, and they frequently afterwards occupied my attention. They are much smaller than our bees, and appear to be far less irritable, and I was informed that they work during the whole year. They kept the house well supplied with honey, the comb being taken away about eight times in the course of the year, or about every six weeks. The hexagonal form of their cells did not seem to be the result of pressure, and were all of the same form both at the top and the sides. In the my observations of them, I frequently saw them removing a portion of wax from one part of the comb to another.

course

of

It was not long after my arrival when dinner was announced, and we proceeded forthwith to discuss the good cheer which had been prepared. In the afternoon we strolled into the garden, an enclosure formed by lofty myrtle hedges. It abounded in flowers of various