CHAPTER XLII.

CHAPTER XLII.Return to the Lake.â€”The Author starts for Namaqua-land to procure Wagons.â€”Night Adventure with a Lion.â€”Death of the Beast.â€”Sufferings of the Author.

Return to the Lake.â€”The Author starts for Namaqua-land to procure Wagons.â€”Night Adventure with a Lion.â€”Death of the Beast.â€”Sufferings of the Author.

After about a monthâ€™s absence, I returned in safety to the Lake, and was delighted to find that affairs were going on prosperously at my camp. My men, however, complained much of the begging and pilfering of the natives. They had also been greatly annoyed by LecholÃ¨tÃ©bÃ¨, who was one of the first persons I encountered on my arrival. I had long been puzzling my brains how I could most effectually pay offthe chief for his treachery, and had resolved to assume an angry and dissatisfied air; but a glance at his smooth, sly, smiling face was sufficient to mollify every feeling of resentment; and when, with the most innocent look, he inquired if I had seen LibÃ¨bÃ©, and if I felt satisfied with the trip in general, my anger was turned into mirth, and I burst into a hearty laugh. This was all my cunning friend wanted: he seemed like one resting completely on a profound sense of his own merits, and waiting to receive the thanks and praises which he felt to be his due.

When stopped so unexpectedly in my exploring career by the artifices of LecholÃ¨tÃ©bÃ¨, I made up my mind to return forthwith to the Cape, partly for the purpose of obtaining a fresh outfit, and partly to procure boats suitable to navigate the Ngami and its water-sheds, and then return to the Lake to follow up my discoveries. But it was not to be.

As the reader will probably remember, I reached the Ngami by means of pack-and-ride oxen; but I had found this mode of traveling so exceedingly inconvenient that I almost dreaded a renewal of it. Moreover, my collection of ivory, specimens of natural history, curiosities, &c., had by this time so increased that I found my few remaining half-broken-in cattle altogether inadequate to the task of conveying me and my stores to the Cape. A wagon had become absolutely necessary, and the only possible way of obtaining one was to return to Namaqua-land, where, should my man Eyebrecht not have such a vehicle at my disposal, I was in hope of being able to borrow one from the natives. To insure dispatch, although I stood sadly in need of rest and quiet, I determined on undertaking the journey.

After about a weekâ€™s stay at Batoana-town, I set out for Namaqua-land on the 10th of September, accompanied by only one man, leaving Timbo in charge of the camp in my absence.

Before I returned to the Lake, and was fairly on my wayhome, four months had elapsed; but, though this portion of my travels was not devoid of interest, the volume has already swelled to such a bulk that I must content myself with relating merely one striking incident that befell me, and a few general remarks.

Journeying in a very lonely part of the country, and only accompanied by a single native, I arrived one day at a fountain, situated in a defile between some craggy rocks. The water issued from different parts among these cliffs, forming little pools here and there; and though the place was difficult of access, elephants and other large game were in the habit of flocking to the water nightly. As the stony nature of the ground afforded excellent â€œambuscades,â€ and being much in want of provision, I determined to watch the pools in question for a night or two.

The first night was a failure, but in the second I succeeded in killing a white rhinoceros. After this, though I watched long and well, nothing appeared, and at last sleep overtook me. How long I slumbered I know not; but on a sudden I thought, or dreamed, that I was in danger. From much night-watching, my hearing and sight had gradually acquired such an acuteness that even in sleep I was able to retain a certain consciousness of what was passing around me, and it is probable that I was indebted to this remarkable faculty for the preservation of my life on the present occasion. At first I could not divest myself of fear, and for a while my senses were too confused to enable me to form any accurate notion of the imagined danger. Gradually, however, consciousness returned, and I could distinctly hear the breathing of an animal close to my face, accompanied by a purr like that of a cat. I knew that only one animal existed inthese partscapable of producing the sound, and at once I came to the conclusion that a lion was actually stooping over me.

If a man had ever cause for dread, I think I certainly had on this occasion. I became seriously alarmed. My first impulsewas to get hold of my gun, which was lying ready cocked immediately before me, and the next to raise myself partially from my reclining position. In doing so, I made as little noise as possible; but, slight though it might be, it was sufficient to attract the notice of the beast, who uttered a gruff kind of growl, too well known to be misunderstood. Following with my eyes the direction of the sound, I endeavored to discover the lion, but could only make out a large dark mass looming through the night-mist. Scarcely knowing what I was about, I instinctively leveled my gun at the beast. My finger was on the trigger; for a moment I hesitated; but, by a sudden impulse, pulled it, and the next instant the surrounding rocks rang with the report, followed by roarings from the beast, as if in the agonies of death. Well knowing what a wounded lion is capable of, and how utterly helpless I was, I regretted my rashness. The wounded beast, who at times seemed to be within a few paces of the â€œskÃ¤rm,â€ and at others at some little distance, was rolling on the ground, and tearing it up, in convulsive agonies. How long this struggle between life and death lasted is hard to say, but to me it appeared an age. Gradually, however, and to my great relief, his roars and moans subsided, and after a while ceased altogether.

Dawn at length appeared; but it was not until after some time, and then with much caution, that I ventured to ascertain the fate of the lion, whom, to my great satisfaction, I found dead within fifty yards of my place of concealment. The beast was of an average size, but, unfortunately, the hyÃ¦nas and jackals had played sad havoc with his skin.

Some time previously, my men, Eyebrecht and Klaas Zaal, had also shot a lion in this identical spot; but, owing to his fearful growls while dying, they thought it best to decamp at once without ascertaining his fate.

During the four months that I was absent from my men, I traveled, either alone or accompanied by a single native,sometimes on foot, and at others on horseback or ox-back, over upward of a thousand miles of country, parts of it emulating the Sahara in scarcity of water and general inhospitality. Tongue is too feeble to express what I suffered at times. To say nothing of narrow escapes from lions and other dangerous beasts, I was constantly enduring the cravings of hunger and the agonies of thirst. Occasionally I was as much as two days without tasting food; and it not unfrequently happened that in the course of the twenty-four hours I could only once or twice moisten my parched lips. Sometimes I was so overcome by these causes, coupled with bodily fatigue, that I fainted. Once both my steed and myself (as seen in the sketch below) dropped down in the midst of a sand-plain, where we remained a long time in a state bordering on unconsciousness, and exposed to all the injurious effects of a tropical sun. I would at times pursue mycourse with a pained and listless step, scarcely knowing what I was about, and staggering like a drunken man. â€œThis,â€ says Captain Messum, when speaking of the hardships he had undergone in a short tour into the interior of the West Coast, â€œwas the pleasure of traveling in Africa. It requires the endurance of a camel and the courage of a lion.â€

AUTHOR AND STEED BROKEN DOWN.

SIGNAL STATION AT CAPE-TOWN.

FOOTNOTES[1]It will doubtless be remembered that, in a gale of wind off the British coast, theDalhousiewas thrown on her beam-ends, and foundered in half an hour afterward, when, with a single exception, every soul on board perished. Out of the several vessels in which I have at different times been a passenger, theDalhousieis the third that has perished shortly after my leaving her![2]The term â€œcart,â€ in this sense, implies a large, roomy, andcoveredvehicle, capable of holding four or six individuals, and from five hundred to one thousand pounds of baggage. It is usually drawn by six or eight mules or horses.[3]When a bush-tick is found attached to any part of the body of a man, the simplest and the most effectual way of getting rid of it, without any disagreeable result, is to anoint the place to which the insect has fixed itself with pipe oil. In cases of brute animals, I have found tar to answer the purpose exceedingly well.[4]I have seen the white Egyptian vulture feed upon it! This is, I believe, with one more exception, the only instance where this class of birds are known to partake of vegetable food.[5]The southern limit of Great Namaqua-land is, at the present moment, the Orange River. To the north it is bounded by Damara-land, or by about the twenty-second degree of south latitude.[6]To prevent confusion, when speaking hereafter of these people, I shall simply call them Damaras, in contradistinction to the Hill-Damaras, who are a totally different race of natives.[7]A similar notion prevails with regard to that most curious little animal, the lemming (lemmus norvegicus, Worm.), on whose mysterious appearance and disappearance so many hypotheses have been unsatisfactorily expended. See Lloydâ€™s â€œScandinavian Adventures,â€ vol. ii., chap. v.[8]His hunting dress on these occasions consisted simply of a thick, coarse blue shirt or blouse, secured by a belt round his waist, containing his balls, caps, wadding, &c.[9]Most animals, when shot or otherwise killed, fall on their sides; but the rhinoceros is often an exception to this rule: at least such is my experience. In nine cases out of ten, of all those I have killed during my wanderings in Africaâ€”and they amount to upward ofone hundredâ€”I found them on theirknees, with the fore parts of their ponderous heads resting on the ground.[10]The â€œshambokâ€ (a Dutch term) consists of a strip of the stoutest part of the hide of the rhinoceros or the hippopotamus. After being stretched on the ground, and when it has acquired a certain stiffness, the strip is subjected to a severe hammering, for the double purpose of condensing it and giving it a rounded shape. It is then reduced to the desired size by means of a knife or plane; and, lastly, a piece of sand-paper, or glass, if at hand, is employed to give it the finishing smoothness and polish. The â€œshambokâ€ is exceedingly tough and pliable, will inflict the most severe wounds and bruises, and will last for years. The price of one of these â€œwhips,â€ in the colony, varies from eighteen pence to as much as nine or ten shillings.[11]The proper name of these people isHaukoin, which literally means â€œreal men.â€ By the Namaquas they are styledGhou-DamoporDamanâ€”a term not sufficiently decorous for translation. The name Hill-Damaras is that by which they are best known, and, being really very appropriate to their habits and mode of living, I shall retain it throughout the course of this narrative.[12]In the nights the Damaras invariably carry a fire-brand, which they hold close to their bodies, in order to shelter themselves, in some degree, from the wind and cold.[13]I have since had frequent opportunities of hearing the dying groans of the zebra, which in reality greatly resemble the faint gasps and ejaculations of a drowning man. Even the subdued neighings of this animal, when heard from a distance, are of a very melancholy nature.[14]I have been told that on a similar occasion to the present, a lion was so injured by the flaming missiles thrown at him, that he was found shortly afterward dead of his wounds.[15]Captain Sturt, who in his explorations in Australia seems to have experienced the same heat in even a greater degree, says,â€œThe mean of the thermometer for the months of December, January, and February had been 101, 104, and 105 degrees respectively, in the shade. Under its effects, every screw in our boxes had been drawn, and the horn handles of our instruments, as well as our combs, were split into fine laminÃ¦. The lead dropped out of our pencils, and our signal rockets were entirely spoiled; our hair, as well as the wool on the sheep, ceased to grow, and our nails had become brittle as glass. The flour lost more than eight per cent. of its original weight, and the other provisions in still greater proportion.â€ In another part of his narrative, this enterprising explorer mentions the quicksilver once to have risen to 132 degrees in the shade, the thermometer being placed in the fork of a tree, five feet from the ground![16]â€œThe black, or rock scorpion,â€ says Lieutenant Patterson, â€œis nearly as venomous as any of the serpent tribe. A farmer, who resided at a place called the Paarle, near the Cape, was stung by one in the foot during my stay in the country, and died in a few hours.â€[17]A bottle of any kind, filled with milk, and with a quill (enveloped in linen) inserted in the cork.[18]For a detailed account of this curious and interesting insect, see Mr. Westwood (British CyclopÃ¦dia); Mr. Savage (Annals of Natural History, vol. v., p. 92), &c.[19]This surpasses the graphic answer given to BjÃ¶rn Jernsida (the bear ironside), a famous Swedish sea-king. When on his way to plunder Rome, he inquired of a wayfaring man what the distance might be. â€œLook at these shoes!â€ said the traveler, holding up a pair of worn-out iron-shod sandals; â€œwhen I left the place you inquire for, they were new; judge, then, for yourself.â€[20]Previously to my leaving Africa, I learned that the entire tribe had been broken up.[21]Omuramba, in the Damara language, signifies a water-course, in the bed of which bothgrassandwateris to be had.[22]On his return to England Mr. Galton presented the Kew Gardens with specimens of the fruit, but I am told that every effort to raise plants from it proved abortive.[23]The beautiful drawing from which the above wood-cut is taken was kindly placed at my disposal by my esteemed and accomplished friend Major Garden. It represents the species of fan-palm or vegetable ivory-palm found about Natal, and seems in general appearance to correspond with the kind observed by ourselves. In size, however, it is very inferior, for, according to the majorâ€™s estimate, it does not much exceed fifteen feet in height, while the tree of the parts of which I am now speaking not unfrequently attains to the altitude of from thirty to fifty feet, and even more.[24]These trees consisted chiefly of what in the Cape Colony is termedStink-hout, or stink-wood. It derives its peculiar name from an offensive odor that it exhales, and which it retains until thoroughly seasoned. In the grain and the shading it somewhat resembles walnut, but in external appearance approaches the oak. Indeed, if I am not mistaken, botanists have described it asquercus Africana, in which case I believe it to be the only species of that kind known to be indigenous to the African continent. I am told it is by far the best wood in Southern Africa, and seems well adapted for various purposes, such as wagons, gun-stocks, ship-building, &c.[25]Shortly before reaching â€œBaboon Fountainâ€ I should remark that, at a place called Orujo, we saw a cavity of a similar shape, though on an infinitely smaller scale. It consisted of a circular-shaped basin in the limestone rock ninety feet in diameter by thirty in depth. As it was dry at the time, we ascertained that the bottom was flat, or nearly so. In various other places we also met with similar basins, but on a still smaller scale than Orujo.[26]In speaking of the Matabili, Captain Harris says, â€œTo be fat is the greatest of all crimes, no person being allowed that privilege but the king.â€ Here, then, we have a new kind oflÃ¨se-majestÃ©. According to some of the African tribes,obesityin plebeians ishigh-treason![27]These ornaments, together with a narrow and soft piece of skin in front, and another behind of stout hide, constitute thedressof the Ovamboladies.[28]The above wood-cut is a view of the country near Nangoroâ€™s residence. The huts in the distance are those of Bushmen. A great number of these people dwell among the Ovambo, to whom they stand in a kind of vassalage and relationship.[29]Captain Messum, master of a merchant vessel, subsequently informed me that he has seen it.[30]The plate facing the page represents two lions observing me, while the lioness, not yet aware of my presence, is still eagerly pushing on toward the intended victims.[31]In my journey to the Lake Ngami at an after period, I observed whole forests of a species of tree called Omumborombonga, the supposed progenitor of the Damaras. This fact, coupled with our knowledge that all the tribes to the north are more or less conversant with agriculture, of which the Damaras know nothing (having no word in their language for cereal food), and that many of the nations to the east are partly pastoral, would seem to indicate a northeast or east direction as their original home.[32]His father, Christian Afrikaner, once lived within the present boundary of the Cape Colony; but his brother having killed a Dutch farmer, from whom the tribe is said to have suffered much wrong, he and his kindred were obliged to fly the country. He then settled on the banks of the Garib or Orange River, where he soon became famous for his daring and ferocious exploits against his neighbors. In this state of things he was found by the Rev. Mr. Moffat, well known for his missionary labors in Southern Africa, who, after having experienced much opposition, finally succeeded in converting him to Christianity. At his death the present Jonker Afrikaner, though an elder brother was still living, assumed the chieftainship, which occasioned a division in the tribe, and was, moreover, the original cause of their migration northward.[33]Some Damaras attribute the origin of the sheep to a large stone.[34]The grain of this tree is so very close, and the wood so exceedingly weighty, that we gave it the name of the â€œiron tree.â€[35]I am told that this is not unfrequently done before life is quite extinct! It is moreover affirmed, that when the sick man begins to breathe hard a skin is immediately thrown over his face, which, no doubt, often causes premature death.[36]Each caste has a particular tree or shrub consecrated to it. Of this shrub, a couple of twigs or sticks represent the deceased.[37]When we thus shot at night, we generally ensconced ourselves in a â€œskÃ¤rm,â€ that is, a small circular inclosure six or eight feet in diameter, the walls (usually consisting of loose stones) being about two feet in height.[38]A copper-cap box, for the information of my female readers, is about the size of a pill-box.[39]The wood-cut on the preceding page is a faithful representation of the chase described, which took place shortly before sunset.[40]At the Zoological Gardens, Regentâ€™s Park, where at this moment several of these birds are alive, the ostrich is fed on a mixture of oats, barley, chaff, and cabbage, of which the respective quantities are as follows: oats, one pint; barley, one pint; chaff, half a gallon; and cabbage, four pounds.[41]Apicius gives a recipe for the best sauce.[42]The Romans, as is well known, also introduced large numbers of ostriches into the circus, where they were butchered by the people. We are told that no less than one thousand of these splendid creatures (together with an equal number of the stag, the fallow deer, and the boar tribe) were on one occasion brutally sacrificed to gratify the insatiable thirst for blood of the Roman populace.[43]The plumes, together with the eggs, of the ostrich, are said to have been held in much request with the ancient Egyptians. Indeed, they formed part of the tribute imposed on those of the conquered nations in whose country the bird abounded, and appear to have been used for ornaments as well as for religious purposes. â€œThe ostrich feather was a symbol of the Goddess of Truth or Justice. It belonged also to the head-dress of Ao, was adopted by Hermes Trismegistus, and worn by the soldiery and the priests on certain religious festivals.â€ â€œIn Turkey, the janizary who signalized himself in arms had the privilege of empluming his turban, and in the kingdom of Congo the feathers, mixed with those of the peacock, are employed as the ensigns of war and victory.â€[44]Such feathers as have been plucked from the wings of the living bird are said to be preferable to those obtained from the dead ostrich, as being less liable to the attack of worms.[45]â€œThe Boke of Philip Sparrow.â€[46]Among the people of Persia and Arabia the vulgar belief is said to exist â€œthat theshutur-moorg(the camel-bird) is produced by the union of a camel with a bird!â€[47]â€œWhen slain, the throat is opened, and a ligature being passed below the incision, several of the hunters raise the bird by the head and feet, and shake and drag him about until they obtain from the aperture nearly twenty pounds of a substance of mingled blood and fat, of the consistence of coagulated oil, which, under the denomination ofmanteque, is employed in the preparation of dishes and the cure of various maladies.â€â€”Harrisâ€™s Wild Sports.[48]Several well-known Australian explorers make mention of similar occurrences with this identical bird. I have also heard that in India it is no unusual thing to see hawks snatch the food from a person as he travels along.[49]Oryx capensis,oryx beisa, andoryx leucoryx.[50]The numerous engravings of the leucoryx on the sculptures of Egypt clearly indicate that this animal was well known to the nations inhabiting the valley of the Nile. It was chosen as an emblem, but whether as a good or evil symbol is uncertain, though some modern writers seem in favor of the former opinion. The wealthy Egyptians kept a great number of this antelope in a tame state, but it does not appear to have been considered a sacred animal. Indeed, it was indiscriminately sacrificed to the gods, and slaughtered for the table.[51]It is possible that heralds became acquainted with this animal, or at least with the leucoryx, through the Crusaders. Or perhaps the knowledge was obtained from the Romans, who, according to Martial, had the oryx at their games.[52]For some curious remarks on the unicorn, see Barrow, vol. ii., p. 269,et seq.[53]Mr. Lichtenstein, when speaking of the Bushmen dogs, which may be considered identical with those of the Hottentots, thus writes: â€œThese 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.â€[54]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,â€œThe 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 Bosjemanâ€™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 larvÃ¦ 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.â€[55]Large species of serpents of the python family are known to inhabit many parts of the African continent. Dr. Smith, in his â€œZoology of South Africa,â€ when speaking of a certain species (python Natalensis) found sparingly in the neighborhood of Natal, thus says:â€œIt occasionally attains a very large size, and, according to the natives, individuals have been seen whose circumference was equal to that of the body of a stout man: we have ourselves seen a skin which measured twenty-five feet, though a portion of the tail was deficient. It feeds upon quadrupeds, and for some days after swallowing food it remains in a torpid state, and may then be easily destroyed. The South Africans, however, seldom avail themselves of these opportunities of ridding themselves of a reptile they view with horror, as they believe that it has a certain influence over their destinies; and affirm that no person has ever been known to maltreat it without sooner or later paying for his audacity.â€[56]Mr. Freeman, in â€œA Tour in South Africa,â€ mentions having heard of one of this kind of reptiles being destroyed that actually exceeded this size nearly three times. â€œThis enormous serpent,â€ says the reverend gentleman, â€œwas hanging from the bough of a large tree, and was killed only after a desperate struggle. It measured fifty feet in length. This was ascertained by a number of men lying down at full length by its side. It took nine men to reach from the head to the tail, and was of prodigious girth round the body.â€[57]Trimerorhinus rhombeatus.[58]Naia haje.[59]Columber canus.[60]Turtle blood is also asserted to be a good remedy against wounds caused by poisoned arrows.[61]This superstition is common in Devonshire, in the western parts of which it used, till lately, to be affirmed, â€œthat at twelve oâ€™clock at night on Christmas eve, the oxen in their stalls are always found on their knees in an attitude of devotion; and that, since the alteration of the style, they continue to do this only on the eve ofoldChristmas day.â€ Bravo, oxen!â€”(See Brandâ€™s â€œPopular Antiquities.â€)[62]This remarkable beast was a long time in the possession of Mr. Oswell, who, I believe, intended to bring it alive to England, but unavoidable circumstances prevented this distinguished traveler from carrying his plan into execution.[63]Or about 148,000 English square miles. The area of Damara-land is about 29,000 English square miles.[64]When speaking of the moon, the Namaquas do not say, like ourselves, that it rises and sets, but that â€œit dies and is born again.â€[65]It is a practice among the young Namaquas to hold a goat between the knees, and draw the milk directly from the teats of the animal into their own mouths.[66]After a great hunt, it was also the custom to reserve for the chief the best pieces of the different kinds of game which had been killed, such as the breast of the eland, the hump of the rhinoceros, and so forth, the rest being divided among the tribe.[67]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.[68]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.[69]Descendants of Dutch farmers and Hottentot women, and hence also called Bastards.[70]On accidentally mentioning my fast to Captain Sturt, the distinguished Australian traveler, he assured me it was a mere trifle to what he himself had once suffered, having been six and a half consecutive days without nourishment of any kind![71]It is asserted by more than one experienced hunter, that when the hyÃ¦na proves troublesome, the lion has been known to bite off all its feet, and, thus mutilated, leave the poor animal to its fate![72]Rhinoceros Indicus,Rhinoceros Sondaicus, andRhinoceros Bicornis Sumatrensis.[73]I have met persons who told me that they have killed rhinoceroses with three horns; but in all such cases (and they have been but few), the third, or posterior horn is so small as to be scarcely perceptible.[74]The above wood-cut is a rough but characteristic outline of the heads of the four distinct species of rhinoceroses recognized as indigenous to Africa. The two lowest heads in the sketch are those of the â€œblack.â€[75]Only the horns of this species have been described by naturalists. Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, seems to be one of the first who drew attention to the Kobaaba as a distinct rhinoceros. In the â€œProceedings of the Zoological Society,â€ No. ccl., p. 46, the following details appear. They were obtained from a pair of horns (of which the wood-cut in the opposite page is an excellent likeness) presented by Mr. Oswell to Colonel Thomas Steele, of Upper Brook Street:â€œThe front horn is elongated and thick; but, instead of being bent back, as is the general character ofR. bicornis, or erect, as inR. simus, it is bent forward, so that the upper surface is worn flat by being rubbed against the ground. The front horn is thirty-one inches long, flat, square, rough and fibrous in front, rounded and smooth behind. The hinder horn, eleven inches in length, is short, conical, and sub-quadrangular.â€[76]The Asiatic specimen in the Zoological Gardens, Regentâ€™s Park, is fed on clover, straw, rice, and bran. His daily allowance is one truss of straw, three quarters of a truss of clover, one quart of rice, half a bushel of bran, and twenty to twenty-four gallons of water.[77]Sparrman says that the cavity containing the brains of a rhinoceros that he shot was only six inches long, and four high, and of an oval shape. On being filled with peas, it was found to hold barely one quart; a human skull, measured at the same time, did not require much less than three pints to fill it.[78]It was my intention to introduce at length the history of this animal; but being (as already alluded to in a preceding chapter) confined as to space, I must, though reluctantly, abandon the idea.[79]The cut on the next page represents one of those numerous and exciting scenes that I have witnessed at night, at the water, when lying in ambush for game. There is one factâ€”a fact that has hitherto escaped the attention of the African sportsmanâ€”connected with this illustration that makes it particularly interesting, and which induced me to designate it â€œThe Approach of Elephants.â€ The animals are just appearing above the distant hill. If the spring or pool, as the case may be, be of small extent, all the animals present will invariably retire from the water as soon as they are aware of the presence of the elephants, of whom they appear to have an instinctive dread, and will remain at a respectful distance until the giants have quenched their thirst. Thus, long before I have seen, or even heard the elephants, I have been warned of their approach by the symptoms of uneasiness displayed by such animals as happened to be drinking at the time. The giraffe, for instance, begins to sway his long neck to and fro; the zebra utters subdued, plaintive cries; the gnoo glides away with a noiseless step; and even the ponderous and quarrelsome black rhinoceros, when he has time for reflection, will pull up short in his walk to listen; then, turning round, he listens again, and, if he feel satisfied that his suspicions are correct, he invariably makes off, usually giving vent to his fear or ire by one of his vicious and peculiar snorts. Once, it is true, I saw a rhinoceros drinking together with a herd of seven male elephants; but then he was of the white species, and, besides, I do not believe that either party knew of each otherâ€™s proximity.[80]I lost many noble beasts from the small calibre of my guns, which did not carry more than fourteen and seventeen balls respectively to the pound. This was more especially the case as regarded the elephants; and it was not until after a time, and when they had become scarce and shy, that I found out the way of bringing them down with any certainty at one or two shots. I found the best part to aim at (when shooting by night) was the shoulder, either behind or in the centre, near to the lower edge of the ear. Another good point, provided the gun be of large calibre, is to fire at the leg, which once broken, the animal, in almost every instance, is completely at the mercy of the hunter.[81]The black rhinoceros is, under all circumstances, as already mentioned, a morose and sulky beast. The one in question was unusually savage, as she had probably a young sucking calf. We did not see the latter, it is true, but assumed such to be the case from the beastâ€™s teats being full of milk. It is most likely that her offspring was of too tender an age to accompany her, and that, as not unfrequently happens, she concealed it among the bushes when about to quench her thirst at the pool.[82]â€œThe baobob,â€ says Mr. Livingstone, â€œthe body of which gives one the idea of a mass of granite, from its enormous size, yields a fruit about the size of a quart bottle; the pulp between the seeds tastes like cream of tartar, and it is used by the natives to give a flavor to their porridge.â€ Mr. Green writes me that plants have been raised in England of the baobob from seeds brought home by his son, Frederick Green, who is at present treading in my tracks in the interior of Southwestern Africa. For further details of the baobob, see â€œSaturday Magazineâ€ for the year 1832.[83]When the lake was first discovered, a man told me that he obtained, in exchange for a musket, twelve hundred pounds of ivory, worth, at the least, Â£240 sterling![84]Many are of opinion that this river continues to flow subterraneously, and that it ultimately finds an outlet into the sea on the east coast. It is by no means uncommon in African geographyâ€”and we have in England an instance of it in the Moleâ€”to find a river suddenly disappearing and as unexpectedly reappearing at some little distance.[85]Dr. Livingstone informs us that on the first discovery of the Zouga, its banks literally swarmed with wild animals, and that in the course of three years no less than nine hundred elephants were killed. However, from the persecution to which the game is constantly exposed, and the introduction of fire-arms, the number of animals has rapidly decreased, and what remain are wild and wary.[86]Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, to whom I submitted an imperfect skin and a sketch of the head of the nakong, is unable to determine its exact nature, but seems inclined to consider it identical with thetragelaphus eurycerusâ€”the broad-horned antelopeâ€”of which specimens of horns and heads have been brought from the Bight of Biafra, on the west coast of Africa. In the â€œProceedings of the Zoological Society,â€ No. 250, p. 47, the following details appear:â€œHead, pale brown. Broad band before the eyes, and two large spots on cheeks; chin and front of upper lip white. Horns elongate, thick, scarcely bent forward at the tip. Throat with long black hairs.â€Again, from a head in Mr. Warwickâ€™s collection:â€œThe horns are very similar to those oft. angasii, but the head is considerably larger, nearly as large as that of the koodoo, and the horns are thicker and larger; they are twenty-seven inches long in a straight line from base to tip, and nine inches in circumference at the base. The hair of the head is also paler and more uniformly colored, and with very large white spots on the cheek, much larger than those of the koodoo or oft. angasii. The throat has a distinct mane of blackish rigid hairs. The muffle is very like that oft. angasii, and larger than that of the koodoo. The skull is imperfect; it has no appearance of any suborbital pit or slit.â€[87]Some of the notions entertained of these people before the existence of the Ngami was known to Europeans are curious and amusing. Captain Messum, in an article in the Nautical Magazine on â€œthe exploration of Western Africa,â€ says that he had heard the inhabitants of the Lake regions represented as monsters, with only one eye in the centre of the forehead, and feeding on human flesh, as the giants of old used to take their breakfasts. â€œA baby was nothing; they swallowed it whole.â€[88]Moffat.[89]For a scientific description of this insect, see â€œProceedings of the Zoological Society,â€ No. ccxvii.[90]When allowed to settle on the hand of man, all it is observed to do is to insert its proboscis a little farther than seems necessary to draw blood. It then partially withdraws the dart, which assumes a crimson hue. The mandibles now appear to be agitated; the shrunken body swells; and, in a few seconds, the insect becomes quite full, and quietly abandons its prey.[91]â€œOne of my steeds,â€ says Gordon Cumming, â€œdied of the tsetse. The head and body of the poor animal swelled up in a most distressing manner before he died; his eyes were so swollen that he could not see; and, in darkness, he neighed for his comrades who stood feeding beside him.â€[92]A dog reared on the meat ofgamemay be hunted in tsetse districts in safety![93]The above wood-cut represents a native in the act of ferrying himself across the river on nothing but a bundle of reeds, with sidings and uprights of the same light materials. It is a most ingenious contrivance, and, in localities where wood is scarce, answers the purpose admirably.[94]As perhaps many of my readers are interested in philology, I may mention that in the â€œGeographical Journalâ€ of this year I have introduced a short vocabulary of the Bayeye language. The words, though necessarily few in number, have been selected with a view to their utility, and consist chiefly of those denoting family relations, names of the different parts of the body, familiar objects, numerals, &c. I have, at the same time, given the corresponding terms in the Otjiherero (Damara) and the Chjlimanse (a tribe inhabiting the country west of the Portuguese settlement on the East Coast) to show the striking analogy existing between these languages. The nations here mentioned occupy a narrow strip of territory extending obliquely across the continent from the West Coast almost to that of the East.[95]In an old painting at Hampton Court representing the Last Judgment, the mouth of the hippopotamus is said to be figured as the entrance of the â€œplace of the wicked.â€[96]The object of having the connecting line to consist of a number of small cords instead of a single stout one is to reduce the chance of its being severed by the teeth of the hippopotamus.[97]In some parts of ancient Egypt the hippopotamus was worshiped. It is also said to have been a representation of Typho (in connection with the crocodile) and Mars. According to Plutarch, it â€œwas reckoned among the animals emblematic of the Evil Being.â€[98]Sir Gardner Wilkinson informs us further that the inhabitants at Sennaar still follow up the practice of their ancestors, and, like them, prefer chasing it in the river to an open attack on shore.

FOOTNOTES

[1]It will doubtless be remembered that, in a gale of wind off the British coast, theDalhousiewas thrown on her beam-ends, and foundered in half an hour afterward, when, with a single exception, every soul on board perished. Out of the several vessels in which I have at different times been a passenger, theDalhousieis the third that has perished shortly after my leaving her!

[2]The term â€œcart,â€ in this sense, implies a large, roomy, andcoveredvehicle, capable of holding four or six individuals, and from five hundred to one thousand pounds of baggage. It is usually drawn by six or eight mules or horses.

[3]When a bush-tick is found attached to any part of the body of a man, the simplest and the most effectual way of getting rid of it, without any disagreeable result, is to anoint the place to which the insect has fixed itself with pipe oil. In cases of brute animals, I have found tar to answer the purpose exceedingly well.

[4]I have seen the white Egyptian vulture feed upon it! This is, I believe, with one more exception, the only instance where this class of birds are known to partake of vegetable food.

[5]The southern limit of Great Namaqua-land is, at the present moment, the Orange River. To the north it is bounded by Damara-land, or by about the twenty-second degree of south latitude.

[6]To prevent confusion, when speaking hereafter of these people, I shall simply call them Damaras, in contradistinction to the Hill-Damaras, who are a totally different race of natives.

[7]A similar notion prevails with regard to that most curious little animal, the lemming (lemmus norvegicus, Worm.), on whose mysterious appearance and disappearance so many hypotheses have been unsatisfactorily expended. See Lloydâ€™s â€œScandinavian Adventures,â€ vol. ii., chap. v.

[8]His hunting dress on these occasions consisted simply of a thick, coarse blue shirt or blouse, secured by a belt round his waist, containing his balls, caps, wadding, &c.

[9]Most animals, when shot or otherwise killed, fall on their sides; but the rhinoceros is often an exception to this rule: at least such is my experience. In nine cases out of ten, of all those I have killed during my wanderings in Africaâ€”and they amount to upward ofone hundredâ€”I found them on theirknees, with the fore parts of their ponderous heads resting on the ground.

[10]The â€œshambokâ€ (a Dutch term) consists of a strip of the stoutest part of the hide of the rhinoceros or the hippopotamus. After being stretched on the ground, and when it has acquired a certain stiffness, the strip is subjected to a severe hammering, for the double purpose of condensing it and giving it a rounded shape. It is then reduced to the desired size by means of a knife or plane; and, lastly, a piece of sand-paper, or glass, if at hand, is employed to give it the finishing smoothness and polish. The â€œshambokâ€ is exceedingly tough and pliable, will inflict the most severe wounds and bruises, and will last for years. The price of one of these â€œwhips,â€ in the colony, varies from eighteen pence to as much as nine or ten shillings.

[11]The proper name of these people isHaukoin, which literally means â€œreal men.â€ By the Namaquas they are styledGhou-DamoporDamanâ€”a term not sufficiently decorous for translation. The name Hill-Damaras is that by which they are best known, and, being really very appropriate to their habits and mode of living, I shall retain it throughout the course of this narrative.

[12]In the nights the Damaras invariably carry a fire-brand, which they hold close to their bodies, in order to shelter themselves, in some degree, from the wind and cold.

[13]I have since had frequent opportunities of hearing the dying groans of the zebra, which in reality greatly resemble the faint gasps and ejaculations of a drowning man. Even the subdued neighings of this animal, when heard from a distance, are of a very melancholy nature.

[14]I have been told that on a similar occasion to the present, a lion was so injured by the flaming missiles thrown at him, that he was found shortly afterward dead of his wounds.

[15]Captain Sturt, who in his explorations in Australia seems to have experienced the same heat in even a greater degree, says,â€œThe mean of the thermometer for the months of December, January, and February had been 101, 104, and 105 degrees respectively, in the shade. Under its effects, every screw in our boxes had been drawn, and the horn handles of our instruments, as well as our combs, were split into fine laminÃ¦. The lead dropped out of our pencils, and our signal rockets were entirely spoiled; our hair, as well as the wool on the sheep, ceased to grow, and our nails had become brittle as glass. The flour lost more than eight per cent. of its original weight, and the other provisions in still greater proportion.â€ In another part of his narrative, this enterprising explorer mentions the quicksilver once to have risen to 132 degrees in the shade, the thermometer being placed in the fork of a tree, five feet from the ground!

[15]Captain Sturt, who in his explorations in Australia seems to have experienced the same heat in even a greater degree, says,

â€œThe mean of the thermometer for the months of December, January, and February had been 101, 104, and 105 degrees respectively, in the shade. Under its effects, every screw in our boxes had been drawn, and the horn handles of our instruments, as well as our combs, were split into fine laminÃ¦. The lead dropped out of our pencils, and our signal rockets were entirely spoiled; our hair, as well as the wool on the sheep, ceased to grow, and our nails had become brittle as glass. The flour lost more than eight per cent. of its original weight, and the other provisions in still greater proportion.â€ In another part of his narrative, this enterprising explorer mentions the quicksilver once to have risen to 132 degrees in the shade, the thermometer being placed in the fork of a tree, five feet from the ground!

[16]â€œThe black, or rock scorpion,â€ says Lieutenant Patterson, â€œis nearly as venomous as any of the serpent tribe. A farmer, who resided at a place called the Paarle, near the Cape, was stung by one in the foot during my stay in the country, and died in a few hours.â€

[17]A bottle of any kind, filled with milk, and with a quill (enveloped in linen) inserted in the cork.

[18]For a detailed account of this curious and interesting insect, see Mr. Westwood (British CyclopÃ¦dia); Mr. Savage (Annals of Natural History, vol. v., p. 92), &c.

[19]This surpasses the graphic answer given to BjÃ¶rn Jernsida (the bear ironside), a famous Swedish sea-king. When on his way to plunder Rome, he inquired of a wayfaring man what the distance might be. â€œLook at these shoes!â€ said the traveler, holding up a pair of worn-out iron-shod sandals; â€œwhen I left the place you inquire for, they were new; judge, then, for yourself.â€

[20]Previously to my leaving Africa, I learned that the entire tribe had been broken up.

[21]Omuramba, in the Damara language, signifies a water-course, in the bed of which bothgrassandwateris to be had.

[22]On his return to England Mr. Galton presented the Kew Gardens with specimens of the fruit, but I am told that every effort to raise plants from it proved abortive.

[23]The beautiful drawing from which the above wood-cut is taken was kindly placed at my disposal by my esteemed and accomplished friend Major Garden. It represents the species of fan-palm or vegetable ivory-palm found about Natal, and seems in general appearance to correspond with the kind observed by ourselves. In size, however, it is very inferior, for, according to the majorâ€™s estimate, it does not much exceed fifteen feet in height, while the tree of the parts of which I am now speaking not unfrequently attains to the altitude of from thirty to fifty feet, and even more.

[24]These trees consisted chiefly of what in the Cape Colony is termedStink-hout, or stink-wood. It derives its peculiar name from an offensive odor that it exhales, and which it retains until thoroughly seasoned. In the grain and the shading it somewhat resembles walnut, but in external appearance approaches the oak. Indeed, if I am not mistaken, botanists have described it asquercus Africana, in which case I believe it to be the only species of that kind known to be indigenous to the African continent. I am told it is by far the best wood in Southern Africa, and seems well adapted for various purposes, such as wagons, gun-stocks, ship-building, &c.

[25]Shortly before reaching â€œBaboon Fountainâ€ I should remark that, at a place called Orujo, we saw a cavity of a similar shape, though on an infinitely smaller scale. It consisted of a circular-shaped basin in the limestone rock ninety feet in diameter by thirty in depth. As it was dry at the time, we ascertained that the bottom was flat, or nearly so. In various other places we also met with similar basins, but on a still smaller scale than Orujo.

[26]In speaking of the Matabili, Captain Harris says, â€œTo be fat is the greatest of all crimes, no person being allowed that privilege but the king.â€ Here, then, we have a new kind oflÃ¨se-majestÃ©. According to some of the African tribes,obesityin plebeians ishigh-treason!

[27]These ornaments, together with a narrow and soft piece of skin in front, and another behind of stout hide, constitute thedressof the Ovamboladies.

[28]The above wood-cut is a view of the country near Nangoroâ€™s residence. The huts in the distance are those of Bushmen. A great number of these people dwell among the Ovambo, to whom they stand in a kind of vassalage and relationship.

[29]Captain Messum, master of a merchant vessel, subsequently informed me that he has seen it.

[30]The plate facing the page represents two lions observing me, while the lioness, not yet aware of my presence, is still eagerly pushing on toward the intended victims.

[31]In my journey to the Lake Ngami at an after period, I observed whole forests of a species of tree called Omumborombonga, the supposed progenitor of the Damaras. This fact, coupled with our knowledge that all the tribes to the north are more or less conversant with agriculture, of which the Damaras know nothing (having no word in their language for cereal food), and that many of the nations to the east are partly pastoral, would seem to indicate a northeast or east direction as their original home.

[32]His father, Christian Afrikaner, once lived within the present boundary of the Cape Colony; but his brother having killed a Dutch farmer, from whom the tribe is said to have suffered much wrong, he and his kindred were obliged to fly the country. He then settled on the banks of the Garib or Orange River, where he soon became famous for his daring and ferocious exploits against his neighbors. In this state of things he was found by the Rev. Mr. Moffat, well known for his missionary labors in Southern Africa, who, after having experienced much opposition, finally succeeded in converting him to Christianity. At his death the present Jonker Afrikaner, though an elder brother was still living, assumed the chieftainship, which occasioned a division in the tribe, and was, moreover, the original cause of their migration northward.

[33]Some Damaras attribute the origin of the sheep to a large stone.

[34]The grain of this tree is so very close, and the wood so exceedingly weighty, that we gave it the name of the â€œiron tree.â€

[35]I am told that this is not unfrequently done before life is quite extinct! It is moreover affirmed, that when the sick man begins to breathe hard a skin is immediately thrown over his face, which, no doubt, often causes premature death.

[36]Each caste has a particular tree or shrub consecrated to it. Of this shrub, a couple of twigs or sticks represent the deceased.

[37]When we thus shot at night, we generally ensconced ourselves in a â€œskÃ¤rm,â€ that is, a small circular inclosure six or eight feet in diameter, the walls (usually consisting of loose stones) being about two feet in height.

[38]A copper-cap box, for the information of my female readers, is about the size of a pill-box.

[39]The wood-cut on the preceding page is a faithful representation of the chase described, which took place shortly before sunset.

[40]At the Zoological Gardens, Regentâ€™s Park, where at this moment several of these birds are alive, the ostrich is fed on a mixture of oats, barley, chaff, and cabbage, of which the respective quantities are as follows: oats, one pint; barley, one pint; chaff, half a gallon; and cabbage, four pounds.

[41]Apicius gives a recipe for the best sauce.

[42]The Romans, as is well known, also introduced large numbers of ostriches into the circus, where they were butchered by the people. We are told that no less than one thousand of these splendid creatures (together with an equal number of the stag, the fallow deer, and the boar tribe) were on one occasion brutally sacrificed to gratify the insatiable thirst for blood of the Roman populace.

[43]The plumes, together with the eggs, of the ostrich, are said to have been held in much request with the ancient Egyptians. Indeed, they formed part of the tribute imposed on those of the conquered nations in whose country the bird abounded, and appear to have been used for ornaments as well as for religious purposes. â€œThe ostrich feather was a symbol of the Goddess of Truth or Justice. It belonged also to the head-dress of Ao, was adopted by Hermes Trismegistus, and worn by the soldiery and the priests on certain religious festivals.â€ â€œIn Turkey, the janizary who signalized himself in arms had the privilege of empluming his turban, and in the kingdom of Congo the feathers, mixed with those of the peacock, are employed as the ensigns of war and victory.â€

[44]Such feathers as have been plucked from the wings of the living bird are said to be preferable to those obtained from the dead ostrich, as being less liable to the attack of worms.

[45]â€œThe Boke of Philip Sparrow.â€

[46]Among the people of Persia and Arabia the vulgar belief is said to exist â€œthat theshutur-moorg(the camel-bird) is produced by the union of a camel with a bird!â€

[47]â€œWhen slain, the throat is opened, and a ligature being passed below the incision, several of the hunters raise the bird by the head and feet, and shake and drag him about until they obtain from the aperture nearly twenty pounds of a substance of mingled blood and fat, of the consistence of coagulated oil, which, under the denomination ofmanteque, is employed in the preparation of dishes and the cure of various maladies.â€â€”Harrisâ€™s Wild Sports.

[48]Several well-known Australian explorers make mention of similar occurrences with this identical bird. I have also heard that in India it is no unusual thing to see hawks snatch the food from a person as he travels along.

[49]Oryx capensis,oryx beisa, andoryx leucoryx.

[50]The numerous engravings of the leucoryx on the sculptures of Egypt clearly indicate that this animal was well known to the nations inhabiting the valley of the Nile. It was chosen as an emblem, but whether as a good or evil symbol is uncertain, though some modern writers seem in favor of the former opinion. The wealthy Egyptians kept a great number of this antelope in a tame state, but it does not appear to have been considered a sacred animal. Indeed, it was indiscriminately sacrificed to the gods, and slaughtered for the table.

[51]It is possible that heralds became acquainted with this animal, or at least with the leucoryx, through the Crusaders. Or perhaps the knowledge was obtained from the Romans, who, according to Martial, had the oryx at their games.

[52]For some curious remarks on the unicorn, see Barrow, vol. ii., p. 269,et seq.

[53]Mr. Lichtenstein, when speaking of the Bushmen dogs, which may be considered identical with those of the Hottentots, thus writes: â€œThese 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.â€

[54]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,â€œThe 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 Bosjemanâ€™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 larvÃ¦ 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.â€

[54]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,

â€œThe 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 Bosjemanâ€™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 larvÃ¦ 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.â€

[55]Large species of serpents of the python family are known to inhabit many parts of the African continent. Dr. Smith, in his â€œZoology of South Africa,â€ when speaking of a certain species (python Natalensis) found sparingly in the neighborhood of Natal, thus says:â€œIt occasionally attains a very large size, and, according to the natives, individuals have been seen whose circumference was equal to that of the body of a stout man: we have ourselves seen a skin which measured twenty-five feet, though a portion of the tail was deficient. It feeds upon quadrupeds, and for some days after swallowing food it remains in a torpid state, and may then be easily destroyed. The South Africans, however, seldom avail themselves of these opportunities of ridding themselves of a reptile they view with horror, as they believe that it has a certain influence over their destinies; and affirm that no person has ever been known to maltreat it without sooner or later paying for his audacity.â€

â€œIt occasionally attains a very large size, and, according to the natives, individuals have been seen whose circumference was equal to that of the body of a stout man: we have ourselves seen a skin which measured twenty-five feet, though a portion of the tail was deficient. It feeds upon quadrupeds, and for some days after swallowing food it remains in a torpid state, and may then be easily destroyed. The South Africans, however, seldom avail themselves of these opportunities of ridding themselves of a reptile they view with horror, as they believe that it has a certain influence over their destinies; and affirm that no person has ever been known to maltreat it without sooner or later paying for his audacity.â€

[56]Mr. Freeman, in â€œA Tour in South Africa,â€ mentions having heard of one of this kind of reptiles being destroyed that actually exceeded this size nearly three times. â€œThis enormous serpent,â€ says the reverend gentleman, â€œwas hanging from the bough of a large tree, and was killed only after a desperate struggle. It measured fifty feet in length. This was ascertained by a number of men lying down at full length by its side. It took nine men to reach from the head to the tail, and was of prodigious girth round the body.â€

[57]Trimerorhinus rhombeatus.

[58]Naia haje.

[59]Columber canus.

[60]Turtle blood is also asserted to be a good remedy against wounds caused by poisoned arrows.

[61]This superstition is common in Devonshire, in the western parts of which it used, till lately, to be affirmed, â€œthat at twelve oâ€™clock at night on Christmas eve, the oxen in their stalls are always found on their knees in an attitude of devotion; and that, since the alteration of the style, they continue to do this only on the eve ofoldChristmas day.â€ Bravo, oxen!â€”(See Brandâ€™s â€œPopular Antiquities.â€)

[62]This remarkable beast was a long time in the possession of Mr. Oswell, who, I believe, intended to bring it alive to England, but unavoidable circumstances prevented this distinguished traveler from carrying his plan into execution.

[63]Or about 148,000 English square miles. The area of Damara-land is about 29,000 English square miles.

[64]When speaking of the moon, the Namaquas do not say, like ourselves, that it rises and sets, but that â€œit dies and is born again.â€

[65]It is a practice among the young Namaquas to hold a goat between the knees, and draw the milk directly from the teats of the animal into their own mouths.

[66]After a great hunt, it was also the custom to reserve for the chief the best pieces of the different kinds of game which had been killed, such as the breast of the eland, the hump of the rhinoceros, and so forth, the rest being divided among the tribe.

[67]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.

[68]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.

[69]Descendants of Dutch farmers and Hottentot women, and hence also called Bastards.

[70]On accidentally mentioning my fast to Captain Sturt, the distinguished Australian traveler, he assured me it was a mere trifle to what he himself had once suffered, having been six and a half consecutive days without nourishment of any kind!

[71]It is asserted by more than one experienced hunter, that when the hyÃ¦na proves troublesome, the lion has been known to bite off all its feet, and, thus mutilated, leave the poor animal to its fate!

[72]Rhinoceros Indicus,Rhinoceros Sondaicus, andRhinoceros Bicornis Sumatrensis.

[73]I have met persons who told me that they have killed rhinoceroses with three horns; but in all such cases (and they have been but few), the third, or posterior horn is so small as to be scarcely perceptible.

[74]The above wood-cut is a rough but characteristic outline of the heads of the four distinct species of rhinoceroses recognized as indigenous to Africa. The two lowest heads in the sketch are those of the â€œblack.â€

[75]Only the horns of this species have been described by naturalists. Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, seems to be one of the first who drew attention to the Kobaaba as a distinct rhinoceros. In the â€œProceedings of the Zoological Society,â€ No. ccl., p. 46, the following details appear. They were obtained from a pair of horns (of which the wood-cut in the opposite page is an excellent likeness) presented by Mr. Oswell to Colonel Thomas Steele, of Upper Brook Street:â€œThe front horn is elongated and thick; but, instead of being bent back, as is the general character ofR. bicornis, or erect, as inR. simus, it is bent forward, so that the upper surface is worn flat by being rubbed against the ground. The front horn is thirty-one inches long, flat, square, rough and fibrous in front, rounded and smooth behind. The hinder horn, eleven inches in length, is short, conical, and sub-quadrangular.â€

â€œThe front horn is elongated and thick; but, instead of being bent back, as is the general character ofR. bicornis, or erect, as inR. simus, it is bent forward, so that the upper surface is worn flat by being rubbed against the ground. The front horn is thirty-one inches long, flat, square, rough and fibrous in front, rounded and smooth behind. The hinder horn, eleven inches in length, is short, conical, and sub-quadrangular.â€

[76]The Asiatic specimen in the Zoological Gardens, Regentâ€™s Park, is fed on clover, straw, rice, and bran. His daily allowance is one truss of straw, three quarters of a truss of clover, one quart of rice, half a bushel of bran, and twenty to twenty-four gallons of water.

[77]Sparrman says that the cavity containing the brains of a rhinoceros that he shot was only six inches long, and four high, and of an oval shape. On being filled with peas, it was found to hold barely one quart; a human skull, measured at the same time, did not require much less than three pints to fill it.

[78]It was my intention to introduce at length the history of this animal; but being (as already alluded to in a preceding chapter) confined as to space, I must, though reluctantly, abandon the idea.

[79]The cut on the next page represents one of those numerous and exciting scenes that I have witnessed at night, at the water, when lying in ambush for game. There is one factâ€”a fact that has hitherto escaped the attention of the African sportsmanâ€”connected with this illustration that makes it particularly interesting, and which induced me to designate it â€œThe Approach of Elephants.â€ The animals are just appearing above the distant hill. If the spring or pool, as the case may be, be of small extent, all the animals present will invariably retire from the water as soon as they are aware of the presence of the elephants, of whom they appear to have an instinctive dread, and will remain at a respectful distance until the giants have quenched their thirst. Thus, long before I have seen, or even heard the elephants, I have been warned of their approach by the symptoms of uneasiness displayed by such animals as happened to be drinking at the time. The giraffe, for instance, begins to sway his long neck to and fro; the zebra utters subdued, plaintive cries; the gnoo glides away with a noiseless step; and even the ponderous and quarrelsome black rhinoceros, when he has time for reflection, will pull up short in his walk to listen; then, turning round, he listens again, and, if he feel satisfied that his suspicions are correct, he invariably makes off, usually giving vent to his fear or ire by one of his vicious and peculiar snorts. Once, it is true, I saw a rhinoceros drinking together with a herd of seven male elephants; but then he was of the white species, and, besides, I do not believe that either party knew of each otherâ€™s proximity.

[80]I lost many noble beasts from the small calibre of my guns, which did not carry more than fourteen and seventeen balls respectively to the pound. This was more especially the case as regarded the elephants; and it was not until after a time, and when they had become scarce and shy, that I found out the way of bringing them down with any certainty at one or two shots. I found the best part to aim at (when shooting by night) was the shoulder, either behind or in the centre, near to the lower edge of the ear. Another good point, provided the gun be of large calibre, is to fire at the leg, which once broken, the animal, in almost every instance, is completely at the mercy of the hunter.

[81]The black rhinoceros is, under all circumstances, as already mentioned, a morose and sulky beast. The one in question was unusually savage, as she had probably a young sucking calf. We did not see the latter, it is true, but assumed such to be the case from the beastâ€™s teats being full of milk. It is most likely that her offspring was of too tender an age to accompany her, and that, as not unfrequently happens, she concealed it among the bushes when about to quench her thirst at the pool.

[82]â€œThe baobob,â€ says Mr. Livingstone, â€œthe body of which gives one the idea of a mass of granite, from its enormous size, yields a fruit about the size of a quart bottle; the pulp between the seeds tastes like cream of tartar, and it is used by the natives to give a flavor to their porridge.â€ Mr. Green writes me that plants have been raised in England of the baobob from seeds brought home by his son, Frederick Green, who is at present treading in my tracks in the interior of Southwestern Africa. For further details of the baobob, see â€œSaturday Magazineâ€ for the year 1832.

[83]When the lake was first discovered, a man told me that he obtained, in exchange for a musket, twelve hundred pounds of ivory, worth, at the least, Â£240 sterling!

[84]Many are of opinion that this river continues to flow subterraneously, and that it ultimately finds an outlet into the sea on the east coast. It is by no means uncommon in African geographyâ€”and we have in England an instance of it in the Moleâ€”to find a river suddenly disappearing and as unexpectedly reappearing at some little distance.

[85]Dr. Livingstone informs us that on the first discovery of the Zouga, its banks literally swarmed with wild animals, and that in the course of three years no less than nine hundred elephants were killed. However, from the persecution to which the game is constantly exposed, and the introduction of fire-arms, the number of animals has rapidly decreased, and what remain are wild and wary.

[86]Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, to whom I submitted an imperfect skin and a sketch of the head of the nakong, is unable to determine its exact nature, but seems inclined to consider it identical with thetragelaphus eurycerusâ€”the broad-horned antelopeâ€”of which specimens of horns and heads have been brought from the Bight of Biafra, on the west coast of Africa. In the â€œProceedings of the Zoological Society,â€ No. 250, p. 47, the following details appear:â€œHead, pale brown. Broad band before the eyes, and two large spots on cheeks; chin and front of upper lip white. Horns elongate, thick, scarcely bent forward at the tip. Throat with long black hairs.â€Again, from a head in Mr. Warwickâ€™s collection:â€œThe horns are very similar to those oft. angasii, but the head is considerably larger, nearly as large as that of the koodoo, and the horns are thicker and larger; they are twenty-seven inches long in a straight line from base to tip, and nine inches in circumference at the base. The hair of the head is also paler and more uniformly colored, and with very large white spots on the cheek, much larger than those of the koodoo or oft. angasii. The throat has a distinct mane of blackish rigid hairs. The muffle is very like that oft. angasii, and larger than that of the koodoo. The skull is imperfect; it has no appearance of any suborbital pit or slit.â€

â€œHead, pale brown. Broad band before the eyes, and two large spots on cheeks; chin and front of upper lip white. Horns elongate, thick, scarcely bent forward at the tip. Throat with long black hairs.â€

Again, from a head in Mr. Warwickâ€™s collection:

â€œThe horns are very similar to those oft. angasii, but the head is considerably larger, nearly as large as that of the koodoo, and the horns are thicker and larger; they are twenty-seven inches long in a straight line from base to tip, and nine inches in circumference at the base. The hair of the head is also paler and more uniformly colored, and with very large white spots on the cheek, much larger than those of the koodoo or oft. angasii. The throat has a distinct mane of blackish rigid hairs. The muffle is very like that oft. angasii, and larger than that of the koodoo. The skull is imperfect; it has no appearance of any suborbital pit or slit.â€

[87]Some of the notions entertained of these people before the existence of the Ngami was known to Europeans are curious and amusing. Captain Messum, in an article in the Nautical Magazine on â€œthe exploration of Western Africa,â€ says that he had heard the inhabitants of the Lake regions represented as monsters, with only one eye in the centre of the forehead, and feeding on human flesh, as the giants of old used to take their breakfasts. â€œA baby was nothing; they swallowed it whole.â€

[88]Moffat.

[89]For a scientific description of this insect, see â€œProceedings of the Zoological Society,â€ No. ccxvii.

[90]When allowed to settle on the hand of man, all it is observed to do is to insert its proboscis a little farther than seems necessary to draw blood. It then partially withdraws the dart, which assumes a crimson hue. The mandibles now appear to be agitated; the shrunken body swells; and, in a few seconds, the insect becomes quite full, and quietly abandons its prey.

[91]â€œOne of my steeds,â€ says Gordon Cumming, â€œdied of the tsetse. The head and body of the poor animal swelled up in a most distressing manner before he died; his eyes were so swollen that he could not see; and, in darkness, he neighed for his comrades who stood feeding beside him.â€

[92]A dog reared on the meat ofgamemay be hunted in tsetse districts in safety!

[93]The above wood-cut represents a native in the act of ferrying himself across the river on nothing but a bundle of reeds, with sidings and uprights of the same light materials. It is a most ingenious contrivance, and, in localities where wood is scarce, answers the purpose admirably.

[94]As perhaps many of my readers are interested in philology, I may mention that in the â€œGeographical Journalâ€ of this year I have introduced a short vocabulary of the Bayeye language. The words, though necessarily few in number, have been selected with a view to their utility, and consist chiefly of those denoting family relations, names of the different parts of the body, familiar objects, numerals, &c. I have, at the same time, given the corresponding terms in the Otjiherero (Damara) and the Chjlimanse (a tribe inhabiting the country west of the Portuguese settlement on the East Coast) to show the striking analogy existing between these languages. The nations here mentioned occupy a narrow strip of territory extending obliquely across the continent from the West Coast almost to that of the East.

[95]In an old painting at Hampton Court representing the Last Judgment, the mouth of the hippopotamus is said to be figured as the entrance of the â€œplace of the wicked.â€

[96]The object of having the connecting line to consist of a number of small cords instead of a single stout one is to reduce the chance of its being severed by the teeth of the hippopotamus.

[97]In some parts of ancient Egypt the hippopotamus was worshiped. It is also said to have been a representation of Typho (in connection with the crocodile) and Mars. According to Plutarch, it â€œwas reckoned among the animals emblematic of the Evil Being.â€

[98]Sir Gardner Wilkinson informs us further that the inhabitants at Sennaar still follow up the practice of their ancestors, and, like them, prefer chasing it in the river to an open attack on shore.

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