Journals

Fourth Journey (MS 107/3/1-2)

15th November 1779


transcription

[15th November 1779]
15

schoon weer westelyk lugtje even bewolkt heet op den dag. vertrok met den dag en hieuw middag tegen over de kaukeis kraal; een der keinkeis bosjemans dien wy, met syn soon, rencontreerden, offereerde my om melk voor my te halen, by de kaukeis [in margin:] vond hier enige bosjemanswyven die gedroogt stuk gestampt coagga vlees aten. sy bewaren het dus, en offereerden er my een bak vol van.
hadden weer ses dames by onse trop; synde de vorigen, hebbende hunne vrienden besogt.
Sag een trop van omtrent 40 kwaggas. het verwondert my dat er geen apen nog parrekieten van cabas af tot daar omgekeert ben, zyn. egter vol bavianen. ook seer weinig soorten vogels. de bosjeman bragt my melk met enige der kaukeis. de ossen kwamen in den agtermiddag; sodra sy gearriveerd waren, maakte ik my gereed om vooruit te gaan na de wagen, en te spoediger over de rivier te rug te gaan, moetende wy het nu met een vlot doen, doordien

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het water drie a vier voet hoger als in onse optogt, is. vond de keinkeis bosjemans aan dese syde keinkeis poort leggen, en eer wy er kwamen sagen wy een bosjeman op een heuvel sitten, wenkten hem dog hy wilde eerst niet komen, gingen wat nader, en spraken met hem, (had twe bosjemans, myn kleine bosjeman cabas en nog drie andere hottentotten met myne instrumenten, die selfs over wilde brengen, medegenomen.) hy kwam dog was bang, ik gaf hem wat tabak, en hy syn pyl en boog hebbende vroeg ik hem of hy wat geschoten had, hy seide neen maar dat hy na kwaggas sogt die van een fonteintje gedronken hadden, dien hy vergeven had met enige struisvogel doppen vol melk uit de seskantige doornige geelbloemige euforbia, met een gekneusde tak van die boom.
sy sterven meest digt by t'water, of als er veel water is den nagt er na, verrottende hunne pens, hun vlees blyft egter goed voedsel. hy ging met ons na sy kraal die deselfde was die wy te voren aan de andere syde gesien hadden. hier sag ik veel zebra vlees, op deze manier vergeven.
gaf hen enige tabak, en wy gingen om de berg byna aan het begin der poort slapen, langs het water. het pad dese drie dagen seer klippig so dat onse veldschoenen, daar nu al een paar van versleten heb, stuk zyn.

translation

[15th November 1779]
15

Fine weather, westerly breeze. Slightly cloudy. Hot by day. Departed at dawn and had our midday halt opposite the Kaukeis’ kraal. One of the Keikeis Bushmen we encountered with his son offered to bring me milk from the Kaukeis.
Found some Bushmen women here who are eating dry, pounded kwagga meat. They preserve it thus and offered me a bowl of it.
We again had six ladies in our company, the same ones as before; they have been visiting their friends.
Saw a herd of about forty kwaggas. It surprises me that from Cabas to where we turned back there are no monkeys or parakeets. Plenty of baboons however. Also very few varieties of birds.
The Bushmen brought me milk with some of the Kaukeis. The oxen arrived in the afternoon; as soon as they had come, I made ready to go ahead to the wagon. In order to return across the river more quickly, we will have to do so with a raft

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because the water is three to four feet higher than on our outward journey.
Found that the Keinkeis Bushmen were on this side of the Keinkeispoort. Before we came to them we saw a Bushman sitting on a hill; beckoned to him but he would not come at first. Going a little nearer we spoke to him. (I had taken with me two Bushmen, my little Bushman Cabas and another three Hottentots, as well as my instruments that I wanted to take across myself). He came to us but was frightened. I gave him some tobacco and as he had his bow and arrow I asked him if he had shot anything. He said no, but that he was looking for quaggas that had drunk from a small spring that he had poisoned with some ostrich egg-shells full of milk from the thorny, hexagonal, yellow-flowered euphorbia together with a bruised branch from that tree. Generally they die close to the water, but if there is a lot of water then they die the following night; their stomach rots but the flesh remains good food. He went with us to his kraal which was the same we had seen previously, on the other side. I saw much zebra meat here, poisoned in this way. Gave him some tobacco and we went to sleep on the other side of the mountain, almost at the start of the defile, beside the water. These three days the road has been very stony so that our veldskoens, of which I have already worn out a pair, are in pieces.