and the remains of feveral fires, which affured them that their late companions had repofed in the fame place.

They proceeded for feveral days, proportionably exhaufted with fatigue as they advanced, but without any memorable occurrence. They now came to a bluff point of a rock, which projected fo far into the sea as to obftruct their paffage that way, on which they directed their courfe more inland. To add to their diftrefs, their stores were now exhaufted, and while the dread of perishing of hunger was uppermoft in their minds, they arrived at a large pond of water, and luckily found a number of land crabs and fnails in the vicinity, on which they made a hearty meal, and then took up their repose.

As foon as it dawned, they refumed their journey; and, foon after, entering a wood, they obferved many trees torn up by the roots. While they were loft in amazement at this phenomenon, to their terror and aftonishment, thirty or forty large elephants ftarted up out of the long grafs with which the ground was covered. The travellers flood fome moments in fufpenfe, whether they should retreat or advance; but, at laft, taking a circuitous course, they paffed thefe enormous creatures without any injury. Probably, the elephants were not lefs terrified than our countrymen. The grafs in which they lay was not less than eight or nine feet high. This may appear strange to those who are unacquainted with the luxuriant vegetation of tropical fituations, and the effects of a peculiarly rich foil; but other travellers of unquestionable veracity have made the fame remarks on Africa.

VOL. X.

Q

Our

Our countrymen having reached the fea-fhore, were miferably difappointed by the ftate of the tide, which precluded them from their usual supplies. To fuch extremity were they reduced, that fome of them having made a kind of shoes of the bullock's hide, which they had obtained in barter from the natives, as mentioned before, finged off the hair, and broiled and ate them. To render this difgufting difh more palatable, they added fome wild celery, which grew on the spot, and of this they all partook.

At low water, they reforted to the rocks to procure fhell-fith, and, as they proceeded on their journey, they often perceived evident traces of that divifion of their party which had got the ftart of them. In two days time they fell in with a hunting party of the natives. Thefe men wore a kind of fhoe on the right foot; and when they took a leap, they bounded from that foot with the utmoft agility. They offered no moleftation to our people as they paffed; and, for a fucceffion of days, the natives every where behaved with the fame forbearance.

After paffing two rivers, and finding no fresh water near them, they entered on a steril country, where even the natives feemed to have nothing to subfift on, but what they derived from fishing and hunting. What then must have been the distress of our travellers! They had not a drop of water for fome days; and a few berries, which they occafionally picked up, were the only alleviation of their burning thirst. However, they foon reached the nation of the Caffres, properly fo called, and faw a beautiful and populous country.

During their march through this territory, they observed, one day, a great number of the natives exercifing themselves in throwing the haffagay, or lance. Being arranged in two lines, on oppofite fides of a swelling lawn, one of the men rolled a wooden ball, with all his might, from the top of the descent, while his countrymen fhewed their dexterity in lodging their lances in it, as it paffed along.

The travellers were now ftarving in the midst of plenty. They faw plenty of cattle, but fo tenacious were the natives of their property, that they would not part with the least valuable gratuitoufly, and our people had nothing to give in barter. So jealous were the Caffres of the depredations of thefe poor vagrants, that they conftantly fecured their cattle as they approached, and even used violence to their perfons, to keep them at a diftance. Thus we fee, that, in all countries, poverty is confidered rather as a crime than a misfortune; and he who has nothing to bestow, is immediately fufpected of an intention to take away.

But the Caffres have been characterised by Vaillant as a humane and inoffenfive people. How are we then to reconcile this defcription with the conduct they difplayed to our countrymen? May not the idea that they were Dutchmen folve the difficulty? Between the Caffres and the Dutch colonifts, an inveterate enmity fubfifted at that period. The Caffres had been treated with unparalleled cruelty and oppreffion by the white people, with whom they were converfant; and all white people were, therefore, probably regarded as enemies. Among uncivilized nations, wherever any intercourfe has been eftablished

02

established with Europeans, the characters of the latter, in general, have been too haftily determined, from the conduct of a worthlefs few. Thus, as on other important occafions, many fuffer for the vices of individuals.

Our travellers, every where repelled, or regarded with apprehenfion, at length came to a river, and on the farther fide of it were met by a party of the natives, one of whom had adorned his hair with a bit of a filver buckle, which was known to belong to the fhip's cook. It seems, the cook had fet a particular value on his buckles, and had covered them with bits of cloth to conceal them from the natives; but, at laft, hunger had driven him to offer part of them in barter for food; but no fooner had the natives obained their prize, than they flew from their engagement, as was the general practice, and drove the claimants away.

Hynes and his party were feverely handled by the body of the natives they had juft fallen in with; and to avoid their perfecution, they travelled till late at night, when coming to a little wood, they took up their repose for a few hours; but recommenced their journey before light, that they might escape a repetition of the ill treatment of the natives.

Next day, about noon, they reached a fpot where there was good water, and the probability of finding plenty of thell-fish. This determined them to halt and refresh themselves. While in this fituation, they were overtaken by a violent ftorm of thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in such torrents, that they were obliged to hold up their canvass frocks over the fire to fave it from being extinguifhed. Next day, at low water,

water, they found fhell-fish as ufual; but foon after they refumed their journey, and, on coming to a large village, the inhabitants fet upon them with fuch fury, that feveral were feverely wounded, and one of them died foon after. Hynes received a wound in his leg from a lance; and being knocked down, was left fenfeless on the spot. His companions thinking him dead, marched on; however, in a few hours, to the unfpeakable joy of all, he rejoined his friends, after they had defpaired of ever seeing him more.

From this time they loft fight of the habita tions of the natives, and entered on a fandy defert, where it was with the utmoft difficulty they could pick up any fubfiftence. At intervals, however, they experienced the ufual bounties of the fea; and having collected as many fhell-fifh as poflible, they opened them by the force of fire, and taking out the animal, left the fhells, which infinitely diminished the labour of carriage. This expedient they did not hit on at firft. Well may neceffity be faid to be the mother of invention !

Having paffed the defert, they foon after arrived at a large river, which they afterwards learned was named Boschiefman's River. Here they overtook Thomas Lewis, one of the divifion who had got before them. This poor man had been taken ill, and was abandoned to his fate. What must his extafy have been, to find himself once more united to his affociates; but the prefent relief came too late! He informed them that he had travelled inland, and feen many huts, at one of which he obtained a little milk, and from another was beaten away. He added, that having reached the place where they now found him, he was fo sensible of his reduced flate, that