Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Description and travel
I can’t tell you how I longed for you in my journey. You would have been
so delighted with the country and the queer turn-out—the wild little
horses, and the polite and delicately-clean Moslem driver. His
description of his sufferings from ‘louses’, when he slept in a Dutch
farm, were pathetic, and ever since, he sleeps in his cart, with the
little boy; and they bathe in the nearest river, and eat their lawful
food and drink their water out of doors. They declined beer, or meat
which had been unlawfully killed. In Capetown _all_ meat is killed by
Malays, and has the proper prayer spoken over it, and they will eat no
other. I was offered a fowl at a farm, but Choslullah thought it ‘too
much money for Missus’, and only accepted some eggs. He was gratified at
my recognising the propriety of his saying ‘Bismillah’ over any animal
killed for food. Some drink beer, and drink a good deal, but Choslullah
thought it ‘very wrong for Malay people, and not good for Christian
people, to be drunk beasties;—little wine or beer good for Christians,
but not too plenty much.’ I gave him ten shillings for himself, at which
he was enchanted, and again begged me to write to his master for him when
I wanted to leave Caledon, and to be sure to say, ‘Mind send same
coachman.’ He planned to drive me back through Worcester, Burnt Vley,
Paarl, and Stellenbosch—a longer round; but he could do it in three days
well, so as ‘not cost Missus more money’, and see a different country.
This place is curiously like Rochefort in the Ardennes, only the hills
are mountains, and the sun is far hotter; not so the air, which is fresh
and pleasant. I am in a very nice inn, kept by an English ex-officer,
who went through the Caffre war, and found his pay insufficient for the
wants of a numerous family. I quite admire his wife, who cooks, cleans,
nurses her babes, gives singing and music lessons,—all as merrily as if
she liked it. I dine with them at two o’clock, and Captain D— has a
_table d’hôte_ at seven for travellers. I pay only 10_s._ 6_d._ a day
for myself and S—; this includes all but wine or beer. The air is very
clear and fine, and my cough is already much better. I shall stay here
as long as it suits me and does me good, and then I am to send for
Choslullah again, and go back by the road he proposed. It rains here now
and then, and blows a good deal, but the wind has lost its bitter chill,
and depressing quality. I hope soon to ride a little and see the
country, which is beautiful.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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