"Ja bas," answered a Hottentot servant. A log of wood flew at the turkey's head indicated, and, with unerring aim, he was knocked over, plucked, drawn, and roasted in about an hour and a half, and was very good and tender. The frontier of the Cape colony is a very wild and rather barren district, and in many parts there is a scarcity of water and verdure. At certain seasons of the year quail come in abundance, thirty or forty brace for one pair of barrels being by no means an uncommon bag. One or two of the bustard tribe are also found here, and are called the _diccop_, _coran_, and _pouw_. I saw but little game besides those creatures which I have just mentioned, as we were at war with the Amakosa tribes, and it was not prudent to venture far from our forts. I employed my time in making portraits of the friendly Kaffirs who came in to see us, and also in acquiring their language, which struck me as particularly harmonious and expressive. Frequently thirty or forty men would come in of a day under some pretence or other, and I had good opportunities of watching their manners and attire, the latter, by the bye, being particularly simple. CHAPTER TWO. DUTCH AND KAFFIR WORDS--FRONTIER KAFFIRS--KAFFIR WOMEN--KAFFIR SOLDIERS CATTLE-STEALING--BUSH-FIGHTING--COLONEL NAPIER'S OPINION--EQUIPMENT OF ENGLISH SOLDIERS--A BRITISH SOLDIER IN THE BUSH--KAFFIR MANOEUVRES-- CORN-PITS--TREATMENT OF KAFFIR THIEVES--THE ASSAGY AND OTHER WEAPONS-- MORAL QUALITIES OF THE KAFFIRS--NATIVE MARKSMEN--POWER OF THE CHIEFS-- RELIGIOUS OPINIONS--HOTTENTOT SOLDIERS. The different terms that I shall employ, viz., Kraal, Spoor, Kaffir, and Assagy, are not known to the Kaffirs themselves, except through their commerce with the white men; but as the words are in general vogue through the colony, I am forced to use them. Kraal is a Dutch term, and means an inclosure for animals. I fancy that they call the Kaffirs' residences by this name to indicate their contempt for the people; the Kaffirs call their villages "_umsi_." Spoor is also Dutch: the Kaffirs speak of spoor as _umkondo_. The footmarks of a particular animal are then named as _Amasondo injlovu_, footmarks of elephants; _umkondo_ being the singular,--one footmark. "Kaffir" is also a term unknown to the men so called; they speak of themselves by the designation of the tribe. _Kosa_ is a frontier Kaffir, _ama_, the plural, being prefixed, makes _Amakosa_ Kaffirs; thus, _Amazulu, Amaponda_, etc. A Hottentot is called _Umlao_. An assagy is called _umkonto_; the plural is here irregular, _izakali_ being assagies. A kaross is called by Kaffirs _ingubu_.