The narrative of an explorer in tropical South AfricaGalton, Francis
History
The narrative of an explorer in tropical South Africa
Galton, Francis
South Africa -- Description and travel
I never could learn the full particulars of the matter. Of the
two that escaped one was brought to me a few days after, when I was on
the road; he was brought in the evening, and I did not like punishing
and letting him go then, as he might revenge himself in the night. It
is not easy to secure a powerful supple-limbed negro, so that he cannot
slip loose, but in this case I hand-cuffed his wrists, one on each side
of the stem of a tree, and made my fire near him that he might not be
too much chilled during the night, and in the morning I gave him a most
severe flogging and let him go. One of the four culprits who had been
left for dead we also found. He was fearfully bruised with the clubs,
and perfectly stripped, but had crawled to the same watering-place—a
vley—that I was encamped at. His punishment had been, I thought, amply
sufficient, and I gave him a meal, and let him go, but I sadly fear, from
what I heard long subsequently, that some of my Damaras followed and
assegaied him.
Kahikenè’s men had in the meantime frightened mine about Omagundè’s
people, and they were quite panic-struck and mutinous, and fairly refused
to go any further. Andersson here was of the greatest assistance to me.
He would have accompanied me alone, and Timboo I think would not have
failed us. The waggon-men knew I was in their power. If the cattle had
been moderately tame, and the country at all open, Andersson and I could
ourselves have taken the waggons back to Barmen, and, leaving them there,
ridden on; but the character of the expedition and of the country made us
as dependent on a large body of men as a frigate is upon a large crew.
Hans had not been long enough with me to become thoroughly attached to
my cause, and he had a very disagreeable time of service, owing to the
laziness and jealousies of the waggon-men, and would then have been very
glad to have discontinued it. I earnestly longed to place a broad tract
of country between me and the Mission stations, and then I knew that the
waggon-men would hesitate before they ran away and crossed it alone. I
persuaded the men, instead of going north through the hostile country,
to turn to the left and travel westwards to Kahikenè’s head-quarters. We
passed by a great many kraals, in few of which were there more than ten
houses, generally only five or six—probably 100 head of cattle and not
more, belonged to each kraal. Of these, twenty or thirty were the chief’s
own property, taken care of by the people who occupied the huts, together
with the other oxen which were their own. The perquisites for taking care
of the chief’s cattle consisted of the milk of the cows, and occasionally
a calf or lamb.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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