28th October 1779

transcription

[28th October 1779]
28 donderdag

schoon, weer oostelyke koelte, fris dog niet kouer geweest vannagt.
vertrokken deselfde coers en arriveerden na twe en een half uur fris marcherens al langs de rivier by de geissiqua, leggende eene kraal van 25 hutten aan een spruit van de rivier en de andere kraal meer na de midden voor uit, over de rivier half so sterk. het wassende water der rivier kwam ons hier tegen, so dat wy tot over de knien door 't water moesten gaan om by de kraal te komen, daar 't s'morgens nog droog was. enigen van gisteren kwamen ons melk brengen.

nam brete kreeg

het water stond op den middag, en viel langsaam.
dese kraal was voor het wassende water gevlugt en ik vond hun hunne hutten opslaan. dat sy in weinige uren gedaan hadden, in den agtermiddag ging weer by hun ook s'avonds, toen de beesten in de craal waaren, s'middags melken sy. als de namacquas en ook s'avonds dog selden s'morgens. op den dag, was ieder aan syn eigen werk voor syn hut die byna op een cirkel in de ronte stonden, hebbende in den midden drie grote levende doorn bomen.
sy maakten visfuiken, melkbakken dien sy met een krom krabyser uitholden, en bereiden vellen met het vryven van klippen en vele wyven saten rode boegoe van cameeldoorn bast te kloppen. sag verscheide Caffers gesigten onder hen, synde ook van de bitsiana of briquas. en een seer oud man. ik vroeg hun na 't tellen en vele woorden die perfect Caffers waren dog anderen verschilden. sy waren seer verwondert over my, vooral myn lang haair, brandglas brete nemer, en briquas spreken, daar sy seiden dat ik mede klaar

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soude raken. sy verhaalden my dat de briquas tot hier toe gewoond hadden, n:b: de beschryving hunner hutten is even als de caffers, ook alles. dog sy bereiden vele vellen van hartebeesten even als wy al het haair er af dog de staart laten sy er aan die sy in nek laten afhangen, dit is veel hunne kleding, sy hebben te voren nooyt pyl en boog gevoert, maar de assagaay dog dit geweer niet tegen de pijl en boog kunnende hebben sy binnen enigen tyd ook gift pyl en boog gebruikt. hunne naam is bitjoana en niet birina of briqua als by de hottentotten, de coraqua en einiqua hebben hun van hier verdreven, dog enigen hunner sy nu nog onder de bitjoana
sy leggen aan de rivier de koeroemana, die sy seggen uit de gharie te komen, en agter langs de nabobequa namacquas heen dog dit is dat, sy by gharie oorsprong digt ontspringt, synde het ommogelyk dat ene kleine rivier als dese dus lopen kan. die koeroemena is half so groot als de gharie, en houdt altydt water, sonder zeekoeien, en met enige doornbomen en veel riet, over de selve wonen de caffers dien sy Cabeticoe noemen, dog door hun selven borroeniana of morroena agter hun, is een grote rivier groter als de gharie, syn naam is koeang. vol zeekoeien, die west agter het namacqua land loopt tot en over koeroemena de rivier syn bosjemans tussen de namacquas en briquas. tot hoe verre weten sy niet, dit is vlak land slegt van water, dog het briqua land leggende ten noorden wilhelmina rivier heeft bergen en veel fonteinen, dit binnenland heeft cameelpaarden noes hartebeesten zebras, kwaggas oliphanten rhinosters buffels elanden etc en het wild ons bekend, de aueroks van brink is de noe dien sy ghauwp of de baas noemen, en het witte paard een vaale kwagga. de geissiquas, syn omtrent de twe hondert sterk en waren heel vriendelyk brengende ons overvloedig melk sy waren kwade vrienden met hunne buren, als na gewoonten, hamma gamma toeroebeep was een oud man en vond dat eiheep meer influentie had. ging s'avonds in hun kraal daar sy omtrent 200 beesten en schapen en bokken hadden. sy maakten dansen even als de andere hottentotten.

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sy waren seer verwondert over myn witheid toen in de rivier ging baden. staande velen door de bomen te kyken.

translation

[28th October 1779]
28 Thursday

Fine weather. A cool easterly wind, brisk but was not colder tonight.

Departed on same route and after two and a half hours’ brisk march always along the river arrived at the Geisiquas. One kraal of 25 huts is on a stream of the river, and the other kraal, half as strong, further away across the river. Here we encoutered water rising in the river so that we had to walk through water up to our knees to reach the kraal, where this morning it was still dry. Some we had met yesterday came and brought us milk.

Took latitude

At noon the water stopped rising and subsided slowly.
This kraal had fled the rising water and I found them erecting their huts, which they got done in a few hours. We went to them again in the afternoon as well as in the evening when the cattle were in the kraal. They milk in the afternoon like the Namaquas, and also in the evening; though seldom in the morning. During the day each was busy at his own work in front of his hut. These stood, almost forming a circle, with three large, living thorn-trees in the middle. They make fish-traps and milk-bowls which they hollow out with a bent scraping-iron. They also dress skins by rubbing them with stones, and many women sat hammering red buchu from camelthorn bark. Saw several Caffre-like faces amongst them (these are also the Bitsiana or Briquas) and one very old man. I asked him about counting-words and many other words, some were perfect Caffre, but others differed. They were amazed by me; especially by my long hair and burning glass; by my taking of latitude

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and my speaking Briqua which, they said, I could easily get by with. They recounted to me that the Briquas had lived in these parts until now. N.B. the description of their huts is just like those of the Caffres, everything else as well. Yet they dress many hartebeest skins with all the hair off, like we do, but keep the tail on and let it hang down from their necks. This is mostly what they wear. Previously they never used bows and arrows, only the assegai. But because this weapon is being able to prevail against the arrow and bow they were soon using the poisoned arrow and bow. Their name is Bitjoana and not Birina or Briqua, as they are called by the Hottentots. The Koraqua and Einiqua drove them from here but some of those now live among the Bitjoana. They dwell on the Koeroemana river which, they say, comes from the Gharie and flows off beyond and through the Nabobequa Namaquas. But that is to say it has its source close to the Gharie since it would be impossible that such a small river as this would be flowing so strongly. This Koeroemana is half as big as the Gharie and always contains water, without hippopotamus, with some thorn trees and much reed. Across the same live the Caffres, whom they call Cabeticoe, but they call themselves Borroeniana or Morroena. Beyond them is a large river, bigger than the Gharie. It is called Koeang, is full of hippopotamus and runs west beyond Namaqualand. Up to and beyond beyond the Koeroemana, there are Bushmen, between the Namaquas and the Briquas, but for how far they do not know. It is flat country, poor in water, but Briqualand which lies to the north of the Wilhelmina [Caledon] River, has mountains and many springs. In the hinterland are giraffe, gnu, hartebeest, zebra, kwagga, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, eland, etc., and the game known to us as Brink’s aurochs is the gnu, which they call ghaúwp or the master; and the white horse is a pale kwagga.
The Geisiquas are about two hundred strong and were extremely friendly bringing us milk in abundance. As is usual they were bad friends with their neighbours. Hamma Gamma Toeroebeep was an old man but I found that Eiheep had more influence. Went to their kraal in the evening where they had about two hundred cattle, sheep and goats. They perform their dances just like the other Hottentots.

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They were astonished at my whiteness when I went bathing in the river. Many of them stood peering through the trees.