27th January 1778

transcription

[27th January 1778]
27

s'morgens betrokken lugt met de son opklarend weer frisse n:w: wind, reed om de oevers van Gamtous rivier, en desselfs mond te besien, eerst n:o: de hoogte op, vond de rivier hier met grote draajen door hoge krantsige ruggens loopt, zynde meest digt met laage boscasie begroeid. veld rode klei.
reden een paar uren z:o: aan afdalende tot in de vlakte, langs de duinen die in het begin bossig daarna klaar zand zyn. al de rivieren lykeden voor al by de monden aan dese cust volmaakt na malkander aan de oost n:o: zyde, met lange afschietende hoge ruggens, aan de west zyde, by de zee swaar hoog opgewaayd duinsand, en by de minste beweging in het water sware branding in de mond der rivier.

[page 33]
zag iets in de rivier boven de duinen, daar wy over moesten klauteren om het hoog water, dat veel na een zeekoei geleek, en er na toe gaande vond het er een te zyn, die met de rug boven nu en dan niet meer als de knoppen der ogen, en zomtyds maar een oog boven stak om te zien; de opsigter van van renens plaats had zyn geweer medegenomen, (hebbende ik het myne laten schoonmaken) en sat op 40 passen by dit dier dat de wind vol van ons had, nogtans bleef hy op de selfde manier leggen. begonnen te fluiten en te hoesten, daar hy op deselvde manier nu en dan na luisterde en keek, dog opeens zyn hele kop uitstekende, weigerde het geweer van de knegt, en het dier dat wy nu sagen dat hier geen water genoeg had, sprong op en liep half boven water, de rivier in, dog de snaphaan hersteld zynde ging de schoot los, en het getroffen dier tuimelde met groot geweld heen en weer een goede wyl door het water, de poten dikwils omhoog stekende en stierf dus onder water. wy remarkeerden de plaats, en reden na strand. vond de rivier hier wat kleinder als swartkops rivier met grote branding in de mond. zy komt ver, en krygt veel water van de winterberg in het noorden, en uit de lange cloof in het noord westen, lopende ook z:o: in zee, kon hier de kust, die hier een lange inham maakt tot aan de west punt, van de grote inham van swartkopsrivier zien, die van hier o:t z peilde de binnenste westelyke hoek van dese inham na de kant van sitse camma was hier z:w:, alles meest wit sand duinig strand van de Cougha af na de westpunt, van dese lange inham. op de gansche kust liep sware rolling schoon de wind n:w: was.
vond niets van schelpen of amber en keerde na de geschote zeekoei te rug, dewelke na een uur verloop boven was komen dryven. zo als naar gewoonte op zy. het zee water opstuitende en zy iets op een bank leggende bleef zy leggen, zonden om volk, dog eer die kwamen, liep het water af. en de zeekoei weer vlot rakende dreef weg, hem niet willende laten in zee dryven, ging te water met de riem van myn paart, en bond het hem om een poot, dog zou hem om de sterke stroom moeten laten glippen, had niet het geroepen volk juist te hulp gekomen, na hem buiten de diepte te hebben getrokken, rolden wy hem met ons vieren (schoon een volwassen koei), als een legger, tot op een handbreed water op het strand. en maakten hem daar vast. latende twe hottentotten om hem voor

[page 34]
wilt te bewaren, also den avond begon te vallen reden te rug en arriveerden pik donker op de plaats van van renen. des zeekoeis poten schoon dik zyn zeer soupel, en dringen zig neffens de nagels of liever hoeven in en aan het lyf, komende hem dit in het swemmen zeer te pas, men kan zyn poten, als een hand in een drukken en zyn benen tegen het lyf aan om die reden rolden wy hem so gemakkelyk. door den dag schoon weer frisse n:w:

translation

[27th January 1778]
27

Overcast sky in the morning but clearing up with the sun. Fresh north-west wind. Rode out to inspect the banks of the Gamtous River and the mouth of the same, going first north-east up the hill. Found that the river here flows with wide bends between high craggy ridges and that it is mostly thickly-wooded with low undergrowth. The soil is red clay. We rode a few hours south-east, descending into the plain and going beside the dunes which were bushy at the start and pure sand after that. All the rivers on this coast look exactly the same on their east-north-east sides, especially at the mouths, with long extended, high ridges. On the west sides at the sea there is heavy dune-sand which has been heaped up by the wind and at the slightest motion in the water heavy surf breaks in the mouth of the river.

[page 33]
I saw something in the river, up-stream from the dunes over which we had to clamber because of the high tiede, that looked very much like an hippopotamus; and approaching the place found that it was one of them which, with its back above water, now and then stuck not more than the bulge of its eyes, and at times just one eye, out of the water in order to see. The overseer of Van Rhenen's farm had brought his gun with him (I had left mine behind to be cleaned) and he sat forty paces from the animal which, although it had our scent full with the wind, continued to lie in the same manner. We began to whistle and cough which he listened to and stared at in the same way. Then all at once, just as it pushed its head out of the water, the servant’s gun refused to fire and the animal, which we now saw did not have enough water here, jumped up and half out of the water, ran into the river. But the musket, having been fixed, fired and the wounded animal rolled with great force back and forth in the water for a good while sticking its feet upwards many times; and it died thus under the water. We marked the place and rode to the shore. Found that the river here was somewhat smaller than the Swartkops River, with heavy surf in the mouth. It comes from far and gets much water from the Winterberg in the north and from the Langkloof in the north west. It also runs south-east into the sea. Here I could see the coast which at this point forms an extended inlet as far as the western point of the large inlet of Swartkops River which is east by south of here. Took bearings on the western comer of this inlet towards the side of Tsitsekamma which was south-west of here. A beach all mostly of white sand and dunes stretches from the Cougha up to the western point of this extended inlet. There was a heavy swell along the whole coast though the wind was in the north-west Found no shells or ambergris and returned to the hippopotamus we had shot, which had come floating up on its side, as is usual, after the interval of an hour. The sea water receding left it lying half-way on a shoal. We sent for people but before they could arrive the water began to retreat and the hippopotamus, becoming more buoyant, floated away. I did not want to let it drift into the sea so I went into the water with a leather strap from my horse and tied it around a foot. But because the current was so strong I would have had to let it slip away had the people we had summoned not come to help just in time. When we had pulled it from the deepest part, the four of us rolled it like a barrel, even though it was a fully-grown cow, to where the water was a hand's span deep on the shore and tied it up there leaving two Hottentots to guard it against wild animals.

[page 34]
Because evening had begun to fall we rode back and arrived at Van Rhenen's farm in pitch darkness.. The feet of hippopotami, though thick, are very supple and it pushes the part next to its nails, or rather its hooves, into and against its body and this helps it greatly when swimming. One can fold its feet and its legs into its body as one folds one's hand and it was for this reason that we were able to roll it so easily.

Fine weather all day. Fresh north-west wind.