Second Journey (MS 107/1/1-2)
9th January 1778
transcription
[9th January 1778]
9
gepasseerde nagt niets vernomen nog het zelfde weer en wind, de barometer gaf aan de rivier, 25d 2t: dus zyn wy gisteren veel gedaalt, de Caffers die wy gisteren zagen zyn van captein langa, zynde zon in caffers hy is broeder van Caggábe of Cambushi, en beide soons van den overleden opperste capitein paró of paló. hy is in geen goede gratie van syn broeder, hy legt, over het bosjemans gebergte, aan dese zyde de grote visrivier
gisteren hebben wy hem op twe a drie uren aan onse linkerhand laten leggen.
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schoot desen morgen een swartbruine gier op meer dan 200 pas in de vlugt met de kogel hy was van de grote en gedaante als de witgryse gier, liet hem tekenen, vertrok eerst een quartier west daar na zuid en z:o: anderhalf uur, dog verder als men de remhoogtens en draajen rekend, hier vonden wy digt aan de rivier, (dewelke meer draayt als ene die tog nog toe gesien heb, met hoge uitgespoelde veel rode klei oevers met doorn en andere struiken beset) de oude capitein ruiter, die gounaquas en bastert Caffers onder sig heeft.
dese man heeft een beleefde manier en zeer goed voorkomen had een kopere plaat met het wapen van de Compagnie op de borst. syn craal is in tween verdeelt leggende de andere zuidwestelyker. hy had veel beesten en schapen, en hoor dat hy een paar hondert man onder hem heeft. gaf hem een ringkraag en tabac ook een soopje, (dat somosi niet wou hebben, dog coba wel) gaf ook enige geschenken aan zyn vrouw en kinderen, en hy gaf my lekkere zuure melk, so als de caffers hebben, en een gids om my tot aan de zee te brengen, hy was seer in syn schik toen ik hem zeide, dat myn grote capitein veel van hem hield, omdat hy altoos een braaf kaptein was geweest. nam afscheid van hem, en trok over veele hoge grasige ruggens byna sonder klippen met lage bos in de laagtens, met vele draayen en remhoogtens zuid en zuidoost ook oost aan, tot wy met sons ondergank in een dier dalen by een dier bossen uitspanden hiete dese plaats hopes valey, na de gecommitteerde raad hopes.
sag vandaag fraaje orcassen ook so als van de tarka af hier en daar drierley soort aloes succotrim maculata en spinata, het terrein was klei dog gemengt met vegetale swarte grond,
trok verby grote troppen caffers beesten en door een dorp, van waar wy vele vliegen en caffers mannnen vrouwen en kinders kregen die lang met ons liepen in de beste humeur van de warelt zy hooren onder capitein thaka, wilden my weder een os voor myn hond geven en vee ruilen, dog zonder stout of bedelagtig te zyn, gaf hun enige tabac. wilde drie assagayen voor een stuk koperdraat ruilen, dog nadat de Caffer zig lang bedagt had wilde hy er maar twe geven, en ik om te tonen dat wy niet alles wilden doen dat sy wilden, brak de koop af. hy liep na zyn dorp en bragt drie kalvers om voor het koperdraad te geven dog wilde niet, rencontreerde nog grote troppen caffers en toen op een hoge rug wilde coers peilen, liepen zy
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rondom my en bekeken het bewegende compas, met verwondering en bangigheid. zeide hun hunne assagaays weg te leggen also dat ding dit niet wilde verdragen, en ik dan myn zaken niet verrigten kon. zy sprongen bevreesd terug, en na hen een assagaay uit de handen genomen te hebben en het compas er mede ontsteld te hebben om hun te tonen, daar sy niet veel van begrepen, had moeite om er hen weer by te brengen, zynde zeker bang dat dat hen betoveren zou.
zag met den avond de zee op de distantie van 5 a 6 uren in het zuiden door een poort in de zand duinen, onse gecoppelde cours is vandaag z:o: half z:, al langs de regter over der bosjemans rivier (ćaugha of zeekoei rivier door de hottentot dan verder dan digter by, nadat dese grote hoge ruggen, de passagie verdroegen,) omtrent 5 uren regte lyn.
zagen enige hartebeesten elanden en springbokken dog wild. hier houden ook enige oliphanten en vele buffels, dog zagen gene. het heeft den gehelen dag dysig weer uit den z:o: gehad, met stof regen vlagen die met den avond in sterke regen veranderden, dog niet koud.
zagen met zons ondergang een grote vlakte na de zee toe strekkende, in het oost over bosjemansrivier dog nog vele hoge ruggen voor en aan onse linkerhand, hoorden honden blaffen, zo dat er caffers in de buur schap leggen, hunne grote troppen vee hebben al het veld kort gevreten
translation
[9th January 1778]
9
Saw and heard nothing last night. Still the same weather and wind. At the river the barometer gave 29 inches 2 tenths; we therefore descended a great deal yesterday. The Caffres we saw yesterday were Chief Langa's, which means 'Sun' in the Caffre language. He is the brother of Gaggabe or Cambushi, and both of them are sons of the late paramount chief Paró or Paló. He is by no means in the good graces of his brother. He lives behind the Bushmans Mountains on this side of the Great Fish River. We left him two or three hours away to our left yesterday.
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Shot a blackish-brown vulture in flight this morning, the ball striking it at more than 200 paces. It was the same size and has the same shape as the grey-white vulture. Had it drawn. Departed, first going a quarter of an hour to the west, thereafter south and south-east for an hour and a half, but further if one takes into account the turns as well as the hills where we had to use brakes. Close to the river – which has more bends than any I have yet seen with high eroded banks with much red clay and covered with thorn and other shrubs – we found the old chieftain, Ruiter, who has the Gonaquas and other half-breed Caffres under him. This man has a courteous manner and a very good appearance. He had a copper plate on his chest with the arms of the Company. His kraal is divided into two, the other lying more to the south-west. He had many cattle and sheep and I hear that he has a few hundred men under him. Gave him a breast-plate, some tobacco and a tot of drink (which Sjomoshi would not take but which Coba did). I also gave some gifts to his wife and children; and he gave me delicious sour-milk, just like the Caffres have, and a guide to take me to the sea. He was most gratified when I told him that my Great Chief liked him very much because he had always been an good [VOC] captain. Took leave of him and left going across many high, grassy ridges with almost no stones and small bushes in the hollows. We went south and south-east, as well as east, with many turns and over hills where we had to use the brakes until we outspanned at sunset at one of the forests in one of the valleys. Called this place 'Hope's vlei' after the Committee member Hope.
Today saw beautiful orchids as well as three kinds of aloe, the Succotrim, the Maculata and the Spinata, as have been seen from Tarka to here. The terrain was clay, though mixed with black, vegetal soil.
Went past large herds of Caffre-cattle and through a village where we accumulated many flies and Caffre men, women and children who ran alongside us in the best humour in the world. They are subject to chieftain Thaka. They again wanted to give me an ox for my dog and to barter stock, but without being impudent or begging. Gave them some tobacco. I wanted to barter a piece of copper wire for three assegais, but after the Caffre had considered this for a long time, he only wanted to give only two; and, in order to show that we did not always do what they wanted, I broke off the transaction. He ran to his village and brought three calves to exchange for the copper wire, but I would not do this. Encountered more large bands of Caffres and when I wanted to take the bearings of our route from a high hill,
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they walked about me and gazed at the compass as it moved, astonished and frightened. I told them to put their assegais away because the thing would not tolerate them and I would not be able to carry out my duties. They jumped back in fear, and having taken an assegai from the hands of one and disturbed the direction of the compass with it in order to show them what they didn’t have much understanding of, I had difficulty in getting them to come back near me again, since they were certainly afraid they would be bewitched. In the evening I saw the sea through an opening in the sand dunes at a distance of five to six hours in the south. Our overall route today is south-east half south, keeping always to the right bank of the Bushman’s River (Caugha or Hippopotamus River in Hottentot) sometimes further and sometimes closer to it. Once we have made the passage through these large, high ridges – which would have taken about five hours in a straight line – we saw some hartebeest, eland and springbok, but they were shy. There are also some elephants and many buffalo here, but we saw none. It has been misty the whole day, once more from the south-east, with squalls of drizzle which changed to heavy rain in the evening; but it was not cold. At sunset we saw a large plain stretching to the sea in the east across the Bushman’s River; yet there are still high ridges ahead of us and on our left. We heard the barking of dogs which means that the Caffres are still in the neighbourhood. Their great herds of cattle have grazed down the whole countryside.