Third Journey (MS 107/2)
2nd November 1778
transcription
[2nd november 1778]
den 2
kreeg met het astro:
| 90 --- 0 |
| 72 --- 34 |
| 17 --- 26 |
| dec. z |
| 14 --- 52 |
| 32 --- 18 |
term van 60 tot 84 en 70 z:o: zagt helder de wind sterk weer met den avond. de vliegen beginnen sterk te plagen ook is zulks even als met de swaluwen die op die plaatsen het eerst zyn daar ‘t warmst is.
in den morgen so als myn instrumenten steld. quam een rhinoster digt by onse wagen lopen. dog zo dra hy de wind van ons kreeg draayde hy af. twe van myn hottentotten zogten hem te schieten. dog hy draafde snel door ruikende twemaal na de grond. Wy sagen dat drie jagers hem na setten hy liep wind op en zy reden hem agter na zelfs op zy sonder dat hy hun sag. eindelyk sag ik eenige kruiddamp van een hoogte daar op gegaan was en kort daarna quam J: hend viljoen, J Jacob kruger en dolf bronkhorst ons seggen dat zy een Rhinoster bul geschoten hadden viljoen had hem op 118 tre de doodschoot gegeven. dog toen hy na een weinig lopen viel. vertrouwden zy het niet also zy dit voor een der kwaadste dieren houden. en gaven hem nog vier schoten. reeden er na toe tekende mat en beschreef dit wonderlyke dier. quam laat. in den avondt te rug liet myn hottentotten by het dier om hem morgen afteslagten hy begon al te swellen zy een middelmatig van grote dog volwassen dier.
translation
[2nd November 1778]
The 2nd
obtained with the astolabe::
| 90 --- 0 |
| 72 --- 34 |
| 17 --- 26 |
| south declination |
| 14 --- 52 |
| 32 --- 18 |
Thermometer: from 60 degrees to 84 degrees and to 70 degrees. Soft south-east wind. Clear. Once again the wind rose in the evening.
The flies are beginning to pester us badly; they are also a bit like the swallows that are the first at those places where it is the hottest.
This morning just I was setting up my instruments, a rhinoceros came close to our wagons but as soon as it caught our scent it turned away. Two of my Hottentots tried to shoot it but after sniffing the ground twice it went off fast. We saw three hunters go after it. It went upwind and they rode after it, almost alongside it, without it seeing them. At last from the high place where I had gone I saw powder smoke and shortly afterwards J. Henrick Viljoen, J. Jacob Kruger, and Dolf Bronkhorst came up and said they had shot had a rhinoceros bull. Viljoen had given him the mortal shot at 118 paces. However, when it fell after walking a short distance, they did not trust it, for they hold them to be one of the most ferocious of animals, and gave it another four shots. We rode over to it. I made a drawing of it, and wrote a description of this woundrous animal. I came back late in the evening. I left my Hottentots at the animal to cut it up tomorrow. It had already begin to swell up. It is a medium-sized but nevertheless an adult animal.