40

PERSONAL

DECORATION-WEAPONS.

Few ornaments are worn by the men, who prefer seeing them on the persons of their wives and daughters. They delight, however, in an amazing quantity of thin leathern "riems" (forming also part of their dress), which they wind around their loins in a negligent and graceful manner. These "riems"-which are often many hundred feet in length-serve as a receptacle for their knobsticks, or kieries, their arrows, etc.; but become, at the same time, a refuge for the most obnoxious insects.

The women, when they can afford it, wear a profusion of iron and copper rings-those of gold or brass are held in little estimation-round their wrists and ankles.

The weapons of the Damaras are the assegai, the kierie, and the bow and arrow; they have also a few guns.

The head of the assegai consists of iron, and is usually kept well polished; being, moreover, of a soft texture, it is easily sharpened, or repaired, if out of order. The shaft, though, at times, also made of iron, is commonly of wood, the end being usually ornamented with a bushy ox-tail. On account of its great breadth, the assegai is not well adapted for stabbing, and its weight is such that it cannot be thrown to any considerable distance. This weapon, in short, is chiefly used instead of a knife, and, though rather an awkward substitute, it answers the purpose tolerably well.

The kierie is a favorite weapon with the Damaras. They handle it with much adroitness, and kill birds and small quadrupeds with surprising dexterity. Most savage tribes in Southern Africa use this instrument with great advantage and effect. Thus, in speaking of the Matabili, Harris says: "They rarely miss a partridge or a guinea-fowl on the wing." In an experienced hand, the kierie becomes a most dangerous and effective weapon, as a single well-directed blow is sufficient to lay low the strongest man.

The bow and arrow, on the other hand, though a constant companion, is not, with the Damaras, as effective as it ought to be. They never attain perfection in archery. At ten or a dozen yards, they will shoot tolerably well; but, beyond that distance, they are wretched marksmen.

The Damaras are divided into two large tribes, the Ovaherero and the Ovapantiereu, of which the former lives nearest to the sea; still, with the exception of a slight difference in the language, they appear to be one and the same people. They may again be divided into rich and poor Damaras,1 or those who sub

! To prevent confusion, when speaking hereafter of these people, I shall sim

THE LION S-A PANIC.

41

sist on the produce of their herds; and those who have no cattle, or, at least, very few, and who live chiefly by the chase, and what wild fruit and roots they can pick up abroad. These are called Ovatjimba, and are looked upon with the utmost contempt by the prosperous classes, who reduce them to a state of slavery, and do not even scruple to take their lives.

But as the Damaras are little known to Europeans, much is to be said of them, and they will require a chapter to themselves. I shall, therefore, reserve a more detailed account of their peculiarities, customs, manners, etc., to a later period, when I became better acquainted with them and their country.

In consequence of an unusually severe drought this year, most of the rain-pools in the neighborhood of Richterfeldt were dried up; but, as spring-water was still to be found at that place, a great number of wild animals nightly congregated there. As usual under such circumstances, the game was followed by troops of lions, who were a constant annoyance to us. To guard against their attacks, we had, on our first arrival, made a strong fence or inclosure round the camp, but even then we did not feel very secure.

One evening, these beasts were more than usually troublesome. The sun had hardly sunk below the horizon, when they began their terror-striking music, and kept it up without intermission till a late hour, when all became silent. Believing that they had taken themselves off, I sent the men, who had been watching, to sleep. I was, however, deceived; for two hours had hardly elapsed, when, within a very short distance of our encampment, there arose a most horrible roaring, intermingled with the rushing to and fro, the kicking, plunging, and neighing of a troop of zebras, which instantly brought every man to his feet, and the consternation and confusion became indescribable. Some of them rushed about like maniacs, lamenting most piteously that they ever left the Cape. Others convulsively grasped their blankets in their arms, and cried like children; whilst a few stood motionless with fear and anguish depicted in their countenances. It was in vain that I tried to calm their agitation. They seemed fully convinced that their last hour had come, and that they should perish miserably by the fangs of wild beasts.

On going just outside the inclosure, I could distinctly see the

ply call them Damaras, in contradistinction to the Hill-Damaras, who are a totally different race of natives.

42

HORSE

SICKNESS.

glimmering of lions' eyes, as our small, well-kept bivouac-fire fell full upon them. I sent a ball or two after the intruders, but, as it appeared afterwards, without effect.

The next morning, we found that the zebras had escaped unscathed; and we attributed the unusual anger and ferocity of their pursuers to the disappointment they had experienced in losing their favorite prey.

We had only been a short time at Richterfeldt, when three of our mules and the remaining horse were seized with a mortal disease, and, in the course of a few hours, they all died. Though the loss of the animals was great to us, their death was a god-send to the poor Damaras, who devoured the carcasses bodily, and without the least disagreeable result.

The distemper in question is usually known by the vague name of "paarde-sikte" (the horse-sickness); and, as the cause is totally unknown, no remedy has yet been found efficient to stop it. Throughout Great Namaqua-land it is particularly fatal. Some people attribute this singular disease to poisonous herbs, of which the animals have inadvertently partaken; others, to the dew; and others, again, to the eating the young grass; but all these suppositions are highly improbable, for reasons which it would be unnecessary to enter into here.

Fatal as the disease is to horses, yet, happily, there are places (even in districts where it commits the greatest ravages) that are always exempt from it. And, as these localities are well known to the natives, if one's horse be sent to them prior to the commencement of the sickly season-usually the months of November and December-the animals invariably escape the malady. The attack of our animals was an unusual exception to this rule; for they fell victims to the disease fully a month prior to the rainy season.

From the Orange river, on the south, and as far north as Europeans have penetrated from the Cape side, this deadly disease is known to prevail, and is one of the greatest drawbacks to successful traveling in South Africa.

A similar notion prevails with regard to that most curious little animal, the lemming (lemmus norvegicus, Worm.), on whose mysterious appearance and disappearance so many hypotheses have been unsatisfactorily expended. See Lloyd's "Scandinavian Adventures," vol. ii., chap. v.

CHAPTER V.

HANS LARSEN-HIS

EXPLOITS-HE JOINS THE EXPEDITION-HOW PEOPLE TRAVEL ON OX-BACK-RHINOCEROS HUNT-DEATH OF THE BEAST—“ LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP"-ANECDOTE PROVING THE TRUTH OF THE PROVERB -HANS AND THE LION-THE DOCTOR IN DIFFICULTIES-SUFFERINGS ON THE NAARIP PLAIN-ARRIVAL AT SCHEPPMANSDORF.

WHEN at the Cape, we heard much of an individual named Hans Larsen, who was distinguished in a very remarkable degree, for courage, energy, perseverance, and endurance. This man was a Dane by birth, and a sailor by profession; but, becoming disgusted with a sea-faring life, had, a few years previously, left his ship, and was now residing somewhere near to Walfisch Bay.

On visiting Mr. Bam, at Scheppmansdorf, that gentleman confirmed to the full all we had been told about Hans, and strongly recommended Mr. Galton to take him into his service. It was not, however, until our arrival at Richterfeldt, where Hans then resided, that we had an opportunity to make his personal acquaintance. Up to a rather recent period, he had been in charge of a herd of cattle; but he was now living independently on the produce of his live-stock and the spoils of the

chase.

His

Hans was a fine specimen of the true Northman-fair complexion, light hair, blue eyes; and, though not above the ordinary stature, he was very muscular and powerfully built. strength, indeed, almost exceeded belief. One of his feats was to carry an enormous anvil-which no ordinary man could lift from the ground-with as many persons as could possibly cling to it.

On one occasion, he had borne from place to place a block of stone, which required ten men to lift on to his shoulders!

In consequence of his great strength and courage, he was much feared by the natives, who, nevertheless, took pleasure in teasing him; but being of a very quiet disposition, he seldom resented their impertinences. One day, however, when they had carried their jokes somewhat too far, he raised his Herculean fist, and, with a single blow, leveled to the ground the nearest of his tormentors. At first, it was thought that the man was killed; but, fortunately, he was only stunned. On recovering from his stupor, he vowed vengeance; but, unable to carry out his purpose alone, he laid his complaint before the chief of the tribe; and a 66 raad," or council, was held. Many were for severe punishment-but, at last, when all the members had spoken, the chief rose and told them that, in his opinion, the offense should be passed over-and that, for the future, it would be better not to molest Hans; for, if they did, they would only fare worse. This advice was felt to be a prudent caution-and from that day forward they ceased to worry the Dane.

Hans was an excellent and indefatigable sportsman, and so successful that, though the country, on his first arrival, literally teemed with rhinoceroses, lions, giraffes, zebras, gnoos, gemsboks, etc., he had all but exterminated them.

To give the reader some idea of the abundance of game and wild beasts, then existing in this part of Africa, I may mention that Hans once shot, with his own hand, no less than nine rhinoceroses in the course of a single day.1

Hans ate very little animal food; but, whenever he could afford it, he drank an amazing quantity of tea and coffee. His chief nourishment, however, was thick sour milk, which he swallowed in gallons. It is wonderful how people thrive on this diet, which is the main sustenance of the Damaras, who, as has already been said, are remarkably fine-looking men.

Hans, on the proposal being made to him by Mr. Galton, agreed to accompany us in the capacity of head man; and we were truly fortunate to secure so able and practiced a hand.

Indeed, from after-experience, it is very doubtful whether we should have been able to get on without him. We had, moreover, found that it would be next to impossible to obtain from the natives, by barter, any considerable number of cattle; and, even

1

His hunting dress, on these occasions, consisted simply of a thick, coarse, blue shirt or blouse, secured, by a belt, round his waist, containing his balls, caps, wadding, etc.