318 ENORMOUS HORNS OF CATTLE. respect. Amongst many other curious and interesting objects, there is now in the collection of Colonel Thomas Steel, of Upper Brook-street, a perfect cranium of a young Bechuana ox1, of which the wood-cut is a fair representation. The following are its dimensions: Entire length of horns from tip to tip along the curve Breadth of cranium between the eyes 13ft. 5in. 8 81 1 61 0 91 But I have been told on good authority that in some parts of Africa horns of cattle are found greatly to exceed the above dimensions. The horns, indeed, are of so enormous a size, as seriously to inconvenience the animal. Their length and weight have been known to be so great as to twist the head to one side-one of the horns dragging on the ground, whilst the other pointed upwards. The Damaras prize their oxen in proportion to the size of their horns. Some African tribes take much pains in forming them of a certain shape. This is effected either by sawing off the tips, splitting them, bending them forcibly when yet tender, and so forth. The Damara cow is of slender proportions and very wild. Before she can be milked, it is always needful to lash her head to a tree, in like manner as the Laplanders treat their rein-deer, or to tie her hind legs together. The best cow rarely gives more than two or three pints of milk daily; and should her calf die, or be taken from her, she absolutely refuses to give any at all, in which case it is necessary to resort to artificial means. One plan is to stuff a calf-skin 1 This remarkable beast was a long time in the possession of Mr. Oswell, who, I believe, intended to bring it alive to England, but unavoidable circumstances prevented this distinguished traveller from carrying his plan into execution. NATIVES FOND OF UNIFORM TEAMS. 319 with hay or grass, and afterwards to place it on the ground for the cow to slobber over. Sometimes the adoption of the latter expedient gives rise to ludicrous scenes; for the cow when tenderly caressing her supposed offspring, has all at once got scent of the hay or grass, when, thrusting her snout into the skin, she has greedily devoured its contents! The Damaras, as well as other nations, take great delight in having whole droves of cattle of the same colour. The Namaquas have a perfect mania for a uniform team. Bright brown is the favourite colour; and I myself have always found beasts of this hue to be the strongest and most generally serviceable. Dark brown oxen, with a yellowish streak along the back-by the Dutch designated 'geel-bak' -are also usually stout and enduring. Yellow, and more especially white, oxen are considered weak and unable to bear much fatigue or hardship. The Damaras, as with almost every other people of Southern Africa, value their cattle next to their women, and take a pride in possessing animals that look high bred. The ox, in fact, forms the chief theme of the songs of the Damaras. They, moreover, rarely or never make use of a handsome animal as a beast of burden, but employ quiet, ugly bulls for such purposes. These have a buffalo look about them, and their horns, moreover, rarely attain to any size. From their quick step, good feet, and enduring powers, the Damara cattle are much prized by the farmers of the Cape-Colony. The only drawback is their wildness, and immense size of their horns, which they sometimes use with fatal effect. The day before we reached the Orange river, we fell in with a kraal of Hottentots, whom, to our great surprise, we found living in a locality altogether destitute of water! 320 MEN AND CATTLE LIVE WITHOUT WATER. The milk of their cows and goats supplied its place. Their cattle, moreover, never obtained water, but found a substitute in a kind of ice plant (mesembryanthemum), of an exceedingly succulent nature, which abounds in these regions. But our own oxen, not accustomed to such diet, would rarely or never touch it. Until I had actually convinced myself as I had often the opportunity of doing at an after period that men and beasts could live entirely without water, I should, perhaps, have had some difficulty in realizing this singular fact. On the 21st of August, we effected the passage of the Orange river in safety, at what is called the Zendlings Drift, or the missionary ford. We had no boat; and those of the men who could not swim were obliged to lay hold of the tails of the cattle, to which they pertinaciously clung. On gaining the opposite bank, which was very steep, the oxen, in climbing it, entirely submerged their charge, to the great delight and amusement of such of their companions as had landed at a more convenient point. The Orange river was at this season almost at its lowest, yet it was a noble and highly picturesque stream. Looking eastwards, its aspect was particularly imposing. Its breadth at this point might have been from two to three hundred yards. The banks were on both sides lined with evergreen thorns, drooping willows, ebony trees, &c.; and the water forced its passage through a bold and striking gorge, overhung by precipices from two to three thousand feet high. But the country all round was desolate. The hills, which at some distant period had evidently been subject to volcanic eruptions, had a sunburnt and crumbling appearance, and were almost wholly destitute of vegetation. The soil, in the neighbourhood of the mountains, consisted of pure sand, and was covered with low and succulent shrubs, from which our cattle, hitherto accustomed to revel in the almost boundless savannahs of Damara-land, turned with disgust. The country for several weeks' journey in advance of us, was represented as of a similar nature. We began now seriously to which had already lost flesh. travelling had to be performed destination. tremble for the poor beasts, Upwards of two months' before we could reach our With the exception of that portion of Namaqua-land and Damara-land bordering on the coast, the part of the country I speak of has the most inauspicious appearance I ever saw. Its sterility arises probably from being situated near the limit, not only of the "thunder-rains," but of the regular rains, ("mist-rains," as they are called in the colony), and the consequent frequency of great droughts. Indeed, scarcely any rain falls here in some years. Y CHAPTER XXVI. GREAT NAMAQUA-LAND · -ITS BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT ITS RIVERS― NATURE OF THE COUNTRY-VEGETATION AND CLIMATE-GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE-MINERALS-TOPNAARS' AND OERLAMS' -HOUSES MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION-TUMULI-WONDERFUL ROCK-CURIOUS SUN BARBAROUS PRACTICE LONGEVITY-SINGULAR CUSTOMS -ORNAMENTS-TATTOOING-ARMS -IDLE HABITS-FOND OF AMUSEMENTS-MUSIC AND DANCING- HAVING now brought my narrative to a period when I am about to leave Great Namaqua-land, it may be well to say a few words of this country, its inhabitants, their manners and customs, &c. The portion of Africa known as Namaqua-land is divided into two distinct parts, viz., Little and Great Namaqua-land. By the former is understood the territory (now British) between the Orange river and about the 31st degree of latitude on the south. By the latter, the country between the last-named river and Damara-land, its eastern boundary being the Kalahari desert; whilst on the west it is washed by the billows of the Atlantic ocean. |