496 THE AUTHOR'S PLANS MARRED. varication, the real state of the case. As I had suspected, The man Lecholètébè was at the bottom of the affair. declared he had no orders to furnish me with men and boats, but that, if I insisted on proceeding, he was to give a guide to the next tribe, whence I was to find my way to Libébé as well as I could, well knowing that such an arrangement was quite incompatible with my designs. It is impossible to describe my feelings at being thus baffled; as, from the success that had hitherto attended me, I had sanguinely hoped it would have been in my power fully to carry out all my plans. Here I was, in the midst of an inundated country of unknown extent, without men, without conveyances, without provisions-in short, without anything necessary for such an expedition. Indeed, I was so completely at the mercy of the natives that I could not stir a step without their assistance. Nevertheless, rather than be thus foiled, I determined to risk the utmost, and directed the promised guide to appear without delay, declaring my intention of proceeding to Libèbé on foot. But it was quite clear they had resolved not to let me pass beyond them; for, though I waited several days more, the man was not forthcoming. Finding remonstrances unavailing, I had no alternative but to retrace my steps; and, accordingly, I requested the temporary chief to prepare the canoes to convey me back to the Lake. This highly delighted and gratified the wily savage. Mortified and annoyed at the shameful manner in which I had been treated, I was, nevertheless, glad to have come thus far. I had learnt much in this short time (a summary of which will be given in the following chapters), which I could not have done had I remained at the Lake, to say nothing of the beautiful, diversified, and novel scenery which almost daily presented itself to the view-which alone was a sufficient reward for my troubles and anxieties. 1 REED-FERRY.' The above woodcut represents a native in the act of ferrying himself across the river on nothing but a bundle of reeds, with sidings and uprights of the same light materials. It is a most ingenious contrivance, and, in localities where wood is scarce, answers the purpose admirably. K K CHAPTER XXXIX. THE BAYEYE THEIR COUNTRY; PERSONS; LANGUAGE; DISPOSITION ; FOR a considerable distance to the northward of the chief's werft, the banks of the Teoge are inhabited by Bayeye, and a few scattered Bushmen, all acknowledging Lecholètébè as their chief. Cooley supposes that these people came originally from the west coast, and that they have been established in their present abode for a long period. Formerly, and before their subjugation by the Bechuanas, they must have possessed a large territory; and, even now, the country they occupy is of considerable extent, consisting, as I believe, of one continued plain, intersected by rivers, with extensive marshes. The banks of the rivers are, in general, very low; but wherever they rise a few feet above the level of the water, they are shaded by a rank and wild vegetation. The trees are of a gigantic size, having their stems and branches interwoven with beautiful parasitical plants and creepers. In person, feature, and complexion, the Bayeye appear closely allied to the Ovambo and the Hill-Damaras. The language of the Bayeye bears considerable resem. blance to the Ovaherero; and has, moreover, some affinity with the dialects of the east coast, though two or three klicks would seem to indicate a Hottentot origin.1 The Bayeye are of a merry and cheerful disposition, and, like my friends, the Damaras, are the happiest of creatures, provided they have a pot full of flesh and a pipe. These elements of human felicity are not, however, peculiar to savages, as may be seen in the following stanza of an old song, often chanted by our English rustic forefathers: "What more can any man desire, Nor sitting by a good coal fire, In one respect the English clown has an advantage over the barbarian of South Africa, inasmuch as the latter does not appear to make any stipulation in favour of a female companion. The Bayeye are much given to lying and pilfering, and are as suspicious as they are deceitful. As an instance of their thievish propensities, I may mention that, when ascending the Teoge, they deprived me gradually of almost the entire stock of articles of exchange, consisting chiefly of beads. These things constituted my only money, and being As perhaps many of my readers are interested in philology, I may mention that in the 'Geographical Journal' of this year I have introduced a short vocabulary of the Bayeye language. The words, though necessarily few in number, have been selected with a view to their utility, and consist chiefly of those denoting family relations, names of the different parts of the body, familiar objects, numerals, &c. I have at the same time given the corresponding terms in the Otjiherero (Damara) and the Chjlimanse (a tribe inhabiting the country west of the Portuguese settlement on the east coast), to show the striking analogy existing between these languages. The nations here mentioned occupy a narrow strip of territory extending obliquely across the continent, from the west coast almost to that of the east. 500 THIEVING PROPENSITIES. well aware that without it I should not be able to get on, I determined to recover my property at all hazards. But, before proceeding to extremes, I was anxious to acquire positive proofs of the guilt of my treacherous companions. Accordingly, I ordered my own men to mark carefully the different parcels. As soon as the canoes arrived at night at the appointed rendezvous (we ourselves, as I have mentioned, were walking) we hastened to the shore, and, whilst Timbo was ransacking the baggage, I stationed myself at the head of the canoe in order to prevent the crew from landing until we had ascertained if any pilfering had taken place during our absence. Scarcely had my servant opened the first pack, before he exclaimed, "Oh, yes, master, the rascals have been there sure enough!" Immediately stepping up to the native who was in charge of the canoe, I presented my gun, on cock, at his head, threatening to blow out his brains if he did not instantly produce the stolen goods. A scene of the utmost confusion now took place. The men appeared at first inclined to be hostile, many seizing their arms, whilst the women were running to and fro, crying and howling in a manner which baffles all description. However, I was determined, come what would, to have my property back, and I quietly told them that their menaces should be of no avail, for the first individual who attempted to molest me would, to a certainty, be a dead man. And, to give effect to my threat, I added, with a significant look at the gun, that they well knew I was not much in the habit of missing my mark. Conceiving that I was in earnest, they thought better of the matter, and in a few seconds I had half a dozen of them at my feet, begging I would spare their lives, and promising that if I would not mention the circumstance to their paramount chief, Lecholétébè, they would forthwith restore the missing articles. |