le,
giving them in exchange arrack, tobacco, hemp, and such other things
as they have occasion for; by which means a good understanding is kept
up. These Hottentots of the Company are often attacked by the other
tribes, and, when no longer able to defend themselves, their king
or chief comes down to the Cape, attended by a small escort of his
subjects, to demand assistance. He goes immediately to the governor,
having in his hand the staff of command given him by the Company,
decorated with their arms, and holding it in his hand, demands
assistance. If the governor does not think proper to grant his
request, but endeavours to shift him off with fair words, he throws
down his staff saying, in bad Dutch, _Voor my, niet meer Compagnies
Hottentot_; that is, "For me, I will no more be the Company's
Hottentot." The governor generally sends him home with an escort of
troops, as it is the interest of the company to be on good terms with
these chiefs, who are always ready to do any service required of them.

The Hottentots are a very stupid and brutal people. They rub their
bodies all over with rancid grease, which gives them a very bad smell,
so that you may nose them at a considerable distance. Their children
are all born perfectly white; but being constantly rubbed with grease,
and exposed to the sun, they grow by degrees quite brown, and almost
black. When a woman brings forth twins, one of them is immediately
condemned to death, and is tied to a tree, where it is left to expire.
Some of them have a custom of extirpating one testicle in their male
children, as soon as they are able to bear the operation, in hope of
preventing them afterwards from begetting twins. They seem to have
little or no religion; yet they frequently look with admiration at the
heavenly bodies, saying, "He who governs these is certainly a being of
infinite power and wisdom." In many respects they are more like beasts
than men, being abominably nasty in their persons, and, taking them
altogether, they are certainly one of the meanest nations on the face
of the earth. They are short and thick-set, with flat noses like a
Dutch pug dog, very thick lips, and large mouths, having very white
teeth, but very long and ill set, some of them sticking out of their
mouths like boar's tusks. Their hair is black, and curled like
wool. They are very nimble, and run with incredible speed. They are
generally covered with a sheep's skin, each man having a quiver full
of