the system, and
seemed to think that there must be _Takata_ (witchcraft) about it.

I wondered, as I left these poor black heathens, whether I should ever
again meet in civilised hands as much honesty, truth, and disinterested
friendship amongst the uncultivated and ignorant; or whether I should
again live for two years amongst a nation, who, although nearly ignorant
of Christianity, and the direction towards the right that is given by a
knowledge of its simple beauties, still possessed many of those good
qualities that are rarely met in the most vaunted Christian countries.
I embarked at Natal Bay in a little brigantine; an esteemed brother
sportsman being also a passenger. A sulky impudent Dutchman, with his
wife and a child, were also sharers of the tiny cabin.

The bar at Natal is not disposed to be always favourable for ingress and
egress. Sometimes nine and ten feet of water were found on it, and the
next day but seven. So it happened when we were leaving; for on the day
before our attempted departure, we were told there were quite nine feet,
but on our getting near it we struck. Fortunately there was but a
little swell on, but still the ship bumped very heavily, and seemed to
bend under us like a wickerwork basket. The Dutchman, who was on deck;
looked very white; he dived down below, and soon returned buttoning up
his pockets. He looked at us and the skipper, then at the shore,
distant about 200 yards, with an intermediate glance of horror at two or
three large dorsal fins that were sticking up out of the water,
indicative of ten feet long sharks which would not have objected to our
attempting a swim. By the aid of the port-boat sent out ahead we
managed to get pulled off the bar, and got through another passage, only
just then known or practised, which ran for some distance along the
coast, and turned out into the ocean beyond.

We soon had a south-east breeze, set our studding-sails, and in seven
days dropped our anchor in Table Bay; having completed the voyage in
less than one-third of the time that it had taken me to do half the
distance on the occasion of my upward journey.

My first experiences of what is called civilisation were anything but
agreeable. During my stay at Cape Town, while waiting the arrival of a
ship to convey me to England, I frequently rode out in the country about
Winberg and Rondebosh, and had to pass a turnpike on the road, kept by a
good-natured old man who responded to t