Ramadan Begins On Sunday, And My Poor
Driver Can't Even Prepare For It By A Good Feast, As No Fowls
Are
to be had here just now, and he can't eat profanely-killed meat.
Some pious Christian has tried to
Burn a Mussulman martyr's tomb at
Eerste River, and there were fears the Malays might indulge in a
little revenge; but they keep quiet. I am to go with my driver to
eat some of the feast (of Bairam, is it not?) at his priest's when
Ramadan ends, if I am in Capetown, and also am asked to a wedding
at a relation of Choslullah's. It was quite a pleasure to hear the
kindly Mussulman talk, after these silent Hottentots. The Malays
have such agreeable manners; so civil, without the least cringing
or Indian obsequiousness. I dare say they can be very 'insolent'
on provocation; but I have always found among them manners like
old-fashioned French ones, but quieter; and they have an
affectionate way of saying 'MY missis' when they know one, which is
very nice to hear. It is getting quite chilly here already; COLD
night and morning; and I shall be glad to descend off this plateau
into the warmer regions of Worcester, &c. I have just bought EIGHT
splendid ostrich feathers for 1l. of my old Togthandler friend. In
England they would cost from eighteen to twenty-five shillings
each. I have got a reebok and a klipspringer skin for you; the
latter makes a saddle-cloth which defies sore backs; they were
given me by Klein and a farmer at Palmiet River. The flesh was
poor stuff, white and papery. The Hottentots can't 'bray' the
skins as the Caffres do; and the woman who did mine asked me for a
trifle beforehand, and got so drunk that she let them dry halfway
in the process, consequently they don't look so well.
Worcester, Sunday, March 2d.
Oh, such a journey! Such country! Pearly mountains and deep blue
sky, and an impassable pass to walk down, and baboons, and
secretary birds, and tortoises! I couldn't sleep for it all last
night, tired as I was with the unutterably bad road, or track
rather.
Well, we left Caledon on Friday, at ten o'clock, and though the
weather had been cold and unpleasant for two days, I had a lovely
morning, and away we went to Villiersdorp (pronounced Filjeesdorp).
It is quite a tiny village, in a sort of Rasselas-looking valley.
We were four hours on the road, winding along the side of a
mountain ridge, which we finally crossed, with a splendid view of
the sea at the far-distant end of a huge amphitheatre formed by two
ridges of mountains, and on the other side the descent into
Filjeesdorp. The whole way we saw no human being or habitation,
except one shepherd, from the time we passed Buntje's kraal, about
two miles out of Caledon. The little drinking-shop would not hold
travellers, so I went to the house of the storekeeper (as the
clergyman of Caledon had told me I might), and found a most kind
reception.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 52 of 73
Words from 26569 to 27091
of 37925
