The Third Day After Our Arrival In Saldanha Bay, The Natives Brought Down Beeves And Sheep, Which We Bought For Pieces Of Old Iron Hoops; As Two Pieces Of Eight Inches Each For An Ox, And One Piece For A Sheep, With Which The Natives Seemed Perfectly Satisfied.

In ten or twelve days, we bought 1000 sheep and 42 oxen, and might have had more if we would.

After this they discontinued bringing any more cattle, but the people often came down to us afterwards; and when we made signs for more sheep, they would point to those we had already, which the general kept grazing on the hills near our tents; which, as we judged, was the reason why they did not bring us more, as they thought we meant to inhabit there. But, God be thanked, we were now well provided, and could very well pass without farther purchases. The oxen were as large as ours in England, and very fat; and the sheep were many of them bigger than ours, of excellent flesh, sweet and fat, and to our liking much better than our English mutton, but having coarse hairy wool.

The people of this place are all of a tawny colour, of reasonable stature, swift of foot, and much given to pick and steal. Their language is entirely uttered through their throats, and they cluck with their tongues in so strange a manner, that, in seven weeks which we remained here, the sharpest wit among us could not learn one word of their language, yet the natives soon understood every sigh we made them.

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