. Travels and adventures in southern Africa. eaching the vessel, every other feeling seemed absorbed inprofound astonishment. It was hot without some difficulty that Teysho was convinced that theship was really afloat, and_ not a water-house, fixed to the bottom of the sea. One of theparty, after surveying the cabin, the hold, and every part of the vessel, exclaimed in his nativetongue, that it was for certain an uncreated thing,—a thing come of itself and never made byhuman hands ! In this opinion all his countrymen joined,—and it was only after a long expla-nation, communicated by Mr. Moffat


. Travels and adventures in southern Africa. eaching the vessel, every other feeling seemed absorbed inprofound astonishment. It was hot without some difficulty that Teysho was convinced that theship was really afloat, and_ not a water-house, fixed to the bottom of the sea. One of theparty, after surveying the cabin, the hold, and every part of the vessel, exclaimed in his nativetongue, that it was for certain an uncreated thing,—a thing come of itself and never made byhuman hands ! In this opinion all his countrymen joined,—and it was only after a long expla-nation, communicated by Mr. Moffat through the sage Teysho, that they at length gave up thisready solution, and allowed the matchless wisdom and superiority of the Macooas, or civilizedmen, whose genius could construct and render subservient to their wishes, such a stupendousand beautiful fabric. A few days afterwards, the Bechuana chiefs paid a visit to ourselves, along with , at a little cottage, behind the Lions Head, overhanging the precipitous and romantic. •J < « 2 1 THE BECHUANAS. 193 It seems, indeed, not a little remarkable that the Bechuana tribes shouldhave remained stationary at that point of civilization which they have are agriculturists to a certain extent; but not sufficiently so to derivefrom the soil more than a precarious and insufficient addition to their subsist-ence as herdsmen and hunters. They possess the art of working in iion andcopper ; but have applied this knowledge to no other purpose than the manu-facture of assagais, hatchets, and personal ornaments. Their towns are often shore of the broad Atlantic They seemed struck and even alarmed at the thunders of thevasty deep; and a ship that was sailing past, and the additional things that were told of itsuses and powers, excited their highest wonder. We entered into conversation with Teysho, through the medium of IMr. Moffat, andHatta, the interpreter. Referring to the vessel that was passing by, Teysho s


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookd, bookpublisherlondonhcolburn, bookyear1827