[11] The proper name of these people is Haukoin, which literally means “real men.” By the Namaquas they are styled Ghou-Damop or Daman—a term not sufficiently decorous for translation. The name Hill-Damaras is that by which they are best known, and, being really very appropriate to their habits and mode of living, I shall retain it throughout the course of this narrative.
[12] In the nights the Damaras invariably carry a fire-brand, which they hold close to their bodies, in order to shelter themselves, in some degree, from the wind and cold.
[13] I have since had frequent opportunities of hearing the dying groans of the zebra, which in reality greatly resemble the faint gasps and ejaculations of a drowning man. Even the subdued neighings of this animal, when heard from a distance, are of a very melancholy nature.
[14] I have been told that on a similar occasion to the present, a lion was so injured by the flaming missiles thrown at him, that he was found shortly afterward dead of his wounds.
[15] Captain Sturt, who in his explorations in Australia seems to have experienced the same heat in even a greater degree, says,
“The mean of the thermometer for the months of December, January, and February had been 101, 104, and 105 degrees respectively, in the shade. Under its effects, every screw in our boxes had been drawn, and the horn handles of our instruments, as well as our combs, were split into fine laminæ. The lead dropped out of our pencils, and our signal rockets were entirely spoiled; our hair, as well as the wool on the sheep, ceased to grow, and our nails had become brittle as glass. The flour lost more than eight per cent. of its original weight, and the other provisions in still greater proportion.” In another part of his narrative, this enterprising explorer mentions the quicksilver once to have risen to 132 degrees in the shade, the thermometer being placed in the fork of a tree, five feet from the ground!
[16] “The black, or rock scorpion,” says Lieutenant Patterson, “is nearly as venomous as any of the serpent tribe. A farmer, who resided at a place called the Paarle, near the Cape, was stung by one in the foot during my stay in the country, and died in a few hours.”
[17] A bottle of any kind, filled with milk, and with a quill (enveloped in linen) inserted in the cork.
[18] For a detailed account of this curious and interesting insect, see Mr. Westwood (British Cyclopædia); Mr. Savage (Annals of Natural History, vol. v., p. 92), &c.
[19] This surpasses the graphic answer given to Björn Jernsida (the bear ironside), a famous Swedish sea-king. When on his way to plunder Rome, he inquired of a wayfaring man what the distance might be. “Look at these shoes!” said the traveler, holding up a pair of worn-out iron-shod sandals; “when I left the place you inquire for, they were new; judge, then, for yourself.”