The Hottentots live near the Bushmen and are a mixture between them and the negroids. They are taller than the Bushmen, but have much the same yellowish brown skin color and the same sort of hair. Their language, too, is much like that of the Bushmen. In both languages there are some strange sounds, hard for white men to pronounce, called “clicks.” These sounds come in the middle of words, and are called “clicks” because they sound something like the sound made in driving horses. Among the Bushmen there are nine different sounds of this kind; the Hottentots have only four.
BUSHMAN ROCK PICTURE (RATZEL).
The Hottentots are cattle-raisers, but do not cultivate plants. They gather wild fruits and dig roots. They move with their herds from one pasture to another; their settlements are called kraals. Their huts are dome-shaped and consist of a light framework of poles over which mattings are hung. When they move it takes only a few minutes to take the houses to pieces and pack them on to their cattle. The huts are always set up in a circle, enclosing a clear space where the cattle are herded.
Both men and women of the Hottentots wear fur caps, and it is considered indecent for a woman to be seen with her head bare. Hottentot clothing consists of leather aprons and cloaks. Hottentots rarely kill their cattle, which they keep for milk rather than for meat.
They are quite warlike, and each tribe has a leader. They honor brave warriors. They are gay in disposition and like to say sharp and funny things about each other; this often leads to quarrels and fights. When a man is angry with another, he takes a handful of dust and offers it to him; if the offender is willing to fight, he seizes the hand and scatters the dust on the ground; if he refuses to fight, the angry man throws the dust upon him to show that he is a coward. In fighting to settle quarrels, they kick and club each other and even use spears.
HOTTENTOT KRAAL (RATZEL).
The Hottentots have many songs and prayers which they repeat to, or about, their sacred beings. Among their stories are some about the rabbit and his adventures. They worship the stars which we call the Pleiades. When these stars rise for the first time in the year, the people greet them. Mothers take their babies in their arms and teach them to stretch out their little hands toward the friendly stars. They then have a dance and sing a song in honor of one of their gods. There is a large insect called the mantis, which, when it stands still, raises its long front legs into a curious position; the Hottentots think that it is praying. When a praying mantis appears in a kraal every one is pleased, as they think it brings good luck. No one thinks of killing it, and they make an offering to it.
When a Hottentot man goes hunting, his wife kindles a fire at home and does nothing while he is gone but carefully tend it. They believe if she lets it go out that he will fail in his hunting. Hottentot conjurers are thought to be great snake charmers. It is said that they can hiss in such a way that all the snakes in the district will be attracted to them. So much are these conjurers feared that every one wears some object about him to protect himself against their power.