Cape Good Hope 1652-1702

65 Masurier

From the translation by Dr. A.M. Lewin Robinson in QB June 1950, by his kind permission. Nothing is known about the author. He sailed in the fleet (as in item 64) from Brest on March 1, 1687. Equator April 19: ‘Baptism’ fully described. Anchored in Table Bay June 11 (DR).

I think you know that the Dutch are the masters of this place. They were a little surprised to see six ships arrive, not being accustomed to such a large number at the same time, which made them ill at ease and on their guard all the time that we were there....

The description of the place can be given in a few words. It is just a village, quite small, with very low flimsy houses built solely of brick. The majority of the inhabitants are Dutch and the rest negroes. Some way off in a kind of grass-land live the original nhabitants of this place, who are called Outantos, and are, I believe the most repulsive [‘infame’] race in the world. They are extremely black and have only a sheepskin for covering and only a rush hut for habitation, where they live all together, men, women and children, eating only the flesh of animals they find dead. The husband, to make himself agreeable to his wife, smears himself with old dung and on top of that with the blood of some animal. They let this blood congeal and dry on them. Their hair, which is like that of Moors [sic], is rubbed with a sort of greasy black stuff, and they hang from it a lot of sea-shells, nails and pieces of brass. The women, besides the same ornaments

[p. 331]

as the men, go further in covering their arms and legs with sheep's guts, which they eat for nourishment when they find themselves stranded in the desert.

.....

While we were there we had some hunting with General de Farges' son, who had accompanied his father. We killed a lot of game, for it was extremely abundant in the places where the Governor had us taken by the beaters [hunters*] he lent us. The game we found was roebuck and gazelles (animals larger than roebuck but similar), pheasants, partridges and grouse in great numbers. In the last hunt on which we went with M. de Farges we took six roebuck and thirty-five head of game - partridges, pheasants and grouse....