cloaks coming a litle below their buttocks the womens below their Hams, the men have litle bit of skin which hangs befor their privie members, and the women a kind of apron the women have alsoe a hood like that of a Capucin made of the sam skin, and thongs of skin beat round in great aboundance wrapt about their Legs, which the men and they eat in rainie weather, or when they are in anie strait.
Munday Octor the 12.... The Women of the Hottentods carrie a bage made of skin upon their backs the men not, instead of bread they all eat roots, as that of ane arum of which I have a specimen, the roots of a kind of iris and a round root* which when roasted eats like a chasnut, I eat two or three of them the night befor I came away at my Land Lords, but had not the time the nixt day to goe out to the Countrie to see the plant. They eat noe swins flesh, have a great reverence for fire, water and several other things verrie necessarie for life, but they worship nothing that the Dutch can perceave. At new moon they make great noise dancing and singing. The men take a wife or two according as they can maintain, and discharge them again when their humours cannot suit, but if they agree the women are verrie chast and honest, withall most anxious for children because its a reproach not to have them. There are amongst them those that take care of the sick, whom the rest respect much. They use little or nothing internalie as I was told by the Intendant of the Garden, except to them who are verrie ill they give sometimes a draught of the fat of sheep melted. externalie they make great use of the same fat, and sometimes make it green with herbs, as I happen'd to see one day as I was passing by the Hutts into which they live, into one of which there was two women anointing a mans bellie who appear'd by his countenance to bee sick, with a green oyntment warmed in a shell, one of the women after they had well anointed, suckt it off of his bellie again with hir mouth this they did three or four times. when they make themselves fine they put about their necks wests [waists] and arms beads of which the women put great aboundance, and their woolie pait [pates] they dab with a past made of sheeps fat, and some black stuf upon which they stick Couries or as we call them blackiemoores teeth sometimes in the shape of a St Georges crose, sometims in other shapes; peaces of brase
copper or shells. They value noe monie except it bee a skilling or a dubleke* with which they buy brandie or tobacco from the Dutch. The Language they speak is soe hard that the Dutch cannot learn it but they speak Dutch prettie well.
Teusday Octor the 13 blowing and verrie cloudie weather ... My Land Lord at the Cap told me that they gather the salt they make use [of] in vallies where the sea never coms its verrie white.
Wednesday Octor the 14 ffair weather with a fresh prosperous gail ... I eat at my Land Lords some Quinces preserv's since the last year after this maner. They cut and chop a great manie Quinces then put altogether over a moderate fire, which makes the greatest part of the pulp dissolve, after they have let it boyl a little they strain the Juice with which when cold they put up in Cask whole Quinces as they take them from the trees onlie with a Napkin wipt verrie clean, and by this means keep them from year to year, and send a great manie caske of them to Batavia.
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