VIII. Personal History

ǁKábbo’s Capture and Journey to Cape Town. First Account

I came from that place, I came (here), when I came from my place, when I was eating a springbok. The Kafir took me; he bound my arms. We (that is, I) and my son, with my daughter’s husband, we were three, when we were bound opposite to (?) the wagon, while the wagon stood still. We went away bound to the Magistrate; we went to talk with him; we remained. with him.

We were in the jail. We put our legs into the stocks. The Korannas came to us, when our legs were in the stocks; we were stretched out(?) in the stocks. The Korannas came to put their legs into the stocks; they slept, while their legs were in the stocks. They were in the house of ordure (?). While we were eating the Magistrate’s sheep, the Korannas came to eat it, We all ate it, we and the Korannas.

We went; we ate sheep on the way, while we were coming to Victoria; our wives ate their sheep on the way, as they came to Victoria.

We came to roll stones at Victoria, while we worked at the road. We lifted stones with our chests; we rolled great stones. We again worked with earth. We carried earth, while the earth was upon the handbarrow. We carried earth; we loaded the wagon with earth; we pushed it. Other people walked along. We were pushing the wagon’s wheels; we were pushing; we poured down the earth; we pushed it back. We again loaded it, we and the Korannas. Other Korannas were carrying the handbarrow. Other people (i.e. Bushmen) were with the Korannas; they were also carrying earth; while the earth was upon the handbarrow. They again came to load the handbarrow with earth.

We again had our arms bound to the wagon chain; we walked along, while we were fastened to the wagon chain, as we came to Beaufort, while the sun was hot. They (our arms) were set free in the road. We got tobacco from the Magistrate; we smoked, going along, with sheeps’ bones. We came into Beaufort jail. The rain fell upon us, while we were in Beaufort jail.

Early (the next) morning, our arms were made fast, we were bound. We splashed into the water; we splashed, passing through the water in the river bed. We walked upon the road, as we followed the wagon, while the wagon went first. We walked, following the wagon, being bound, until we, being bound, came to the Breakwater. On the way, we ate sheep as we came to the Breakwater; we came (and) worked at it.

A white man took us to meet the train in the night. We early sat in the train; the train ran, bringing. us to the Cape. We came into the Cape prison house when we were tired, we and the Korannas; we lay down to sleep at noon.

Second Account

My wife was there; I was there; my son was there; my son’s wife was there, while she carried a little child (on her back); my daughter was there, while she also carried a little child; my daughter’s husband was there; we were like this (in number). Therefore, the Kafirs* took (lit. “lifted”) us, when we were like this, while we were not numerous; the Kafirs took us, while we were not numerous.

We went to sit in the wagon; the Kafirs took us away, as we sat in the wagon. Our wives also sat in the wagon. They got out of the wagon; they walked upon their feet. The wagon stood still; we got out of the wagon; we lay down, when we had first made a fire. We roasted lamb’s flesh; my son’s wife roasted a springbok, which I had killed with my arrow. We smoked; we lay down. The day broke; we made a fire; we smoked early in the morning.

Then, we left them, we went away to the Magistrate; while we (who were in the wagon) ran along, we were upon the road, while our wives walked along upon their feet. We ran, leaving them, while we altogether ran, leaving them.

Then we went to talk with the Magistrate; the Magistrate talked with us. The Kafirs took us away to the jail at night. We went to put our legs into the stocks; another white man laid another (piece of) wood upon our legs. We slept, while our legs were in the stocks. The day broke, while our legs were in the stocks. We early took out our legs from the stocks, we ate meat; we again put our legs into the stocks; we sat, while our legs were in the stocks. We lay down, we slept, while our legs were inside the stocks. We arose, we smoked, while our legs were inside the stocks. The people boiled sheep’s flesh, while our legs were in the stocks.

The Magistrate came to take our legs out of the stocks, because he wished that we might sit comfortably, that we might eat; for, it was his sheep that we were eating. Katten (“Piet Rooi”) came (and) ate with us of the Magistrate’s sheep, while we were eating it; also another man, Kkábbi-ddau; also ǃkwárra-gă-ǀk(e)ówǀk(e)ów.

They again put their legs into the stocks; they slept, while their legs were in the stocks. Other Korannas also came, they came into another house, another “jail’s house.”

(I874?) * The narrator says, that the moon’s other name is ǃχóë-sshŏ-ǃkuí, and also that the sun’s other name is the same. ǃχóë-sshŏ-ǃkuí means (ǀaǃkúnta says) “The man who knows all the places.”

ǁKábbo’s Journey in the Railway Train.*

I have said to thee that the train (fire wagon) is nice. I sat nicely in the train. We two sat in (it), we (I) and a black man.

A woman did seize my arm; she drew me inside, because I should have fallen, therefore she drew me in. [I sat beside a black man; his face was black; his mouth (was) also black; for they are black.

White men are those whose faces are red, for they are handsome. The black man he is ugly, thus his mouth is black, for his face is black.

The black man then asked me: “Where dost thou come from?” I said to the black man: “I come from this place.” The black man asked me: “What is its name?” I said to the black man: ‘My place is the Bitterpits.”.

ǁKábbo’s Intended Return Home

Thou knowest that I sit waiting for the moon to turn back for me, that I may return to my place. That I may listen to all the people’s stories, when I visit them; that I may listen to their stories, that which they tell; they listen to the Flat Bushmen’s stories from the other side of the place. They are those which they thus tell,* they are listening to them; while the other ǃχóë-sshŏ-ǃkuí (the sun) becomes a little warm, that I may sit in the sun; that I may sitting, listen to the stories which yonder come (?), which are stories which come from a distance.† Then, I shall get hold of a story from them, because they (the stories) float out from a distance; while the sun feels a little warm; while I feel that I must altogether visit; that I may be talking with them, my fellow men.

For, I do work here, at women’s household work. My fellow men are those who are listening to stories from afar, which float along; they are listening to stories from other places. For, I am here; I do not obtain stories; because I do not visit, so that I might hear stories which float along; while I feel that the people of another place are here; they do not possess my stories. They do not talk my language; for, they visit their like; while they feel that work’s people (they) are, those who work, keeping houses in order. They work (at) food; that the food may grow for them; that they should get food which is good, that which is new food.

The Flat Bushmen go to each other’s huts; that they may smoking sit in front of them. Therefore, they obtain stories at them; because they are used to visit; for smoking’s people they are, As regards myself(?) I am waiting that the moon may turn back for me; that I may set my feet forward in the path.* For, I verily (?) think that I must only await the moon; that I may tell my Master (i. chief), that I feel this is the time when I should sit among my fellow men, who walking meet their like. They are listening to them; for, I do think of visits; (that) I ought to visit; (that) I ought to talk with my fellow men; for, I work here, together with women; and I do not talk with them; for, they merely send me to work.

I must first sit a little, cooling my arms; that the fatigue may go out of them; because I sit. I do merely listen, watching for a story, which I want to hear; while I sit waiting for it; that it may float into my ear.† These are those to which I am listening with all my ears; while I feel that I sit silent. I must wait (listening) behind me,t‡ while I listen along the road; while I feel that my name floats along the road; they (my three names) § float along to my place; I will go to sit at it; that I may listening turn backwards (with my ears) to my feet’s heels, on which I went; while I feel that a story is the wind. It (the story) is wont to float along to another place. Then, our names do pass through those people; while they do not perceive our bodies go along. For, our names are those which, floating, reach a different place. The mountains lie between (the two different roads). A man’s name passes behind the mountains’ back; those (names) with which he returning goes along. While he (the man) feels that the road is that which lies thus; and the man is upon it. The road is around his place, because the road curves. The people who dwell at another place, their ear does listening go to meet the returning man’s names; those with which he returns.* He will examine the place. For, the trees of the place seem to be handsome; because they have grown tall; while the man of the place (ǁkábbo) has not seen them, that he might walk among them. For, he came to live at a different place; his place it is not. For, it was so with him that people were those who brought him to the people’s place, that he should first come to work for a little while at it. He is the one who thinks of (his) place, that he must be the one to return.

He only awaits the return of the moon; that the moon may go round, that he may return (home), that he may examine the water pits; those at which he drank. He will work, putting the old hut in order, while he feels that he has gathered his children together, that they may work, putting the water in order for him; for, he did go away, leaving the place, while strangers were those who walked at the place. Their place it is not; for ǁkábbo’s father’s father’s place it was. And then ǁkábbo’s father did possess it; when ǁkábbo’s father’s father died, ǁkábbo’s father was the one who possessed it. And when ǁkábbo’s father died, ǁkábbo’s elder brother was the one who possessed the place; ǁkábbo’s elder brother died, (then) ǁkábbo possessed the place.* And then ǁkábbo married when grown up, bringing ǃkuóbbă-ăń to the place, because he felt that he was alone; therefore, he grew old with his wife at the place, while he felt that his children were married. His children’s † children talked, they, by themselves, fed themselves; while they felt that they talked with understanding.

Therefore, they ǁkábbo’s children) placed huts for themselves; while they felt that they made huts for themselves; they made their huts nicely; while my hut stood alone, in the middle; while they (my children) dwelt on either side. Because my elder brother’s child (Betje) married first, they (my own children) married afterwards; therefore, their cousin’s child grew up first; while she (the cousin) felt that she married, leaving me; she who, from afar, travelling came to me because

People (that is Bastaards) call it “Blauwputs”, while they feel that its rocks are black; for, they are slate.

ǁkábbo’s place is ǁgúbo; and he altogether went round, he, possessing, went along at the place; thus, he possessed ǃkhũï-ttẽn and ǁχáu-ka-ǃkhoā. He possessed ǁχuóbbeten (a certain water pool); and, he, altogether possessing, went along, he possessed ǀunn.

Therefore, he dug out (at) ǁkā-ttú [the name of a place near ǁgúbo]. He dug, making a (deep) pitfall (for game), there. Therefore, an ostrich was slaughtered at that pitfall, because my father-in-law’s pitfalls were surpassingly good ones. I was the one who feeding, brought her up. Her father was not the one who had fed her. For, her father died, leaving her. I was the one who went (and) fetched her, when her mother had just died; I brought her to my home. As I felt that I had not seen her father die,† I also did not see her mother die; for, her mother too, died, leaving her; I only heard the story.

And then I went to fetch her (Betje), while I felt that I was still a young man, and I was fleet in running to shoot. And I thought that she would get plenty of food, which I should give her. She (would) eat it. She (would) eat with my (own) child, which was still (an only) one. And then they would both grow, going out from me (to play near the hut); because they both ate my game (“shot things”). For, I was fresh for running; I felt that I could, running, catch things.

Then, I used to run (and) catch a hare, I brought had a younger sister with her, who was suffering from the same illness. The latter went away with difficulty, taking the dead mother’s child to a relative’s hut, not near at hand. From the relative’s hut, the fire of ǁkábbo’s dwelling could be seen at night. She proceeded thither with the child, and was met by him midway. Before he got the child, he had seen the dead mother’s bones lying at her hut, her body having just been eaten by jackals. ǁkábbo had gone off from his home in haste, hearing that the wife’s sister was ill, and fearing that she might die on the way, and the child, yet living and playing about, might be devoured by jackals. He left his own home early one morning, and in the evening reached the spot where the mother’s bones lay. He made a hut at a little distance, and slept there one night, and the next morning went to fetch the child at the relation’s hut; but the sister met him with it on the road. He slept at the newly-made hut, to which he returned with the child, for one more night, and then went back to his own home. it to my home, while it was in my bag, while the sun was hot. I felt that I had not seen a springbok. For, I saw a hare. I used to shoot, sending up a bustard. I put it in(to the bag) (and) brought it home. My wife would come to pluck it, at home. She boiled it in the pot; that we might drink soup. On the morrow I would hunt the hare, I would be peeping about in the shade of the bushes. I would shoot it up,* that the children might eat. For, the springbok were gone away. Therefore, I was shooting hares, that I might chasing, cause them to die with the sun, when they had run about in the noonday’s sun. They were “burnt dead” by the sun; while I remembered that the hare does not drink; for it eats dry bushes, while it does not drink, putting in water upon the dry bushes which it crunches. Therefore, it remains thirsty there, while it does not drink. It dwells, sitting in the summer (heat), because it does not understand water pans, so that it might go to the water, so that it might go to drink. For it waits, sitting in the sun.

Therefore, I chase it, in the sun, that the sun may, burning, kill it for me, that I may eat it, dead from the sun; while I feel that I was the one who chased it, while it went along in fear of me. It, in fear, lay down to die from the sun; because it had become dry (while running about) in the sun; because it saw me when I followed it. It did not stop to walk, that it might look backwards. For it had run about, when it was tired. It seemed as if it were about(?) to die; because it had been obliged to run about. ‘Therefore, it went to lie down to die; because fatigue had killed it; while it had run about in the heat; for, (it) was the summer sun, which was hot. The ground was hot which was burning its feet.

Therefore, I used to go to pick it up, as it lay dead. I laid it in the arrows’ bag. I must, going along, look for another hare. It would spring up (running) into the sun; it would, being afraid, run through the sun, while I ran following it. I must, going along, wait, so that the sun might, burning, kill it. I would go to pick it up, when it lay dead. I would sitting, break its (four) legs, and then I should put it in. I thought that another hare would probably dwell opposite to it. I must first go to seek round in the neighbourhood of the form. For it seemed to be married. I must, seeking around, look for the female hare, that I might also chase it, when I had unloosened (and) laid down the bag. I must chase it, with my body. I must run very fast, feeling that I should become thirsty.

I shall go to drink at home.* For the children will have probably fetched f water. For, my wife (was) used to send them to the water, thinking that I had walked about in the sun when the sun was hot; because I thought that ǀkũï ‡ would kill the children for me. The rain must first fall, and then, I should be looking around, while I looked around, seeking for (a pair of) ostriches which are wont to seek the water along the “Har Rivier”, that they may, going along, drink the water. I must, going round in front, descend into the “Har Rivier”. I must (in a stooping position) steal up to them in the inside of the river bed. I must lie (on the front of my body) i in the river bed; that I might shoot, lying in the river bed. For, the western ostriches do, seeking water, come back; that they may, going along, drink the new water.

Therefore, I must sit waiting for the Sundays on which I remain here, on which I continue to teach thee. I do not again await another moon, for this moon is the one about which I told thee. Therefore, I desired that it should do thus, that it should return for me. For I have sat waiting for the boots, that I must put on to walk in; which are strong for the road. For, the sun will go along, burning strongly. And then, the earth becomes hot, while I still am going along halfway. I must go together with the warm sun, while the ground is hot. For, a little road it is not. For, it is a great road; it is long. I should reach my place, when the trees are dry. For, I shall walk, letting the flowers become dry while I still follow the path.

Then, autumn will quickly be (upon) us there; * when I am sitting at my (own) place. For, 1 shall not go to other places; for, I must remain at my (own) place, the name of which I have told my Master; he knows it; he knows, (having) put it down. And thus my name is plain (beside) it. It is there that I sit waiting for the gun; and then, he will send the gun to me there; while he sends the gun in a cart; that which running, takes me the gun. While he thinks, that I have not forgotten; that my body may be quiet, as it was when I was with him; while I feel that I shoot, feeding myself. For, starvation was that on account of which I was bound,— starvation’s food,— when I starving turned back from following the sheep. Therefore, I lived with him, that I might get a gun from him; that I might possess it. That I might myself shoot, feeding myself, while I do not eat my companions’ food. For, I eat my (own) game.

For, a gun is that which takes care of an old man; it is that with which we kill the springbok which go through the cold (wind); we go to eat, in the cold (wind). We do, satisfied with food, lie down (in our huts) in the cold (wind). It (the gun) is strong against the wind. It satisfies a man with food in the very middle of the cold.

How ǀHaŃǂKass’Ō’s Pet Leveret Was Killed

ǀχábbi-ań * killed (my) leveret for me, and I came crying to her, because I wanted them † therefore to seek for (other) leverets; for they were those who had killed (my) leveret for me. And she soothed me, about it. Therefore, she told me that the lizard had formerly said:

Tsātsi* was the one who caught hold of (and) took up a leveret on the hunting-ground; and, he brought it (home) alive, he came (and) gave it to me. And I played with it; I set it down, it ran; I also ran after it. And I went to catch it, and, I came to set it down. It again ran; and I again ran to catch it; and I went catching hold of it, I came to set it down. Again, it ran; and, I again ran after it. And I again caught hold of it; and again, I caught hold of it; and I came to set it down.

ǀχábbi-ań wished that I (should) leave off playing with the leveret, that I (should) kill it, that 1 (should) lay it to roast. I was not willing to kill the leveret. She wished me to leave off playing with the leveret, that I (should) kill it, that I might lay it to roast. I was not willing to kill the leveret, because I felt that nothing acted as prettily as it did, when it was gently running, gently running along. It did in this manner (showing the motion of its ears), while it was gently running along, nothing acted as prettily as it did; and it went to sit down.

Then they told me to fetch water; for I was one who quickly came away from the water, while I did not go to play at the water. Therefore, I went to fetch water, when I had tied up the leveret. And I went to fetch water; then, they killed (my) leveret for me, while I was at the water. They killed (my) leveret for me; and then I came (and) cried, about it; because I had thought that they would let (my) leveret alone. For, they must have been deceiving me; they told me to fetch water, while they must have intended that they would kill (my) leveret for me, which I had meant to let alone, so that it might live (on) in peace. They had killed it for me. Therefore, I came (and) cried, on account of it. They said, that we should not again get another leveret; when I wanted them to seek some leverets for me, they said, we should not again get another leveret.

Therefore, they soothing calmed (?) me with the (story of the) lizard; while they wished that I might quietly listen to them; when I had shut my mouth, I might quietly listen to them.*

The Thunderstorm

When the rain fell upon us at night, I did thus, while the rain fell, I lay, playing the “goura”,† like ǁkunn.* And mamma said to me, did I not see how the rain was lightening; that I did like ǁkunn; did I not know that ǁkunn was a person who used, if people scolded him, he used, (when) he was angry with the people, to say to the people, about it, that the people seemed to think that the rain would fall; but (on the contrary) the rain would stand still, while the rain did not fall. The rain used really to stop; when ǁkunn had said that the rain would not fall.

When mamma rebuked me, I did not listen to her, for, I lay, playing the “goura”, like ǁkunn. And mamma became silent; when she saw that I did not seem as if I heard her, And mamma lay down; I lay, playing the “goura”.

And the rain did thus, as I lay, playing the “goura”, the rain first seemed to shine into our eyes. And the rain did thus, (when) we were thinking that it was going to lighten and it seemed as if the rain were closing our eyes, when it was the light that entered our eyes; we stood shutting our eyes, while we felt as if darkness kept our eyes closed. And when we had not (yet) opened our eyes, the rain gave us things on account of which our eyes seemed as if they were green; and the rain lightened, while our eyes felt green.

And the rain, lightening, went over us; and the rain did as follows to a stone which stood outside, in front of our hut, the rain, lightening, shivered it.

And mamma exclaimed: “N̆ n̆ n̆ n̆ n̆!” And father questioned mamma, as to what was the matter with her; had the rush of the storm* reached her, that she exclaimed as if in pain? And mamma told father about it, that the thing seemed as if the rain were tearing off her skin; therefore, she had exclaimed with pain. And mamma said that we had wished to fall dead; it was our fault that we had not been willing to obey her when she rebuked us about a very little thing. We had wanted to see (what would happen) when we did not appear to hear when she rebuked us.

I had acted thus, when mamma told me to leave off playing the “goura”,—like ǁkunn,—I would not listen; I was the one who saw that the rain had intended to kill us, on account of my doings.