The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-01-11

TAe BNshn4ee
On ths tlankp 6na 6 q
Snowberg or Sb69
form the DoFtheFn .a1T - ~ 60
humanity 6 found 3 - ~.
Of deETaaait0a u WhIsA -
exhibited. The :.
two or three specimsqse 81 y whieh qs
brought tO.this countFY.e fsN YeE
present an exaggefatioH Set1 q alt1 =,
eous form which aesssi16s ths
tot. Hunger, and cold, and 81
and every description of pgisailea
distress, have SO dwaFfed tllslr pslas
depraved their minds, that they
spectacle painful to look upon. Th9
ture Of these pigmy inhabitnnts e.
desert rarely exceeds four feet, or four ~
two inches. Thieves by profession. cruel
and tTeacherous, without = fixgd- -habltas-
tion, without society, without any sort Of
common interest or government end Nv.
ing only from day to day, and from hand
to mouth, they we're objects Of l0athing 70
Ieigh60TiIg tTiiS5eS, 5v5I before EE;s.:.sS=:ss
had approached they country. The more
civilized Of the Hottentots aud KHiliFs,
waged deadly war against the~i G0a sAs
sight of one Of these diminutiye savages
is said to rouse the passions Of that raee
to an uncomfortable fury. Many years
since, a Kaffja saw in the Government
House at Cape Town, among other dosDes-
tics, Bushman eleven years Of sga.--
With the impulse Of beast Of prey be
'darted upon him, and transtixed him with
his aggessai.
The little intelligence which the Bush-
men possess is displayed chiefly In robbie.
ry and the chase. Rivalling the antelope
in feetness, and the monkey in agiiitys
they accompany their wild, halfiamished,
savage dogs until they como within bow
shot of their game, or run down the Oh
jects of their pursuit Arrayed generally
with bow, q quiver full of arrows, hat
and belt, leather sandals. q sleeps fleece,
a gourd, or the shell Of an ostrich's egg.
to carry water, these Puny creatures wan.
der over their parched and desOlate plainA
supported by food which, unlsas when
occasionally varied by the luxuries Df the
chase, consists entirely Of roots, bsss!ea
amt-eggs, grasshoppers, mics, tOadA NJ
ards and snakes -
They smear the arrows which aAey.nAs.
for hunting and in war, with q pOiso1
which, extracted from bulb, and mingled
with a venow drawn from the jaws Of the
yellow serpent, forms q compound OF the
most noxious character, for no ereatufe
was ever pierced by dart prepared with
the deadly virus, and lived. They have
another poison more fearful in its effects,
which is extracted from a caterpillar. -
The agony produced by Il, Dr.. LsiUgs-
tone says, is so intense, that the person
wounded cuts himself with knives, and
flies from human habitations raving ma-
MAC. The effect upon the lion is equally
terrible. He is heard moaning % distress,
becomes furious, and bites trees and 'thS
ground in his rage. '''"'
They are said to be totally void Of nar
tural affection; "and there are instances. =
adds a missionary (Mr. Kicherer) who
lived for some time in their neighborhoOd,
"of parents throwing their tender OlE.
spring to the hungry lion who stood roar.
ing before their cavern, refusing to depart
until some peace offering was made 70
him."
They shun the face of strangers, con-
cealing themselves amongst rocks and
bushes, and even throwing themselves
over precipices rather than fall into the
hands of their enemies. But they have
been known, when escape has been cut ott,
to fight with the most determined resClu-
ton. Religion they have none. They
regard the thunder as the voice Of an an.l
cry demon, and they reply to It with
curses and imprecations. Their Language
is inarticulate to all but themselves; and
there appears to be scarcely even posi-
bility of either civiliziDg or converting
them. In the northeast of Natal, where
the Bushmen appear in their lowest type,
they reside in holes of the earth scraped
out with their nails, or rather with their
claws.
"They will not receive kindness, nys
close observer of their character AAOr
if they dos they only make . retnr94 q
treachery, robbery and murder. No oprsSr
ents Of cattle os, cNENv S1aseefnents 10
locate and settle, can prevail upon them TO
relinquish their wild life, or to make any
approach toward civilization" g
The only satisfactory thought Conneet-
ed with them is the belief Of their gradual
extinction. They exist, in the meantimey
an awful proof Of degradation to WhiUlE
humanity, in its gradual deterioration can
fall, and an instance OF physical and moral
degeneracy probably unparalleled IN The
world.-LOndOn Quarterly.