Duminy-Dagboeke
Duminy Diaries
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Uitgegee
en toegelig Deur Dr J.LM.
Franken Professor
aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch With an English
translation François Reinier Duminy |
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The Duminy diaries consist of the diary of Johanna
Margareta Duminy (1797), the journal of François
Duminy of his visit to the Caledon Baths and the Bok river (9 November 1810 to 4 March 1811), the journal of
François Duminy's expedition to Walfish
Bay in 1893 and Sebastian Valentyn van Reenen's journal of the same expedition. The texts are in
French and Dutch, with an English translation. The lengthy introductions are
in Afrikaans only. The |
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JOURNAL 1793
At eight o’clock the ship’s boat returned aboard
with a little box of old iron and a letter for me, which I have not answered
because it contained requests which would have meant going beyond my orders
from the commissioners, and an answer written by me
might have compromised me. They seem to be very much at a loss and are afraid
to undertake anything. The weather was fine and the wind variable and almost calm.
There was lightning on the S.E. side after sunset.
Monday, 28th January,
1793. Since the long
boat had not returned aboard last night, I sent the ship’s boat at sunrise to
inquire the reason for this and to obtain news from the van Reenens,
who had not left as they had planned. I told Mr. de Bock to tell Mr. van Reenen that if he wanted an answer to his letter, he had
better come aboard since it was my sincere desire to give him every possible assistance but without compromising myself
with the Government at the
Tuesday 29th. Sent the ship’s boat ashore at sunrise. The wind blew from N. to N.W. A
good breeze; the sky covered and misty. At seven o’clock in the evening
the boat came aboard with the two van Reenens, who
had left Pinard ashore with nine armed Hottentots and
three horses to go in search for Barend Freyn. At eight o’clock de Bock came aboard with the tent,
all the equipment, two live oxen as well as a carcase.
Wednesday 3oth. The wind remained North to N.W. with overcast sky.
I let the crew rest for the day, my intention being to look for a place
to-morrow where we could get sufficient water for our daily use, since we did
not know how long the expedition by land would take. Presumably it will not be
for long, for Mr. B. van Reenen does not seem
disposed to exert himself nor to expose himself in unfamiliar country.
Continuation
of Wednesday, 3oth January, 1793. All the time that Mr. B. van Reenen was ashore
he did not stir from the tent, not even to go and shoot flamingos and pelicans,
of which there were thousands a quarter of a mile from where he was. Yesterday
the same Hottentots, numbering fifty, came back again and brought cattle to
exchange as they had promised. According to the account given by Mr. van Reenen the Hottentots, after having received payment for
the two oxen and five sheep, ran off with their cattle, but Mr. van Reenen, so he says, pursued them on horseback with Pinard and his Hottentots. They forced them to return the
oxen and two others as well. They had fired shots, whereupon all the savages
took to flight, very dissatisfied, of course, and after that Mr. van Reenen did not want to risk leaving the shore and prefers
to take up his abode on board and entrust the commission of looking for Sieur Barend Freyn
to Pinard, in company of nine Hottentots and three
horses. It seems very probable that if Sieur Barend Freyn is not found it will
not be possible to undertake anything else, for nothing has happened up to the
present which does not make one suspect that the Cape Government has been
deceived; that they had some plan of their own in view, which is unsuccessful
because of the difficulty of coming to an arrangement with the savages; also
because, according to the reports of the savages, who are called Namaqua Hottentots, it would be necessary to travel a day
or two before reaching a part of the country suitable for shooting elephant and
rhinoceros, which would certainly be worth a copper mine. The Poor Dameras, where the mine is from which the mineral came that
was brought to the