1775 Maart van Bencoule

Details
Name on Document:
Maart van Bencoule
Date:
1775-06-14
Document Type:
Testimonies
Primary Charge:
runaway
Secondary Charge:
--
Tag(s):
dialogue (4)violent confrontation (1)Malay (3)running amok (6)Khoi (3)
Summary

This incident of the tracking down, shooting and capturing of a group of Cape Town runaway slaves who had raided a farm in the Piketberg, is primarily of interest for what it reveals about the linguistic complexity of the Cape as late as the 1770s.1 Whereas in the previous case communication problems arose because of the variety of languages spoken amongst the slaves, this one illustrates how slaves were linguistically differentiated from the settlers. The runaways, who were all slaves from the East Indies, spoke Malay to one another, which the farmers and Khoi who apprehended them could not understand, although they attempted to communicate with them in Portuguese.2

The slaves tried to run amok,3 but were shot or captured before they could attack any of their pursuers. Two were killed, while Maart van Bencoule4 and Kuijper van Macassar were captured and questioned.5 However, the case against them was not forwarded to the Court of Justice and it is not known how they were punished.6 Also of interest is the farmers’ use of the Khoi Jan as a tracker to locate the barefooted runaways.

Footnotes

  1. The case is mentioned in Penn 1999: 91. For discussion of the linguistic complexity of Cape slave society, see also 1763 Christina Strang and 1775 Moses van Bengalen. ↩

  2. It is significant that while the farmer is capable of addressing them in Portuguese, he does not understand Malay. Although no detailed study of this has yet been done, it seems from the available evidence that Portuguese was more commonly used as a lingua franca amongst the slaves and that settlers were more likely to know this language than Malay (see, for example, the data in Franken 1953: 41-79). Although these slaves ignored the farmer’s questions, they undoubtedly knew some Portuguese, as is confirmed by their utterances, which are in both these languages. ↩

  3. See 1744 Barkat van Timor for this phenomenon. As in amok cases, one of them wanted to commit suicide. ↩

  4. Bencoule (present-day Bengkulu) on the western coast of Sumatra. The port was an English East India Company trading post from the late seventeenth century, although it was largely unsuccessful in tapping into the VOC-dominated trade in the East Indies and it faded into insignificance after the founding of Singapore in 1819. ↩

  5. In addition to those transcribed here, the testimonies collected by the Stellenbsoch landdrost included those of Kuijper van Macassar, Gideon van Zijl and the Bastaard-Hottentot Gerrit Obie, 1/STB 3/11, unpaginated. ↩

  6. There is no record of the case in the regtsrollenregtsrollenLiterally ‘rolls of justice’, the minutes of the proceedings of the Council of Justice., CJ 57. ↩

1/STB 3/11 Criminele Verklaringen, 1759-1782, unpaginated.
Translation Dutch

Statement given on the requisition of the honourable landdrost, Marthinus Adrianus Bergh, by the veldcorporaalveldcorporaalLiterally ‘field corporal.’ After 1715, male burghers in the rural districts formed a citizen militia of which the landdrost (magistrate) was the commanding officer. The various divisions (commandos) of a district were each headed by a veldcorporaal. Gerrit Smit, of competent age, being of the following contents, namely:

That on Tuesday, the 2nd of this month, when the testifier discovered in the morning that the mill on his farm, the Drogerijscloof, situated behind Piketberg, had been broken into during the night, and that two muddenmuddenA measurement for dry goods, usually wheat or flour, the equivalent of about one hectolitre. flour had been spilled on the floor and that both bags with some flour had been taken away, the testifier and the burgher Gideon van Zijl Pz., who was outspanning at his place, together with a Hottentot named Jan, searched around on his farm and when they discovered some traces of barefooted people,1 he and the said Van Zijl, each armed with a loaded gun, followed the said traces, together with the said Hottentot Jan and a certain Bastaard named Gerrit, the last mentioned of which only had a kirrijkirrijThis is the Cape Khoi word for the walking stick traditional Khoikhoi carried with them and used as weapons. In the course of the eighteenth century, the word was adopted by Dutch-speaking colonists to refer to a walking stick, also where it was used as an instrument of punishment. with him. When they, about half an hour from the farm of the testifier, saw some clothes lying by the bushes next to the river and, coming closer, discovered four jongensjongensLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour. who were lying there in the bushes, the testifier instantly called out to them that they should come out, whereupon they proceeded to stand in a row before the bushes, with one of them having an unsheathed cutlass in the one hand and a knife in the other, and similarly one of the other two unsheathed knives, and both the others each holding one of the same in the hand. Hereupon the testifier repeatedly called to them that they should throw down their knives and should come to him one by one, upon which the said four jongensjongensLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour. spoke in Malay, which the testifier could not understand, and who told them in Portuguese yet again that they should throw down their knives and should come to him. They then, without however getting rid of their knives and cutlass, rushed towards to the testifier, who thereupon told them to stay back, repeating that they should first throw down their knives, whereupon they stood still, while the testifier again repeated what he said before and threatened to shoot at them if they would not throw down their knives. As they still did not do so, the testifier then told the aforementioned Van Zijl that he should just as well shoot one of these slaves in the legs as a result of which they would no doubt give themselves up as prisoners. Which was done by the said Van Zijl but when the shot jongenjongenLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour. fell down to the ground, the other three came running with their knives, shouting: “Amok! Amok! Matta Garra!”,2 towards the said Van Zijl who, as his gun was not loaded, then took flight, while the testifier then hit one of these deserters, who was closest behind Van Zijl, with a shot from his gun in such a way that the same instantly fell down dead to the ground, while the remaining two then ran to the testifier (who had not yet loaded his gun), and followed him for approximately 150 paces, after which they again went back to their previous place in the bushes. In the meantime, the testifier and Van Zijl loaded their guns and followed the said two jongensjongensLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour., when the said Van Zijl shot at one of them but did not hit him, whereupon the testifier shot the same one – who did not want to throw down his knife and, while shouting: “Bie, bie”,3 stormed towards him, while the testifier again retreated and again called to him to throw down his knife and to give himself up as prisoner – with a bullet through his body, in such a way that he immediately fell down, and when the same again tried, in vain, to lift himself up, he died at once with the knife in his hand. After which the fourth of them, on the order of the testifier, then threw down his knife and gave himself up as prisoner. The testifier also found in the aforesaid bush half a mudmudA measurement for dry goods, usually wheat or flour, the equivalent of about one hectolitre. of the flour that they had stolen the previous night, and understood from the latter that they were bondsmen of the fabriek4 at the Cape of Good Hope.

There being nothing further to relate, the testifier asserts to be convinced of the certainty of the statement as given in the text, being willing, if so required, to subsequently confirm the above with solemn oaths.

Thus recorded in the office of the secretary in Stellenbosch on 8 May 1775, in the presence of the messenger of the court Morits Herman Otto Woeke and the burgher Johannes Engel, as witnesses.

[signed] Gerret Smiet [sic].

As witnesses, [signed] M.H.O. Woeke, J. Engel.

With my cognisance, [signed] A. Faure, secretary.

1/STB 3/11 Criminele Verklaringen, 1759-1782, unpaginated.

Statement given, on the requisition of the honourable landdrost, Marthinus Adrianus Bergh, by the slave Maart van Bencoule, of competent age, belonging to the fabricq, Monsieur Marthinus van Oorden, being of the following contents, namely:

That some time after the testifier had run away with three of his fellow slaves by the name of Pallas, Julij and Kuijper from their owner in the Cape, having been enticed thereto by the slave Pallas, and taking with them six knives and a cutlass; they went to a certain mountain, which the testifier cannot name, and when they were sleeping there, they were roused by four people, consisting of two Dutchmen5 who had guns with them, and two Hottentots armed with assegaaijenassegaaijenThis word for a spear or javelin entered European languages via Spanish (azagaya) from Arabic and Berber in the late Middle Ages. Since the foundation of the Cape colony in the mid-seventeenth century, it was used to refer to the spears of the Khoikhoi, and later also for those of other indigenous people in southern Africa.. Whereupon they each got up, holding a knife in their hand, but, while the testifier was still rubbing his eyes, he was hit with a shot in his leg so that he immediately fell down, without being able to tell whether the other slaves had defended themselves nor if they had chased the Dutchmen.

There being nothing further to relate, the testifier asserts to be convinced of the certainty of the statement as given in the text, being willing, if so required, to subsequently confirm the above.

Thus recorded, and interpreted from Malay by the first mentioned testifier, in Stellenbosch on 30 May 1775, in the presence of the burghers Johannes Victor and Johs. Jacobus Reiniers, requested as witnesses hereto.

This X mark was set down by the slave Maart with his own hand.

As witnesses, [signed] Johs. Victor, J.J. Reiniers.

With my cognisance, [signed] A. Faure, secretary.

1/STB 3/11 Criminele Verklaringen, 1759-1782, unpaginated.

Today, 14 June 1775, there appears before me, Abraham Faure, secretary of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein, in the presence of the witnesses named below, the Hottentot Jan, of competent age, who, on the requisition of the honourable landdrost, Marthinus Adrianus Bergh, declares it to be true:

That the deponent is hired by the burgher Johs. Erasmus Smit and that some time ago, the veldcorporaalveldcorporaalLiterally ‘field corporal.’ After 1715, male burghers in the rural districts formed a citizen militia of which the landdrost (magistrate) was the commanding officer. The various divisions (commandos) of a district were each headed by a veldcorporaal. Gerrit Smit had asked the said Johs. Er. Smit for the deponent in order to search for the tracks of some deserters who had stolen from him. The deponent then, on the order of his baasbaasIn seventeenth-century Dutch this was used both in the sense of ‘head’ (e.g. ‘head carpenter’) and ‘master’. In South Africa the second meaning developed further, and thus baas came to be a synonym for meester (‘master’). It was the form that slaves (and Khoikhoi) would use to address male Europeans., did this in the veld and, when he found the tracks, he followed them with the said veldcorporaalveldcorporaalLiterally ‘field corporal.’ After 1715, male burghers in the rural districts formed a citizen militia of which the landdrost (magistrate) was the commanding officer. The various divisions (commandos) of a district were each headed by a veldcorporaal. and Gideon van Zijl, as well as the Bastaard Gerrit, until they got in the vicinity of a dry river where four deserters were lying in the bushes, who, when they were called by the the veldcorporaalveldcorporaalLiterally ‘field corporal.’ After 1715, male burghers in the rural districts formed a citizen militia of which the landdrost (magistrate) was the commanding officer. The various divisions (commandos) of a district were each headed by a veldcorporaal. and told that they should give themselves up as prisoners, came forward with unsheathed knives in their hands, when the deponent (who did not have anything with him but a thin cane) sped to the river in order to find a suitable stick. When the deponent heard a shot going off, turned around and saw that the aforesaid jongensjongensLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour. were running after Van Zijl, when one of them was thereupon shot dead by the veldcorporaalveldcorporaalLiterally ‘field corporal.’ After 1715, male burghers in the rural districts formed a citizen militia of which the landdrost (magistrate) was the commanding officer. The various divisions (commandos) of a district were each headed by a veldcorporaal., while the deponent picked up a stick and came forwards with it. The two remaining jongensjongensLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour. chased after the veldcorporaalveldcorporaalLiterally ‘field corporal.’ After 1715, male burghers in the rural districts formed a citizen militia of which the landdrost (magistrate) was the commanding officer. The various divisions (commandos) of a district were each headed by a veldcorporaal. with their unsheathed knives, but turned around and then took flight across the aforementioned river, which is where the veldcorporaalveldcorporaalLiterally ‘field corporal.’ After 1715, male burghers in the rural districts formed a citizen militia of which the landdrost (magistrate) was the commanding officer. The various divisions (commandos) of a district were each headed by a veldcorporaal. shot dead another one who ran towards him, while the other one eventually gave himself up.

There being nothing further to relate, the deponent asserts to be convinced of the certainty of his statement as given in the text, being willing, if so required, to subsequently confirm the above.

Thus recorded at the secretary’s office in Stellenbosch in the presence of the messenger of the court Morits Herman Otto Woeke and the beadle Johannes Jacobus Reiniers, as witnesses.

This mark X was set down by the Hottentot Jan with his own hand.

As witnesses, [signed] M.H.O. Woeke, J.J. Reiniers.

With my cognisance, [signed] A. Faure, secretary.

Footnotes

  1. On the significance of this, see 1746 Januarij van Boegies, n. 9. ↩

  2. This utterance, and the one which follows, not only illustrate how these slaves could communicate in both Malay and Portuguese, but also, as pointed out by den Besten, how often dialectical or substandard forms of an unknown language were misunderstood at the Cape: Amok is Malay for ‘attack’, matta is Creole Portuguese for ‘kill’, but gara poses a problem, as the form which Smit, who knew no Malay, heard and reported to the judicial authorities (who left us the only trace of it) is not known in either language. Den Besten suggests it is the Eastern Malay form of gorok (in which dialect the final consonant gets deleted), meaning ‘to slash somebody’s throat, to butcher’. This utterance can therefore be translated as: “Attack! Attack! Kill! Slash!” (Den Besten 2004: 89-90). ↩

  3. Creole Portuguese for “Come, come” (Den Besten 2004: 90). ↩

  4. It was common in the eighteenth century to refer to somebody by a shortened version of their job title. Fabriek probably refers in this way to the fabriekmeester, the head of the Company public works. Martinus van Oorden had arrived at the Cape in 1773 and was appointed supervisor for the building of the new Company hospital, in charge of 89 builders (VOC 5222, f. 65 and VOC 6576, f. 197). The slaves appear to have been his personal property, not the Company slaves who worked in the warehouses. ↩

  5. On the special meaning of this term, see 1739 Jurgen Scholts, n. 8. ↩

Relaas gegeven, ter requisitie van den heer landdrost, Marthinus Adrianus Bergh, door den veldcorpaal Gerrit Smit, van competenten ouderdom, zijnde van den volgende inhoud, namentlijk:

Dat op Dinsdag, den 2e deeser, wanneer den relatant des morgens ter zijner plaats de Drogerijs Cloof, gelegen agter de Piquet Bergen, ontwaard had dat desselfs molenhuijs des nagts opengebroken en daarin twee mudden meel op den grond uitgestort en de beijde sakken met eenig meel weggenomen waren, den relatant en de bij hem uitgespannen zijnde burger Gideon van Zijl Pz., nevens een Hottentot, Jan genaamt, omstreeks desselfs plaats nasoeking gedaan en eenige sporen van menschen barrevoets ontwaard hadden, hij relatant en gemelde Van Zijl, ieder met een geladen geweer gewapend, nevens gedagte Hottentot Jan en seekere Bastert, Gerrit genaamt, welken laatstgemelde eenelijk een kirrij bij zig had, op voormelde sporen waren afgegaan, als wanneer zijlieden omtrent een half uur gaans van des relatants plaats, bij een bosch aan de rivier eenige kleederen zagen leggen en, genaderd zijnde, vier jongens, die aldaar in ’t bosch lagen, ontdekt hebbende; den relatant hun aanstonds toegeroepen had dat zijlieden moesten ten voorschijn komen, waarop deselve in een reij voor dat bosch waren komen staan, hebbende een derselve een blote hertsvanger in d’ eene en een mes in de andere hand, gelijk een der anderen twee blote messen, en de beijde overige ieder een dito in de hand hadden; waarop den relatant hun een en andermaal had toegeroepen dat zijlieden hun scherp wegwerpen en een voor een bij hem komen moesten, op ’twelke gemelde vier jongens in ’t Malais spraken, hetgeen den relatant niet kunnende verstaan, hun in ’t Portugeesch nogmaals gesegd had dat zijlieden hunne messen wegwerpen en bij hem komen moesten, hadden zijlieden, zonder zig egter van hunne messen en hertsvanger te ontdoen, zig voorwaards naar den relatant begeven, die hun daarop quam te zeggen van terug te blijven, onder herhaling van hun scherp eerst weg te gooijen; waarop deselve bleven staan, terwijl de relatant zijn vorensgesegde nogmaals herhaald hebbende, onder bedreijging van op hen te zullen schieten bij aldien zij hun scherp niet wilden wegwerpen, hadden zijlieden nogtans sulx niet willen doen; op ’twelk den relatant voorts tegens voornoemde Van Zijl quam te zeggen dat hij eene dier slaven maar naar de beenen moeste schieten, waardoor zijlieden zig dan wel gevangen geeven zouden; hetgeen door gedagte Van Zijl gedaan en den getroffene jongen ter aarde gevallen zijnde, kwamen voorts de drie anderen onder ’t roepen van: Amok! Amok! Matta Garra!1, met hun scherp op gemelde Van Zijl inlopen denwelken, als zijn geweer niet geladen zijnde, zig voorts ter vlugt begeven had, terwijl den relatant daarop eene dier drossers, die ’t naast agter Van Zijl was, zodanig met een schoot uit zijn geweer getroffen had, dat denselven terstond dood ter aarde gevallen was, terwijl de twee overige voorts op den relatant (die zijn geweer nog niet geladen had) inquamen en hun, naar gissing, wel 150 treden vervolgd hadden, waarna zij zig weder naar hunne vorige plaats in ’t bosch hadden begeven; terwijl den relatant en Van Zijl intusschen hunne geweers geladen en gedagte twee jongens nagevolgd weesende, gemelde Van Zijl op een derselven geschoten, dog niet geraakt hebbende; had den relatant voorts op denselven, die zijn mes niet wilde wegwerpen, onder ’t roepen van: Bie, Bie, en op hem afkwam, terwijl den relatant weder geretireerd zijnde, en hem nogmaals toegeroepen te hebben van het mes weg te gooijen, zig gevangen te geeven; met een kogel door het lijf geschoten, zodanig dat opstonds was komen neder te vallen, dog zig tevergeefs weder hebbende willlen opregten, was denselven opstonds met ’t mes in de hand komen te sterven. Waarna de vierde van hun, op ’t bevel van den relatant, zijn mes voorts weg gegooijd en zig gevangen gegeven had; hebbende den relatant in ’t voorseijde bosch een halve mud meel van ’tgeen zijlieden des vorige nagts gestolen hadden, nog gevonden, en van de laatstgemelde verstaan dat zijlieden lijfeijgenen waren van den fabriek aan Cabo de Goede Hoop.

Anders niet verklarende, geeft den relatant voor reedenen van wetenschap als in den text, bereijd zijnde het vorenstaande, des vereijscht werdende, met solemnelen eede nader te zullen gestand doen.

Aldus gerelateerd ter secretarije aan Stellenbosch, den 8e Maij 1775, in ’t bijweesen van den bode Morits Herman Otto Woeke en den burger Johannes Engel, als getuijgen.

[get.] Gerret Smiet [sic].

Als getuijgen, [get.] M.H.O. Woeke, J. Engel.

In kennisse van mij, [get.] A. Faure, secretaris.

1/STB 3/11 Criminele Verklaringen, 1759-1782, unpaginated.

Relaas gegeven, ter requisitie van den heer landdrost, Marthinus Adrianus Bergh, door de slaaf Maart van Bencoule van competenten ouderdom, toebehorende den fabricq, monsieur Marthinus van Oorden, zijnde van de volgenden inhoud, namentlijk:

Dat wanneer den relatant met drie der mede slave van zijnen lijfheer, in naame Pallas, Julij en Kuijper, voor eenige tijd van de Caab opgedrost waren, zijnde daartoe door den slaaf Pallas verleijd geworden, zig mede genomen hadden: ses messen en een hertsvanger. Dat zijlieden waren gegaan naar een seker berg, die de relatant niet wist te noemen, als wanneer zijlieden aldaar geslapen hebbende, door vier menschen, zijnde twee Duijtsche, die geweer [sic] bij zig hadden, en twee Hottentotten, met assegaijen gewapend, opgewekt waren geworden; waarop zijlieden, ieder met een mes in de hand, opgestaan weesende, de relatant, die zijne ogen nog quam te wrijven, met een schoot zodanig in zijn been getroffen was, dat opstonds was komen neder te vallen, zonder verder meerder te kunnen relateeren of de anderen slaven zig te weer gesteld, <nog of zijlieden>2 de Duijtschen vervolgd hadden.

Anders niet relateerende, geeft den relatant voor reedenen van wetenschap als in den text, bereijd zijnde het vorenstaande, des gerequireerd werdende, nader te zullen gestand doen.

Aldus gerelateerd, en door de eerstgenoemde getuijgen uit de Maleijdze taal vertolken, aan Stellenbosch, den 30e Maij 1775, in ’t bijweesen der burgers Johannes Victor en Johs. Jacobus Reiniers, als getuijgen ten deesen gerequireerd.

Dit X merk is door den slaaf Maart eigenhandig gesteld.

Als getuijgen, [get.] Johs. Victor, J.J. Reiniers.

In kennisse van mij, [get.] A. Faure, secretaris.

1/STB 3/11 Criminele Verklaringen, 1759-1782, unpaginated.

Huijden, den 14e Junij 1775, compareerde voor mij, Abraham Faure, secretaris van Stellenbosch en Drakenstein, present de nagenoemde getuijgen, den Hottentot Jan, van competenten ouderdom, denwelke, ter requisitie van de heer landdrost, Marthinus Adrianus Bergh, verklaarde hoe waar is:

Dat den comparant, in huur zijnde bij den burger Johs. Erasmus Smit, eenige tijd geleeden, wanneer den veldcorporaal Gerrit Smit aan gemelde Johs. Er. Smit om den comparant had laten vragen, ten einde denselven naar de sporen van eenige drossers, die bij hem gestolen hadden, te gaan soeken; den comparant, ter ordre van zijne baas, sulx in ’t veld had gedaan, als wanneer hij die sporen gevonden hebbende, vervolgens met gemelde veldcorporaal en Gideon van Zijl, nevens den Bastaard Gerrit, deselve was nagegaan; komende omtrend een droge rivier, alwaar vier drossers in een bosch lagen, dewelke door den veldcorporaal uitgeroepen en gesegd zijnde, dat zij zig gevangen geven zouden, ten voorschijn quamen, met blote messen in hunne handen; terwijl den comparant (die niets als een dunne lat bij zig had) sig naar de rivier spoede om een bequame stok te soeken, dat den comparant een schoot horende losgaan, zig omdraijende, alstoen gesien had dat voorseijde jongens agter Van Zijl liepen, wanneer een derselven daarop door den veldcorporaal doodgeschoten wierd, terwijl den comparant een stok opgedaan en daarmede toegekomen was, waren de twee overige jongens met hunne blote messen agter den veldcorporaal, dog weder omgekeerd zijnde, hadden zij vervolgens de vlugt genomen over meergemelde rivier, alwaar den veldcorporaal nog een, die op hem inquam, heeft doodgeschoten; terwijl den anderen zig gevangen quam over te geven.

Anders niet verklarende, geeft de comparant voor reedenen van wetenschap als in den text, bereijd zijnde het vorenstaande, des vereijscht werdende, nader te zullen gestand doen.

Dat aldus passeerde ter secretarije aan Stellenbosch, in ’t bijweesen van den bode Morits Herman Otto Woeke en den coster Johannes Jacobus Reiniers, als getuijgen.

Dit merk X is door den Hottentot Jan eigenhandig gesteld.

Als getuijgen, [get.] M.H.O. Woeke, J.J. Reiniers.

In kennisse van mij, [get.] A. Faure, secretaris.

Footnotes

  1. This utterance, and the one which follows, not only illustrate how these slaves could communicate in both Malay and Portuguese, but also, as pointed out by den Besten, how often dialectical or substandard forms of an unknown language were misunderstood at the Cape: Amok is Malay for ‘attack’, matta is Creole Portuguese for ‘kill’, but gara poses a problem, as the form which Smit, who knew no Malay, heard and reported to the judicial authorities (who left us the only trace of it) is not known in either language. Den Besten suggests it is the Eastern Malay form of gorok (in which dialect the final consonant gets deleted), meaning ‘to slash somebody’s throat, to butcher’. This utterance can therefore be translated as: “Attack! Attack! Kill! Slash!” (Den Besten 2004: 89-90). ↩

  2. The phrase between angled brackets was crossed out. As it is, the last part of this sentence needs a linking word like en or of, so the erased phrase would make sense in the sentence. ↩

Places
Piketberg Location of Gerrit Smit's farm