SALTED HORSE, one which has had horse-sickness, and is thus considered
immune (as in small-pox); hence `salted' is freely used colloquially as
meaning acclimatised, tough, hardened, etc.
SCHANS (_pronounced_ skaans) (d), a stone or earth breastwork for
defence, very common in old native wars.
SCHELM (d), a rascal; like Scotch skellum.
SCHERM (_pronounced_ skarem) a protection of bush or trees, usually
against wild animals.
SJAMBOK (_pronounced_ in English shambok, in Dutch saam-bok) (d),
tapering raw-hide whip made from rhinoceros, hippopotamus, or giraffe
skin.
SKEY (_pronounced_ skay), a yokeskey; short for Dutch _jukskei_.
SLOOT (d), a ditch.
SPAN (d), a team.
SPOOR (d), footprints; also a trail of man, animal, or vehicle.
SPRINGBUCK, properly SPRINGBOK (d), a small antelope (_Antidorcas
(Gazella) euchore_). Habitat, high veld and other open grass country.
Height, 30 inches; weight, up to 90 pounds; horns, 19 inches (literally.
jumping buck).
SPRUIT (_pronounced_ sprait; also commonly, but incorrectly, sproot)
(d), a stream.
SQUIRREL, or TREE Rat, native name 'MCHINAAND (_Funisciurus palliatus_).
STEMBUCK (Cape Dutch, _stembok_ or _steinbok_, from the pure Dutch
_steenbok_, the Alpine ibex), a small antelope (_Raphicerus
campestais_). Height, 22 inches; weight, 25 pounds; horns, 5 inches.
STOEP (_pronounced_ stoop) (d), a raised promenade or paved verandah in
front or at sides of a house.
TAMBUKI GRASS, also TAMBOOKIE, and sometimes TAMBUTI (n), a very rank
grass; in places reaches 15 feet high and stem diameter half inch.
TICK, or RHINOCEROS, BIRD, the `ox-pecker' (_Buphaga Africana_).
TIGER. In South Africa the leopard is generally called a tiger; first
so described by the Dutch--_tijger_.
TOCK-TOCKIE, a slow-moving beetle, incapable of flight. Gets its name
from its means of signalling by rapping the abdomen on the ground
(_tenebrionid_ beetle of the genus _Psammodes_).
TREK (d) (_literally_ to pull), to move off or go on a journey; a
journey, an expedition--_eg_, the Great Trek (or exodus of Boers from
Cape Colony, 1836-48); also, and commonly, the time, distance, or
journey from one outspan to another.
TREK GEAR, the traction gear, chain, yokes, etc, of a waggon. The Boer
pioneers had no chains, and used reims plaited into a stout `rope';
hence _trek-touw_, or pulling-rope.
TSESSEBE, an antelope, one of the hartebeeste family (_Damaliscus
lunatus_; Dutch, bastard hartebeeste). Height, 48 inches; weight. 300
pounds; horns, 15 inches.
TSETSE FLY, a grey fly, little larger than the common house-fly, whose
bite is fatal to domesticated animals.
TWIGGLE, little people's word for the excited movement of a small dog's
tail, believed to be a combination of wriggle and twiddle.
UMFAAN (n), a boy.
UMGANAAM (n), my friend.
UMLUNGU (n), the native word to describe a white man.
VELD (_pronounced_ felt) (d), the open or unoccupied country;
uncultivated or grazing land.
VLEI (_pronounced_ flay) (d), a small, shallow lake, a swamp, a
depression intermittently damp, a water meadow.
VOORLOOPER (d) (_literally_ front walker), the leader, the boy who leads
the front oxen; the _pat'-intambu_ (Zulu for `take the reim').
VOORSLAG (_pronounced_ foor-slaach) (d) (_literally_ front lash or
skin), the strip of buck hide which forms the fine end of a whip-lash.
WATERBUCK (_Cobus ellipsiprymnus_; Dutch, _kring-gat_). Height, 48
inches; weight, 350 pounds; horns, males only, 36 inches.
WILDEBEESTE (_pronounced_ vill-de-beast) (d) (_literally_ wild cattle),
the brindled gnu, blue wildebeeste (_Connochaetes taurinus_). Height, 4
feet 6 inches; weight, 400 pounds; horns, 30 inches.
WILD DOG, the `Cape hunting dog' (_Lycaon pictus_).
WOODEN ORANGE, fruit of the klapper (a species of _Strychnos_).
WOLF, the usual name for the hyena, derived from _tijger-wolf_, the pure
Dutch name for the spotted hyena.
YOKESKEY, the wooden slat which, coupled by nekstrops, holds the yoke in
place.