Van Hunks and the Devil
Jan van Hunks, a Dutch pirate in the early 18th century,
retired from his eventful life at sea to live on the slopes of Devil's Peak,
Table Mountain. To escape from his wife's sharp tongue he often walked up the
mountain where he settled down to smoke his pipe. One day a mysterious stranger
approached him and asked the retired pirate to borrow some tobacco. After a bit
of bragging, a smoking contest ensued, with the winner's prize a ship full of
gold. After several days, Van Hunks finally defeated the stranger, who
unfortunately turned out to be the devil. Suddenly, thunder rolled, the clouds
closed in and Van Hunks disappeared, leaving behind only a scorched patch of
ground. Legend has it that the cloud of tobacco smoke they left became the
"table-cloth" - the famous white cloud that spills over Table
Mountain when the south-easter blows in summer. When that happens, it is said
that Van Hunks and the Devil are at it again.
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