Tsamma Melons, a source of water

The bushmen relied on these plants for moisture in periods of draught. They would also drink blood and animal urine to survive. The bushmen did however store water in ostrich eggs that they sealed with bee wax.

The bushmen food mainly consisted of food from the field, eggs and meat of any animal, but not snakes. They usually cooked the meat on flames or coals and went through a process of eating and sleeping until all the meat was consumed.

Raw meat was only consumed when they were driven to it by thirst.
Tsammas
A typical Tsamma fruit-like plant
The juicy inside
One story from The story of Grootkolk - the forgotten war....
According to legend the Germans placed small garrisons at every waterhole, and sat down to wait for Simon Koper and his men to die of thirst. Geinab was one of these outposts.

Simon Koper did not die of thirst, as he and his men lived on the Tsamma melons. They scouted round Geinab and planned an attack. The Germans had trenches dug around Geinab so one night Cooper put his snipers into the high Camel Thorn trees. No Hottentot ever wastes a shot, and when Cooper's men opened fire at close range Geinab, the German soldiers started falling.