extraordinary array of paraphernalia, to be of gigantic
importance* Dr. Holub strongly encouraged my plan.
As it was necessary to procure a few instruments I required,
some days were occupied in going through the shops
of the opticians; and although my expedition was to be
carried out on the black-bag quantity, the articles of
this description which I wanted were bound to be of the
best quality and the highest accuracy. After searching
the highways and byways of Cape Town, I succeeded in
getting a good sextant and other instruments, and hastened
to the Eoyal Observatory, where Dr. Grill and Mr. Findlay
(of comet fame) gave me much information, so that ere
many days had passed the first and most important part of
the geographical and astronomical outfit was complete.
South-easters blew great guns, while dense, almost solid,
clouds of sand swept over Cape Town on the day of
departure. The place was at its worst. The |j oldest inhabitant
” had never seen the like before. Table Bay was
seething with white caps. The steamer Danube lay in the
harbour, ready for departure that afternoon, and in her I
found my way to Port Elizabeth. The Danube had a
notoriety for unsteady habits, and on this occasion her proclivities
were painfully manifested.
I gladly left the atmosphere of storm pans and spittoons
and scrambled to the slippery pier at Port Elizabeth like a
shipwrecked mariner. Landing at this modern haven
during a south-easterly gale demands agility of no common
order, although, of course, there is every modern convenience
fo r passengers! The human cargo is handled as gently as
is possible with the means at the disposal of the wharf
masters. But for the information of passengers disembarking
at this port, I may say that by binding themselyes
with a pair of rug straps they will have a better chance of