fell a sacrifice, destined to be the means of giving their countrymen
better experience, and a fatal proof of their mistake.
At the distance of a quarter of a mile farther westward along
the top of the same ridge, Muchunka brought me to another mine
excavated in the form of a large open pit of the depth of fifteen or
eighteen feet. Here the mineral was more glittering, and contained
larger particles of the shining scales ; and this, though not obtained
so easily nor in such abundance, was preferred to that which is found
under the greater rock. As I walked along the ridge, I every where saw
traces of the mineral; and am inclined to think that the whole range
consists chiefly of this substance intermingled with quartzose rock.
At Sensavan I first met with a shrub * remarkable for being
regarded by the Bachapins as bewitched or unlucky, and therefore
unfit to be used as firewood. The reason of its having this character,
I could never learn ; but the fact of their believing it to possess some
malignant power, was, on a subsequent occasion, fully confirmed to
me. It grows only in rocky places, and is from four to nine feet
high with broad oval leaves, between which are produced little
clusters of small inconspicuous flowers, succeeded by a large round
fruit not much less than an inchin diameter, but which is not eatable.
The engraving at the end of this chapter, represents the foliage,
flowers, and fruit, of their natural size.
This shrub is otherwise remarkable, as possessing a botanical
character or complexion, different from that of the general botany of
these regions, and indicating a certain affinity with that of the island
of Madagascar, which contains the only species of Vangueria hitherto
known ; the present plant forming the second of that genus. A
striking example of this may be pointed out, in the very close
resemblance which exists between the Strelitzia augusta or Wilde
Pisang (Wild Plantain) of the Cape Colony, and the Urania speciosa
of that island. Of a similar vegetable affinity with that part of
* Vangueria iiifausta, B.. Catal. Geogr. 2629. Frutex 4—9-pedalis. Folia tomen-
tosa ovato-subrotunda, saspe acuminata, decidua.
Here also a new and remarkable species of Hermannia, and which was found in no
other part of these travels, was met with, growing between the rocks near the mine.
Hermannia bryonicefolia, B. Catal. Geogr. 2141. Rami elongati debiles. Folia
cordato-ovata scabra dentata saspe sinuata. Flores in racemulis paucifloris axillaribus.
the globe, many examples might be given, if the present were a work
exclusively on that science: even at our next station, other plants
were found of correspondent stamp.
19th. Although we were now in the middle of winter, the
weather during sunshine was generally very pleasant and well suited
for travelling and hunting; but the nights were exceedingly cold,
and not easily to be endured without a fire. The mercury of the
thermometer never rose above 70 of Fahrenheit’s scale (21 • of the
Centigrade scale) and was seldom observed even so high. This
morning, just before sunrise, an hour which was always found to be
the coldest in the whole twenty-four, it was found sunk to 29 (—1-6
Gentig.); and the backs of the horses, as well as the herbage, were
white with hoar-frost, an appearance not indeed very frequent, but still
not so rare as to be considered by the natives a very remarkable sight.
In the time of the rains, water may be found here in the hollows
of a channel which appeared to be at some seasons, the bed of a small
rivulet; but at present not a drop was any where to be discovered;
and as our cattle had not drunk since we left Bloem’s Fountain, we
were compelled to depart from Sensavan early in the morning.