lopardalis. The reprefentation of this animal proved the affer-
tion of the Bosjefman to be true, that the people who made
thefe drawings were from hordes dwelling on the northern fide
of the Orange river; becaufe, on the fouthern fide, the Camelopardalis
has never been met with. It is an animal entirely
unknown to the inhabitants o f Graaff Reynet.
The divifion of the Tarka is named after a river that, rifing
in the Bambos-berg, flows direftly through it, and afterwards
forms a confluence with the Fiih river. It is a well-covered
country; and, when inhabited, was confidered as one o f the
beft divifions of GraaflF Reynet for iheep and cattle. At fome
o f the deferted farms we found vineyards loaded with grapes,
peach-trees, almonds, apple and pear trees full o f fruit, and
vegetables o f various kinds, thriving well without the afliftance
o f water, or any kind o f attention. Game feemed to be fcarce,
except fpringboks and elands. The only interefting object was
a flight of the gryllivori, feemingly in fearch o f locufts, that,
like a cloud, continued to pafs over-head for the fpace of fifteen
minutes.
Quitting the Tarka on the twelfth, we encamped at night
on the Filh river, fo called from the great quantity of fiih it
was faid to contain o f a fpecies o f cyprinus or carp. The fame
river, after flowing fome diftance to the fouthward, and receiving
a number o f tributary ftreams, takes the name of the Great
Fiih river, and from thence becomes, as before mentioned, a
boundary o f the colony.
On
On the right bank of the river were two wells of hepatized
water, eafily diftinguiftied by the ftrong fmell they emitted,
not unlike that o f the rinfings of a foul gun-barrel. The wells
were only a few paces afunder, and differed one degree of Fahrenheit
in temperature, the larger being 88° and the fmaller 87°.
The latter boiled up uniformly; but the former threw up the
water by ftarts. This was about three feet deep, and rounded
like a po t; it confifted of a hard cruft of cemented rock,
formed of minute pebbles of various colours, of fmall quartz
chryftals worn round in their fubterranean paffage, and ferruginous
globular pyrites. The cement appeared to be chiefly
fine emery-fand. The foil of the adjacent country, and of the
banks of the river, was a firm blueiih clay. On every fide of
the wells, and not many yards diftant from them, were feveral
circular bogs puffed up to the height o f four or five feet above
the common furface. Thefe were highly elaftic, and gave out
fprings of water that was cold, and clear, and taftelefs. The
waters of thefe hepatic wells are faid to have been found very
efficacious in healing bruifes and fprains, and favorable alfo to
rheumatic complaints, to which, from the great changeablenefs
of the climate, the peafantry are very fubjedt.
About twelve miles to the weftward of the wells, in a kloof
of a detached mountain, we found a confiderable quantity of
native nitre. It was in a cavern fimilar to thofe ufed by Bof-
jefmans for their winter habitations, and in which they make
the drawings above noticed. The under furface o f the pro-
je&ing ftratum of calcareous fand-ftone, and the fides that fup