at the fame time calls to life fuch multitudes of dedruCtive vermin,
which otherwife would have remained dormant in the
ground, that on the whole a dry feafon is perhaps the bell.
From the Bavian s river into Bruyntjes Hoogté is a day’s
journey, and through this to the entrance of Camdeboo
another, and three from hence to Graaff Reynet, at which village
we arrived on the twenty-fourth, on one o f the warmed
days that we had yet experienced in the whole country. The
thermometer, when expofed to the wind in the lhade, role to
io8°: whild in the houfe it was cool and pleafant at 82°. It
was one o f thole hot winds, fuch as we had once before experienced
on the banks of the Great Filh river. They happen
mod frequently upon the Karroo plains, where they are fome-
times attended with tournados that are really dreadful. Waggons
are overturned, men and horfes thrown down, and the
ihrubs torn out of the ground. The dud and fand are whirled
into the air in columns o f feveral hundred feet in height, which,
at a didance, look like the water-ipouts ièen fometimes at fëa 5
and with thofe they are equally, i f poffible, avoided,— all that
falls in their way being fnatched up in their vortex. Sometimes
dud and fmall pebbles are hurled into the air with the
noife and violence of a Iky-rocket. Rain and thunder generally
fucceed thofe heated winds, and gradually bring about a
decreafe o f temperature to the Common dandard, which, in the
fummer feafon at Graaff Reynet, appears to be about 8o° to! 84°
in the middle o f the day. The mornings and the evenings are
generally cool and pleafant.
C H A P . V.
Sketches on a journey from Graaff Reynet along the fea-coajh to
the Cafe.
T he long continuance o f dry weather had, for more than a
month, rendered the paffage of the Karroo, or great defert, impracticable,
on account of the fcarcity both of water and of herbage.
All the rivers that interfeCt it, and the few fprings that
are found upon it, were faid to be completely dried u p ; and
the farmers of Graaff Reynet, who, at this feafon of the year, jud
after their harved, generally make their annual vifit to the Cape,
were under the rieceflity of delaying their journey, or o f going
round through the didriCt o f Zwellendam, in all parts of which,
and at all feafons of the year, is abundance o f water. Three
days, however, previous to our departure from Graaff Reynet,
there had fallen fuch heavy and continued rain, both at that
place, and to. the wedward in the mountains o f Camdeboo and
Sneuwburg, that little doubt was entertained of its having
brought upon the Karroo a plentiful fupply of water, as far at
lead as De Beer valley, the delightful meadow of the defert,
mentioned in a former chapter.
On the drength of this conjecture, we departed from Graaff
Reynef on the ninth of December, and found the two rivers,
Sunday