now would be one of the greateft calamities that could befal the
country. The fame reafons that prevent them from breeding
hogs operate againft their keeping poultry: thefe would require
grain, and this labor. Of wild fowl, fuch as ducks and geefe,
may be procured in moil: parts of the country almoft any
quantity, at the expence o f a little powder and ihot. The larger
kinds o f game, however, are generally the objedts of the Dutch
farmers. They have a fufficient degree of penetration to calculate
that the fame quantity of powder required to kill a duck
will bring down an antelope. O f this deer, that fpecies mentioned
in a former Chapter under the name o f the fpring-bok,
is met with on the plains of Camdeboo in numbers that are
almoft incredible. A thorough-bred fportfman will kill from
twenty to thirty every time he goes out. This, however, the
farmer does by a kind o f poaching. He lies concealed among
the thickets near the fprings or pools of water, to which the
whole herd, towards the clofe of the day, repair to quench
their thirft, and by firing among them his enormous piece
loaded with feveral bullets, he brings down three or four at a
ihot. Oftriches we faw in great plenty, and often refreihed
our whole company with the fpoils o f their nefts.
On the twelfth, in the courfe of twenty miles, we faw two
farm-houfes, one o f which was deferted from a fcarcity of water
; and the following day we alfo paffed two houfes. Having
crofted the Sunday river nine times fince our departure from
Graaff Reynet, and every time in great danger o f overturning
the waggons, we now quitted it altogether, and encamped on
the arid plain at a diftance from any water. This part of the
diftridt
diftridf is called the Zwart Ruggens or black ridges. Except
the plain of our encampment there fcarcely occurred, in thé
diftance of forty miles, a hiindred yards of level ground. The
roads over the ridges were execrably bad, conftantly afcending
Or defcending, covered with large fragments o f loofe ftones, or
carried over ledges of firm rock.
Though vegetation in general was thinly fcattered over the
ftony furface, and languid, fome of the eminences were tolerably
well clothed with a fpecies of euphorbium, whofe luxuriance of
growth ihewed it to be congenial to the foil and the fituation.
The leaves were eréâ:, hexangular, and armed with a row of
double fpines along each edge. It appeared to be the fame
fpecies of which Mr. Patterfon has given a drawing ; but it is
not here confidered as a poifonous plant, as he has reprefented
it, though a very obnoxious one, as it prevents the cattle from
picking up any little herbage that may be growing about its
roots. Another fpeeies of euphorbium, fcarcely rifing above
the furface of the ground, is here very common. From a central
corona iflue, as fo many radii, a number o f round imbricated
leaves, containing, like all the reft o f this genus, a white
milky fluid : the central part o f one of thefe plants inclofes not
lefs than a pint. The oxen pierce the corona with their inci-
five teeth, and drink the milk ; and it is the opinion of the farmers
that they become fat upon it. Though lefs aftringent
than the fluid that is ufually produced by this tribe of plants, it
poflefles that quality to a very confiderable degree ; yet no fort
of inconvenience is known to attend the ufe of it to the cattle.
The peafantry colledt it for another purpofe. When warmed
over