after the waggon. We travelled till nine, through a very wild country, inhabited only by beafts, without difcovering the ob- jedt of our feareli. I then afcended the hills, in hopes of difcerning a fire on fome of the adjacent heights; which is the ufual fignal made by travellers in Africa when they are loft, or feparated from their companions. Our labours were, however, ftill unfuccefsful, fo that we agreed to remain, till day-light, at the fide of a fmall fountain; though we were far from being in either an agreeable or fafe fituation, having no fire arms, and no poffibility of lighting a fire. Numbers of Hyenas howled about us the whole n ig h t; and in the morning, we found that a large Tiger had been within ten yards of us. The thermometer was down at thirty-nine, and the mountains were covered with fnow. The following day we proceeded in fearch of our people, whom we difcovered about noon. We refted a few hours, and in the afternoon continued our journey, about fix miles to the weftward, where we flayed all night. Our oxen and horfes were fattened to the waggon, and fires were, as ufual, made around us. We next diredied our courfe through a dry barren country, and, in the morning, came to a miferable hovel belonging to an European, where we flayed all night. Next day we proceeded through what the Dutch call Karo, the foil of which is a foft friable loam, chiefly producing fucculent plants, and a few dwarf lhrubs, that flower in general in the rainy feafon, a very extenfive plain, interfperfed with fmall fucculent and fruitefcent plants. This defcription may be applicable to » g ; many parts of Africa; particularly thofe which are fituated to ' * 1 the north of the Cape. We travelled all this day without finding a drop of w a te r; and in the evening arrived at a houfe called the Staart, which is pleafantly fituated on the banks of a fmall river. Here we amufed ourfelves with fhooting wild Ducks, and a fpecies of Reed hens, which we found in great plenty; and fo little accuftomed to purfuit, that they were not in any degree ihy. On the nineteenth, we proceeded along the Verkered Valley ; which is thus denominated, from the river which courfes through it taking a direction different from that of any other in this country. At the time we were there it was quite full. We were now advancing towards the Coud Bokke Veld, or the Cold Country of Antelopes; the mountains of which were covered with fnow; which frequently remains upon their fum- mits till the month of November. On the twentieth, we arrived at a houfe fituated on the north-eaft fide of the Whitfon Berg, or White Hill, where we remained all night. The people informed us of the danger of crofting the Great Karo, not only from its being a defart country, but alfo from parties of the Boihmen Hottentots, who were at war with the Dutch; and were often lurking about to fall in with Europeans. They gave us inftances of perfons having been wounded by their poifoned arrows; and that they were very feldom cured. Notwithftanding their good advice, we determined to crofs the country, keeping as much on our
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