1778. happieft of all human beings. When a ftranger vifits them, 1 he is treated with the greateft hofpitality; and every thing they have is at his command. This, in general, is the cafe throughout the whole country. We proceeded on our journey this day only about ten miles ; and in the evening came to a very mean cottage under the mountain. The inhabitants were poffeffed of a very large herd of cattle, particularly iheep ; but at this feafon many die of a difeafe, which they term, the Burning Sicknefs, in which they lofe moil of their hair. At this place is a paffage over the mountain ; but there was now no poffibility of crofling i t ; we, therefore, proceeded to the weftward, by the direction of the boors, where they affined us we ihould find a much better pafs. At night we came to a fmall ftream of water, where we refted. Here I collected many curious plants of Geraniums, Ixias, Moraeas, Gladiolufes, &c. and alfo a moft beautiful fpecies of Euphorbia. After leaving this place, we directed our courfe north by weft, through a hilly country. On our way we faw feveral huts, which we fuppofed to belong to Hottentots; but they proved fuch as I before defcribed, the winter refidence of the Dutch boors. At one o f’thefe huts was an European woman who had been wounded in the arm with a poifoned arrow. Great pains had been taken to cure her, but to no purpofe ; for at different periods of the year, an inflammation came on which was fucceeded by a partial mortification. She informed me, that the wound was not long in healing u p ; but that in two months afterwards there was a certainty of its breaking out again; and this had been the cafe for many years. At night we arrived at a place called Olive Buih, where we refted. Tire man, to whom this place belonged, was the only 1—r—> one, of a whole family, who efcaped from a party of the Boih- men Hottentots,. Thofe favages had attacked them a few years before, and put to death the mother, brother, and filter of this perfon. On the thirtieth, we proceeded to the northward ; and, in the evening, came to a farm called Rhinoceros Bofch, from its having been much frequented by thefe animals fome years ago; though very few are now found in this part of the country. During the night we had much wind and rain ; and in the morning the thermometer had fallen to forty degrees. Purfuing our journey, north by weft, we had the Rogge Veld Berg on our right hand. On our way we met one of the inhabitants of the mountain, who promifed to aflift us with a team of freih oxen to carry us to the fummit, which was very difficult of afcent. In the evening, we refted by the fide of the Rhinoceros River; but as we had no ihelter from the inceffant hail and rain, and were unable to keep our fire lighted, our fituation was extremely uncomfortable. In this condition we remained during the whole of the following day. On the fecond of Auguft, the promifed afliftance arrived in order to conduit us up the mountain; but it was with the ut- moft difficulty we could reach the fummit, the path was fo very fteep and rugged. At eight, in the morning, I found the thermometer at thirty degrees; and the top of the mountain H
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