Page 88

27f 61

Towards the evening I made an excurfion to a hill which 0^ r_ was at a little diftance from us. When I gained the fummit '— I faw feveral of the natives near a wood of Mimofa, to whom I immediately endeavoured to approach. On my arrival I found they were eating the gum of the trees, on which indeed a great part of thefe people fubfifl. They were dreffed exadly as the inhabitants of the Small Nimiqua Land ; fome in the fkins of Jackals, and others in the ikins of Marmottes, fewed together ; thefe animals, being very numerous in this part of the country. Their habitation was about three miles from the fountain, which I vifited in the evening ; it confifted of fix huts. Their iheep are very different from thofe near the Cape ; thefe having much longer tails, and being covered with hair inftead of wool, which at a diftance gives them more the appearance of dogs than of iheep. On the feventeenth we directed our courfe north-eaft, to a fmall fountain of water ; and took with us fome of the natives who knew the country. On our arrival we were obliged to dig pits in thè fand before we could come at the water. This day We made an excurfion through the country, which is level and high. Here we had an extenfive view to the fouthward of the Orange River ; and to the northward of a large plain, bounded at about the diftance of four days journey, by a range of mountains in a diredtion from eaft to weft. As I before obferved, there is no defcent on the inland fide of thefe mountains, equal to the afcent which we encounter as we proceed from the fea ; in general, a flight defcent terminates an extenfive plain till we come to the next ; and thus the


27f 61
To see the actual publication please follow the link above