1775- . Oftober. pery, in confequence of the rain. With regard to our fituation in other refpe&s, itwas difficult to fay, whether it gave us more-comfort or vexation to hear, as we frequently did, the farmer’s cocks crow. As foon as ever the day began to dawn, a»- about five o’clock, we faddled our horfes without delay, and eafily found our way to the farm called Hagel-cracd, which was only at the dif- tance o f a few gun-fhots from us. D i r k M a r c u s , the mater of it, a hearty old fellow, as foon as we accofted him, began topraifo us highly for induftrious young men who were up before h im ; but afterwards, when he was made acquainted with the difficulties we I had undergone, he heartily pitied us, though he could not help at the fame time ferioufly chiding us for not being accuftomed to fmoke; as in that cafe we might, at a juncture when it was molt wanted, have had about us the means of making a fire, as well as o f appealing our hunger, and palling away the tedious-hours with a pipe. « After this, he gave us an account o f a great many adventures he had met with in his excurfions into the interior part of the country, where he had acquired a tolerable competency by lhooting elephants. The information and advice he gave us were both ufeful and agreeable. This worthy man fent his people after the led horfe, which I mentioned as having run away from m e ; and when we took our departure, which was on the 13th, at ten o’clock in the morning, he lent us feveral flout oxen to help to draw our waggon over the very hilly dale called Art aquas-kloof. At fix we arrived at Paardeer aal, a fmall river fo called,, where we relied till the next morning* morning, or the 14th. By noon we reached Zaffraan- craal, at which place the long and tirefome vale o f Artaquas ends. Here, according to previous agreement, we turned the oxen we had borrowed loofe, which went home o f them- felves the fame way we had brought them. The vale juft mentioned, is reckoned among the diftriits which are cold and four in the higheft degree, and at the fame time is Gonfidered as unfit to be inhabited. Here there is faid to grow a herb, called by the colonifts p— grafs, and which, as far as one may trull to their defcription o f it, is, probably, a fpecies o f euphorbia. This is faid to be frequently eaten by young cattle brought from other countries, which thereby get a dyfury, or ftoppage o f urine, that often proves mortal. In the urine as well as the urethra of thefe animals, a fubftance refembling little lumps o f cheefe has been obferved. The only means by which they have fometimes been fo fortunate as to fave the life o f an animal attacked with this difeafe, has been by hunting and driving it about for feme time without intermiffion, in order to attenuate, concoct, and expel the coagulated matter. I-n time o f war or inteftine commotion, a pals fo narrow as Artaquas-kloof mull- necelTarily be o f great importance, as a key to the whole trait of countryTying to* the eaftward. In Lahge-kloof likestife, and Ktdnfnte-rwiery many impediments might be laid in the way of aw army that was- marching that way. The trail- of land round about Zaffraan-eraal ftrait on to Ldiige-hloof, is' o f the kind I have deferibed above under the denomination of GarrotsX. In the houfe at Zaffradn-vraal We lufiPered an inconvenience, which is- faid to be very common in the Garrows. S This
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