’ 77-5* ' October. efl whenever it was pequifite, by Which means they appeared clad: with a delightful verdure. In every other part the earth was as much parched up» and as dry as the- high road; on which account, having let out upon our journey at night, for the fake o f taking the benefit of the cooinefs of the ah, we were foon obliged to turn back and flay till morning, as we were not able to dif- tinguiih the road from the other parts o f the fields and commons. - ■ The next morning we continued our route, and after palling over Morafs-rmer, came to C ^ « - r iv e r , by others called Kleindorn-rivier, where we baited. All the verdure our oxen and horfes could find here confifted only in a fmall quantity of a. reed {aruntlo pbragmites) ftill left in the above-mentioned river*-the greater part of it having been previouily confirmed by the cattle belonging to former travellers. It happened, however, that we ilaid longer than we ought to have done in a place that was eaten fo bare, in order to regale ourfelves, with a meal of our own cooking, compofed of a kind of. a partridge that I had juft fhot, as for the laft three days we had had nothing to fatisfy the cravings o f our appetites but our Hottentot’s coarfe ammunkion-bread and a little tea. It fell to my lot to pluck the bird, arid Mr. I m m e l m a n undertook to drefs it; and, indeed, he ihewed himfelf a perfeft mailer in the art, itewing it in a quantum fufficit of water, and a little Jheep's-tail fat, which our Hottentots had got at Zaffraan- craal for their own eating; fo that it would be no eafy matter to defcribe the highly agreeable fenfations conveyed bv this delicate diih to the organs both o f tafte and fmell. But, But, as ill-luck would have it, we had neither of us re- membered to draw the fowl, till, iti order to divide it equal- ly between us, we cut it in two? -when the fauce, which we jufl before had found delicious in the higheil degree, became quite naufeous. The Hottentots laughed heartily at our omiflioii, and ftill more at our delicacy, and at the fame time licked it Up every drop. The delay occafioned by this meal caufed us to be overtaken by darknefs, before we could reach the next farm; in confequence o f which, we got into a labyrinth o f bufhes and briars for want o f being able to fee the road. We were therefore obliged to flop, and prepare to fuffer hunger and thirft, together with our beafts, tiU the next morning, and be almofl frozen to death into the bargain; for though it had been reeking hot the preceding day, the night was neverthelefs extremely cold. About midnight, however, the moon fhone, and enabled us once more to find the road, when we foon came to a farm near Kleine Dorn-rivier, called Zandplaat. It was not without the greatefl aftonifhment, that we beheld the next morning the confiderable number and unparalleled fatnefs o f the fheep here, when we compared them with the horrid drought and aridity of the land. In this part o f the country, when they are going to kill a fheep, they always look out for the leaneft in the whole flock, as the reft are intolerably fat. The tail alone of one of thefe fheep (which is thick and of a triangular lhape, being from a foot to a foot and a half in length, and fometimes above fix inches thick near the rump) will weigh from eight to twelve pounds; and moftly confifts Of a delicate Q q i kind
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