S E C T. III. Journey from the Cape to the Warm Bath. J775. ^ N the morning of the 25th of July I rode from the juiy. v_ y Cape. My waggon was driven by the boor, who fold me the five pair of oxen before-mentioned. But this I was not to have till I got to this fame man’s farm near B o tt-R iv ie r , which is in the way to the warm bath, whither I was going. There are no houfes of entertainment eilabliihed in the inland part of this country ; fo that every one is obliged to travel with their own horfes and carriages, as well as their own proviiion. Our road lay-through the low country over dry fand and heaths. In the middle, or the warm part of the day, like other travellers in this country, we let our oxen go to water and look out for pafturage. Thefe animals are eafily fatisfied with the poor nouriihment of the dry ihrubs and grafs, which are moft common about the Cape, but the horfes are under a greater difficulty to find proviiion fuffieiently fine and nouriihing. It is chiefly for this reafon, that in Africa moft of the beafts of burden they ufe are oxen; and it is, perhaps, from the fame caufe, that the horfes here are feem- ingly lefs ftrong and hardy than they are in Europe. As As foon as the cool o f the evening came on, we con- J77S- tinued our journey over Eerjle Rivier to the foot of a high mountain, called Hottentot Holland's Kloof. The environs here were higher and lefs parched up than in the former part of our journey, and were beiides adorned with feveral pleafant farms; It was already night, and as dark as pitch, when we alighted; we made a little fire, by which, after we had finifh- ed a moderate fupper, we went to fleep. All the convenien- cies I had for fleeping were at prefent, as well as during the major part o f my journey, reduced to the bare ground for a bed, a faddle for my pillow, and a great coat to cover me from the cold of the night; for a place to lie in we looked out for the fide of fome bufli, which feemed moft likely to fhelter us from the fouth-eaft, or any other wind that might chance to blow at that time. When it rained, we lay in the tilt-waggon itfelf. Here,, on account o f our baggage, we were ftill worfe off. The beft place I could find for myfelf was my cheft, though even that had a round top ; Mr. Immf.lman, being flender and lefs than me, was able, though not without great difficulty, to fqueeze himfelf in between my cheft and the body of the waggon, where he lay on feveral bundles of paper: he had, however, no reafon to boaft o f a much eafier bed. Sometimes we made our bed under the waggon, where, being under cover, we were fomewhat fheltered indeed from the rain and the dew ; but on the. other hand, had rather too near, and not quite fo agreeable neighbours in our oxen, which were tied up to the wheels and poles, and alfo to the rails of the waggon, and were fo obftreperous,- that we could only venture to creep among the gentleft o f V o l . I R them.
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