Journey to Griqua Country

Journey to Griqua country — The Coranna chief- — Unpleasant ride — Sleeping in the sand — Scenes on the Orange River — The crow and tortoise — The Author drinks poisoned water — Native poisons — Kindness of Bushmen — Arrive at Kwees — A desert serenade — Leaving the river — Some of the party wander — Pursued by a lion — Extreme hunger and thirst — An encounter with baboons — Desperate circumstances — Description of the mirage — Polluted water — Arrive at Griqua Town — Visit to Lattakoo — Providential escape — Return to the desert — Thunder storm — A wet night’s lodging — Providential supply — Encounter with a hippopotamus — Arrive at the station.

After continuing for many months this manner of life, cheered in a dry and thirsty land, with the early and latter rains on the seed sown in the hearts of the people, it was resolved to make another attempt to find a more convenient spot on which to conduct the mission; and before closing the account of my sojourn in Great Namaqua-land, I will just add the particulars of a journey undertaken at the request of Africaner. He wished me to visit the Griqua country, to the east of the desert, to inspect a situation offered to him and his people, to which he might remove with the full sanction of the chiefs of the Gricpias. Africaner was most anxious to leave Nama¬ qua-land, and the present offer, which had the approval of Mr. Anderson, the missionary at that place,

being attended with some political difficulties, I felt some reluctance, but at the urgent solicitations of the people, I went. David and Simon, the two brothers of Africaner, and Jonker, his son, with Jantye Vanderhyle, the chief guide, were my attendants; we had about eight horses, good and bad, wdien we started. We each took a caross, or sheepskin blanket, with us, and trusted entirely for food to what we might shoot and obtain from the Corannas on the road.

Our course lay principally on the north side of the Orange River. Though we journeyed on the banks of a river in which there was an abundance of water, and though the country was well inhabited, we suffered afflictively from thirst, as well as hunger; few villages being on the north side of the river, along which we travelled. We were sometimes compelled to scramble over rocky passes in the hills, only a fit abode for baboons, which were as plentiful as they were impudent. At other times we had to cross the river, to avoid the mountains on the opposite side, which arose, in the wildest grandeur, from the water’s edge. On reaching the waterfalls, we were kindly received and treated by a Coranna chief, called Paul, (to wdiom I shall have occasion to refer when treating of the Bechuana mission,) and there we halted one day. He had visited our station, and felt exceedingly thankful for the kindness I had shown him. I was glad of this renewed opportunity to preach, and he was glad to hear again the message of Divine grace.

The Orange River here presents the appearance of a plain, miles in breadth, entirely covered with mimosa trees, among which the many branches of

UNPLf::ASANT RIDE. the river run, and then tumble over the precipices, raising clouds of mist, when there is any volume of water. As it was arranged that we should not start before sunset, I wandered at noon towards the river; and supposing the falls (from the noise) were not very distant, I walked towards them; but feeling excessively tired, I sat down under the shadow of a bush, and was soon fast asleep, having had little rest the night before. Towards evening the hue and cry was raised that the master was missing, and a number sought my spoor, or footmarks, and followed till they found me. The first thing I heard on awaking was, ‘’Mynheer are you not afraid of the panthers?” We proceeded on our journey, and entered a valley covered with a species of mimosa, the thorns of which resembled fish-hooks. Anxious to reach the high ground on the hills on the opposite side, before the lions, whose roaring was heard on the heights above, should come down towards the river, we quickened our pace. But the darkness increasing, and being unable to define the edges of the bushes, the rider was frequently caught and thrown to the ground, or left a piece of jacket or trovvsers on the thorns, so that when we reached the other side of the dale we were both ragged and bleeding. To avoid following the serpentine course of some parts of the liver, we often directed our course, without a path, to the next turn of the stream. One of these we reached at a late hour, and it being very dark, and the banks precipitous, we heard the water murmuring below, but dared not go down, fearing a plunge, and the company of the hippopotami.

Being ignorant of the locality, and not knowing

where the inhabitants (Bushmen) might be, we made no fire, lest we should be discovered, and we had nothing to roast. There were no trees, and we lay down between ridges or hills of deep sand. The wind was cold, and we had little covering, having left the half of our horses knocked up, and with them most of our carosses. The plan adopted by Mr. Haensel, a Moravian missionary, in similar circumstances, occurred to me, and, like him, I made a hole in the sand, and buried myself, leaving the head out. I soon felt very comfortable, and, ex¬ tolling the plan, one of my companions imitated my example, and got under the earth. I then told him that the missionary whom we were imitating, having once submerged himself in the sand near the sea¬ shore, was occasionally disturbed by huge crabs approaching him, and these his faithful dog kept at a distance. My companion asked, “And what are we to do if a lion comes? ‘‘We are safe,” I replied, “for he will not eat heads when he can get whole bodies.” This removed his fears, and I do not remember to have slept so comfortably during the whole journey, in wdiich we had often very sorry accommodations.

The windings of the river sometimes flowed through immense chasms, overhung with stupendous precipices; and then like a translucent lake, with the beautiful towering mimosas and willows reflected from its bosom; and a rich variety of birds, of fine plumage, though without a song; wild geese, ducks, snipes, flamingoes, in perfect security, feeding on the banks, beneath the green shade, or basking in the sun’s rays on the verdant islands, far from the fowler’s snare. The swallows, also, mounting aloft. or skimming the surface of the mirror stream; while the ravens, with their hoarse note, might be seen seeking their daily food among the watery tribe, or cawing on the bending tops of the weeping willows. Flocks of Guinea fowl would occasionally add to the varied scene, with their shrill cry, and whirling flight from the open plain to the umbrage of the sloping hank, where they pass the night amidst the branches of the tall acacias. But here, too the curse reigns; for the kites and hawks might be seen hovering in the air, watching the motions of the creatures be¬ neath, and ready to dart down, with the fleetness of an arrow, on a duckling straying from its parent, or on a bird or a hare moving too far from the shelter of a bush or tree. The fox also might he seen, stealing slowly along from the desert waste, to slake his thirst in the refreshing stream, and seek for some unfortunate brood which might fall within his reach; and the cobra and green serpent, ascending the trees to suck the eggs, or to devour the young birds; while the feathered tribe, uniting against the; common enemy, gather around, and rend the air with their screams. The African tiger, too, comes in for a i share of the feathered spoil. With his sharp claws he ascends the trees, in the dead of night, and seizes

!the Guinea fowls on their aerial roost. The hyena, also, here seeks his spoil, and gorges some strayed kid, or pursues the troop for the new-fallen antelope or foal; and, to fill up the picture, the lion may be heard in the distance, roaring for his prey; while man,

“The great enemy to man,”

il is no less so to fish or fowl, or spotted deer. Wherever

He wanders he seeks to regale his varied appetite; and, more than this, he, as the enemy of enemies, fears not to attack the ponderous elephant, face the lion’s glare, and for his amusement lay prostrate in the dust the innocent.

Reclining on a rock one day, waiting till my shirt, which I had washed, was dry, I noticed a crow rise from the earth, carrying something dangling in its talons. On directing my companions to the sight, they said, ‘‘It is only a crow with a tortoise; you will see it fall presently;” and down it fell. The crow descended, and up went the tortoise again to a still greater height, from which it dropped, and the crow instantly followed. I hastened with one of the men to the spot, and scared away the crow from the mangled tortoise, on which it was enjoying a feast. On looking around the fiat rock there were many wrecks of former years; and on my remarking I did not think the crow was so cunning, my companion replied, “The kites do the same thing;” which I have since frequently observed.

In our journey along the banks of the river we met few of the inhabitants, as most of them had removed to the other side. We passed two of the reed huts of Mr. Sass, who, with Mr. Helm, had for many years moved about with the Corannas, living a self-denying life on the sterile banks of the Orange River, which has been not unaptly compared, from its extreme heat, to an oven. When we happened to meet with any who had been under the tuition of these devoted men, we felt at home, and received more than the awarded boon of a cup of cold water. Others we met, who would give us neither meat nor drink, but appointed our place of night’s repose, after a toilsome day, where the lion came his nightly round: hut mercy encompassed us about.

On one occasion I was remarkably preserved, when all expected that my race was run. We had reached the river early in the afternoon, after a dreadfully scorching ride across a plain. Three of my companions, who were in advance, rode forward to a Bush¬ man village, on an ascent some hundred yards from the river. I went, because my horse would go, towards a little pool on a dry branch, from which the flood or torrent had receded to the larger course. Dismount¬ ing, I pushed through a narrow opening in the bushes, and lying down, took a hearty draught. Immediately on raising myself I felt an unusual taste in my mouth, and looking attentively at the water, and the temporary fence around, it flashed across my mind that the water was poisoned for the purpose of killing game.

I I came out, and meeting one of our number, who had been a little in the rear, just entering, told him my suspicion.

! At that moment a Bushman from the village came running breathless, and, apparently terrified, took me i by the hand, as if to prevent my going to the water, talking with great excitement, though neither I nor my companions could understand him; hut when I made signs that I had drunk, he was speechless for a minute i or too, and then ran off to the village. I followed; I and on again dismounting, as I was beginning to think for the last time, the poor Bushmen and women looked on me with eyes which bespoke heartfelt compassion. My companions expected me to fall down every j moment; not one spoke. Observing the downcast i looks of the poor Bushmen, I smiled, and this seemed to operate on them like an electric shock, for all began to babble and sing; the women striking their elbows against their naked sides, expressive of their joy. However, I began to feel a violent turmoil within, and a fulness of the system, as if the arteries would burst, while the pulsation was exceedingly quick, being accompanied with a slight giddiness in the head. We made the natives understand that I wanted the fruit of the solanum, which grows in those quarters nearly the size and shape of an egg, and which acts as an emetic. They ran in all directions, but sought in vain. By this time I was covered with a profuse perspiration, and drank largely of pure water. The strange and painful sensation which I had experienced gradually wore away, though it was not entirely removed for some days.”^

I was deeply affected by the sympathy of these poor Bushmen, to whom we were utter strangers. AYhen they saw me laugh, they deafened our ears with expressions of satisfaction, making a croaking and click¬ ing, of which their language seemed to be made up. And these barbarians to the letter “showed us no little kindness,” for they gave us some meat of zebras, which had died from drinking the same water on the preceding day. This was very acceptable; for having

* The materials used by the Bushmen, for the purpose of poison¬ ing water, are principally bulbs, called by the Colonists gift bol, (poison bulb,) the Amaryllis toxicaria, which possesses a strong alkali; some species of the Eujphorhia, and other vegetable substances. The venom of the serpent they prefer for their arrows; and they will even, if opportunity offers, have recourse to that to poison small fountains, when the water is nearly stagnant, in order to cut off their pursuers. fasted that day, we were all ready for a meal; and, though the poisoned water had partially blunted my appetite, I enjoyed a steak of the black looking flesh mingled with its yellow fat.

On leaving the next morning I gave these poor people a good share of our small stock of tobacco, which set them all dancing like Merry-Andrews, blessing our visit with the most fantastic gestures. It grieved me, that, from the want of an interpreter, I could say but little to them about Him who came to redeem the poor and the needy.

These people had come down from the desert on the north in search of water, and were subsisting by the chase, by catching a solitary animal in a pit-fall, or else destroying it with water poisoned by an infusion of bulbs or other roots. They were evidently living in some fear of the Corannas, on the opposite side of the river, whose cattle form a tempting bait to these hungry wanderers. Thinking, and justly too, that some part of the earth’s surface must be theirs, they naturally imagine that if their game is shot, and their honey pilfered, they have a right to reprisals, according to natural law, and therefore cannot resist the temptation of seizing the property of their more wealthy neighbours when it lies within reach.

On the seventh day we reached that part of the river called Quis or Kwees, from which we intended to go in a direct course to Griqua Town, leaving the Orange River far to the right. We had previously made inquiries about the country which lay between: some said there was water; others, that we should find none. We had eaten a small portion of meat that morning, reserving only enough for one single meal,

lest we should get no more, and drank freely of water, to keep the stomach distended, and felt tolerably comfortable. At night we came to some old huts, where were remains of tobacco gardens, which had been watered with wooden vessels from the adjoining river. We spent the evening in one of these huts; though, from certain holes for ingress and egress, it was evidently a domicile for hyenas and other beasts of prey. We had scarcely ended our evening song of praise to Him whose watchful care had guided and preserved us through the day, when the distant and dolorous howls of the hyena, and the no less inharmonious jabbering of the jackal, announced the kind of company with which we were to spend the night; while, from the river, the hippopotami kept up a blowing and snorting chorus. Our sleep was anything but sweet. On the addition of the dismal notes of the hooting owl, one of our men remarked, ‘‘We want only the lion’s roar to complete the music of the desert.” “Were they as sleepy and tired as I am,” said another, “they would find something else to do.” In the morning we found that some of these night scavengers had approached very near the door of our hut.

Having refreshed ourselves with a bathe and a draught of water, we prepared for the thirsty road we had to traverse; but, before starting, a council was held, whether we should finish the last small portion of meat, (which any one might have devoured in a minute,) or reserve it. The decision was to keep it till evening. We sought in vain for ixia bulbs. Our only resource, according to the custom of the country, was to fill ourselves with as much water as our bodies could contain. We had no vessels in which to carry it; and if we had, our horses were not equal to more than the carriage of our persons. We were obliged to halt during the day, fearing our horses would give up from the excessive heat. When the evening drew on, we had to ascend and descend several sand-hills, which, weary and faint from two days’ fast¬ ing, was to us exceedingly fatiguing. Vanderbyle and myself were somewhat in advance of the rest, when we observed our three companions remaining behind; but supposing they staid to strike light and kindle their piy)es, we thoughtlessly rode forward. Having proceeded some distance, we halted and hallooed, but received no reply. We fired a shot, but no one answered. We pursued our journey in the direction of the high ground near the Long Mountains, through which our path lay. On reaching a hushless plain, we alighted and made a fire: another shot was fired, and we listened with intense earnestness; but gloomy, desert silence reigned around. We conversed, as well as our parched lips would allow, on what must he done. To wait till morning would only increase the length of our suffering, — to retrace our steps was im¬ possible: — probably they had wandered from the path, and might never overtake us: — at the same time we felt most reluctant to proceed. We had just determined to remain, when we thought we would fire one more shot. It was answered — by a lion, apparently close to the place where we stood. No wood was at hand to make a fire, nothing but tufts of grass; so we ran and remounted our horses, urging them on to¬ wards a range of dark mountains, the gloom increasing as we proceeded; but as our horses could not go much above a walking pace, we were in dread every moment

of being overtaken. If we drew up to listen, bis approach in the rear was distinctly heard. On reaching the winding glen or pass through the mountains, despairing of escape from our enemy, we resolved to ascend a steep, where from a precipice we might pelt him with stones; for we had only a couple of balls left. On dragging ourselves and our horses up the steep, we found the supposed refuge too uneven for a standing-place, and not one fragment of loose stone to be found. Our situation was now doubly dangerous; for, on descending to the path, the query was, on which side is the lion? My companion took his steel and flint to try, by striking them, if he could not discover traces of the lion’s paws on the path, expecting every moment that he would bound on one of us. The terror of the horses soon told us that the object of our dread was close to us, but on the right side, namely, in our rear. A¥e instantly re¬ mounted, and continued to pursue the track, which we had sometimes great difficulty in tracing along its zig-zag windings among bushes, stones, and sand. The dark towering cliffs around us, the deep silence of which was disturbed by the grunt of a solitary baboon, or the squalling of some of its young ones, added to the colouring of the night’s picture. We had not proceeded very far before -the lion gave a tremendous roar, wdiich, echoing from precipice to precipice, sounded as if we were wdthin a lion’s den. On reaching the egress of the defile through wdiich we had passed, we were cheered by the weaning moon, rising bright in the east. Descending again we would gladly have laid our weary limbs dowm to rest; but thirst, and the possibility of the lion’s resolving to make his

supper on one of us, propelled our weary steps, for our horses were completely jaded.

We continued our slow and silent mai’cli for hours. The tongue cleaving to the roof of the mouth from thirst, made conversation extremely difficult. At last we reached the long-wished-for waterfall,” so named, because when it rains, water sometimes falls, though in small quantities; but it was too late to ascend the hill. We allowed our poor worn-out horses to go where they pleased, and having kindled a small fire, and produced a little saliva by smoking a pipe, we talked about our lost companions, who happened for their comfort to have the morsel of meat, and who, as Jantye thought, would wander from the position in which we left them towards the river. We bowed the knee to Him who had mercifully preserved us, and laid our heads on our saddles. The last sound we heard to soothe us, was the distant roar of the lion, hut we were too much exhausted to feel any thing like fear. Sleep came to our relief, and it seemed made up of scenes the most lovely, forming a glowing contrast to our real situation. I felt as if engaged during my short repose, in roving among ambrosial bowers of paradisaical delight, hearing sounds of music, as if from angels’ harps; it was the night wind falling on my ears from the neighbouring hill. I seemed to pass from stream to stream, in which I bathed and slaked my thirst at many a crystal fount, flowing from golden mountains enriched with living green. These Elysian pleasures continued till morning dawn, when we awoke speechless with thirst, our eves intlamed, and our whole frames burning like a coal. We were, however, somewhat less fatigued, hut AN ENCOUNTER WITH BABOONS.

wanted water, and had recourse to another pipe before we could articulate a word.

My companion then directed me to a projecting rock, near the top of the hill, where, if there were water at all, it would be found. I took up the gun to proceed in that direction while he went in search of the horses, which we feared might have been devoured by the lion. I ascended the rugged height to the spot where water once was, but found it as dry as the sandy plain beneath. I stood a few minutes, stretching my languid eye to see if there were any appearance of the horses, but saw nothing; turning to descend, I happened to cough, and was instantly surrounded by almost a hundred baboons, some of gigantic size. They grunted, grinned, and sprang from stone to stone, protruding their mouths, and drawing back the skin of their foreheads, threatening an instant attack. I kept parrying them with my gun, which was loaded; but I knew their character and disposition too well to fire, for if I had wounded one of them, I should have been skinned in five minutes. The ascent was very laborious, but I wmuld have given any thing to be at the bottom of the hill again. Some came so near as even to touch my hat while passing projecting rocks. It was some time before I reached the plain, when they appeared do hold a noisy council, either about what they had done, or intended doing. Levelling my piece at two that seemed the most fierce, as I was about to touch the trigger, the thought occurred, “I have escaped, let me be thankful therefore I left them uninjured, perhaps with the gratification of having given me a fright.

Jantye soon appeared with the horses. My looks, more expressive than words, convinced him that there was no water. We saddled the poor animals, which, though they had picked up a little grass, looked miserable beyond description. We now directed our course towards Witte Water, where we could scarcely hope to arrive before afternoon, even if we reached it all, for we were soon obliged to dismount, and drive our horses slowly and silently over the glowing plain, where the delusive mirage tantalized our feelings with exhibitions of the loveliest pictures of lakes and pools studded with lovely islets, and towering trees moving in the breeze on their banks. In some might be seen the bustle of a mercantile harbour, with jetties, coves, and moving rafts and oars; in others, lakes as lovely as if they had just come from the hand of the Divine Artist, a transcript of Eden’s sweetest views, but all the result of highly rarefied air, or the reflected heat of the sun’s rays on the sultry plain. Sometimes, when the horses and my companion were some hundred yards in advance, they appeared as if lifted from the earth, or moving like dark living pillars in the air.* Many a

* The following remarks on the general appearance of the mirage, taken from Belzoni’s “Narrative of his Operations and Researches in Egypt,’’ will not be uninteresting: — “It generally appears like a still lake, so unmoved by the wind, that every thing above is to be seen most distinctly reflected by it. If the wind agitate any of the plants that rise above the horizon of the mirage, the motion is seen perfectly at a great distance. If the traveller stand elevated much above the mirage, the apparent water seems less united and less deep; for, as the eyes look down upon it, there is not thick¬ ness enough in the vapour on the surface of the ground to conceal the earth from the sight; but if the traveller be on a level with the

time did we seek old ant hills excavated by the ant-eater, into which to thrust our heads, in order to have something solid between our fevered brains and the piercing rays of the sun. There was no shadow of a great rock, the shrubs sapless, barren, and blighted, as if by some blast of fire. Nothing animate was to be seen or heard, except the shrill chirping of a beetle resembling the cricket, the noise of which seemed to increase with the intensity of the heat. Not a cloud had been seen since we left our homes.

We felt an irresistible inclination to remain at any bush which could afford the least shelter from the noonday’s sun, the crown of the head having the sensation as if covered with live coal, and the mind wandering. My companion became rather wild. Having been anxious to spare him all the toil possible, I had for a long time carried the gun; he asked for it, apparently to relieve me, but his

horizon of the mirage, he cannot see through it, so that it appears to him clear water. By putting my head first to the ground, and then mounting a camel, the height of which might have been about ten feet at the most, I found a great difference in the appearance of the mirage. On approaching it, it becomes thinner, and appears as if agitated by the wind, like a field of ripe corn. It gradually vanishes as the traveller approaches, and at last entirely disappears when he is on the spot.”

This phenomenon is called by the Bechuanas, “Moenene and, therefore, parched ground, in Isaiah xxxv. 7, translated, “glowing sand,” by Dr. Lowth and others, I have rendered by this term in that language. It is produced, as Dr. Hartwell Horne correctly remarks, in his “Introduction to the Critical Study of the Scriptures,” “by a diminution of the density of the lower stratum of the atmosphere, which is carried by the increase of heat, arising from that communicated by the rays of the sun to the sand, with which this stratum is in immediate contact.” motions were such that I was glad to recover possession of it.

My difficulties and anxieties were now hecoming painful in the extreme, not knowing any thing of the road, which was in some places hardly discernible, and in my faithful guide hope had died away. The horses moved at the slowest pace, and that only when driven, which effort was laborious in the extreme. Speech was gone, and every thing expressed by signs, except when we had recourse to a pipe, and for which we now began to lose our relish. After sitting a long while under a bush, oh! what a relief I felt when my guide pointed to a distant hill, near to which water lay. Courage revived; but it was with pain and labour that we reached it late in the afternoon. Having still sufficient judgment not to go at once to drink, it was with great difficulty I prevented my companion doing that, which would almost instantly have proved fatal to him. Our horses went to the pool, and consumed nearly all the water, for it appeared that some wild horses had shortly before slaked their thirst at this spot, leaving for us hut little, and that polluted.

Becoming cooler after a little rest, we drank, and though moving with animalcule, muddy, and nauseous with filth, it was to us a reviving draught. We rested and drank, till the sun, sinking in the west, compelled us to go forward, in order to reach Griqua Town that night. Though we had filled our stomachs with water, (if such it might he called, for it was grossly impure,) thirst soon returned with increased avonv; and painful was the ride and walk, for they were alternate, until we reached at a late hour the abode of Mr. Anderson.

Entering the door speechless, haggard, emaciated, and covered with perspiration and dust, I soon pro¬ cured by signs, that universal language, for myself and my companion, a draught of water. Mr. A., expecting such a visitor from the moon as soon as from Namaqua-land, was not a little surprised to find who it was. Kind-hearted Mrs. A. instantly prepared a cup of coffee and some food, which I had not tasted for three days; and I felt all the powers of soul revive, as if I had talked with angels — it was to me a feast of reason and a flow of soul.’’

Retiring to rest, the couch, though hard, appeared to me a downy bed. I begged of Mr. A. just to place within my reach half a bucket of water: this he kindly and prudently refused, but left with me a full tumbler of unusual size: such, however, was my fevered condition, that no sooner was he gone than I drank the whole. After reviewing the past, and looking upward with adoring gratitude, I fell asleep, and arose in the morning as fresh as if I had never seen a desert, nor felt its thirst. We remained here a few days, in the course of which our lost companions arrived, having, as we rightly supposed, wandered towards the river, and escaped the thirst which had nearly terminated our career in the desert.

The society of the brethren Anderson and Helm, with their partners in labour, was most refreshing to my soul. A crowded and attentive congregation, and the buzz of the daily school, made me forget the toils of the road, and cheerfully did I bear my testimony to the word of grace which had been so blessed among the Griquas. Wishing to visit Daniel’s Kuil, Berend’s residence, about fifty miles north of Griqua Town, and also Lattakoo, on the Kuruman

River, nearly as far beyond, my happiness was pro¬ longed by the company of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, who had promised to visit that station. On this journey we had another display of a kind and gracious Providence. After leaving Daniel’s Kuil, Nicholas Berend, who was wagon driver and guide, lost his way before reaching Camel Fountain. This obliged us to halt short of the water; and Nicholas, who was an intelligent and shrewd man, remarked again and again, in the course of the evening, that it was a very mysterious thing that he should lose a path he knew so well. In the morning we inyoked the wagons, and proceeded to the water, which lay far to the right; and on arriving there, we saw, to our astonishment and instruction, that we were led by a way we knew not, for there had been several large lions about the water pool apparently the whole night. Had we arrived as we expected, in all probability the oxen would have taken fright, and occasioned some serious accident.

We received a hearty welcome from the brethren at Lattakoo, where we stopped some days. This was the first time I had seen the Bechuanas, with the exception of a party of Batlaros, who visited Africaner; and when I addressed them there, and now again in their own country, I little anticipated that it was to be the scene of my future labours. As I must necessarily occupy a considerable portion of this work with the Bechuana mission, it will be unnecessary to refer to it in this place.

We returned to Griqua Town, and after having made every inquiry respecting the object of my visit, and settled what report to make to Africaner, I prepared to return to Namaqua-land; and here I might

close the record of my journey, were it not my wish to show the sad reverse of circumstances which sometimes befalls the African equestrian in a houseless desert.

In the afternoon, when bidding farewell to the dear brethren, with whom I could have wished to pass a month, Mr. A. remarked that the weather to the westward looked like a storm; but as these appear¬ ances often pass over without a drop of rain, we set off, and trusting to the strength of our recruited horses, we hoped to pass through the desert to the Orange E.iver without much suffering. Mrs. A. had provided us with some biscuit, which one of the men placed in a sack also containing tobacco. We in¬ tended to sleep at Witte Water that night; but long before we reached that place, we were overtaken by an awful storm of thunder. The peals were deafening, and our horses frequently started from each other at the vivid glare of the lightning. It poured torrents, so that by the time we reached the spot where we in¬ tended to halt, we were drenched to the skin. We let our horses go, and sat down, like half-drowned cocks, at a bush which could afford us no shelter either from wind or rain. After the vehemence of the storm had abated, we began to think what must be done, for by the falling rain and the piercing wind, we trembled as if we should die with cold. After much patient search, we found a very few substances capable of ignition, and struck a light in the only box where the tinder was dry, but in vain we looked for fuel to supply our fire; we threw most of our clothes off, for the suffering with them on was unbearable; and leaving one to blow the fire, we sallied forth in quest of materials to burn. At some distance

we succeeded in gathering a few small branches, when we found at least four hyenas looking on in a most daring manner, as if resolved to attack us. Such as had both hands occupied, soon relieved one, and with stones scared them a little. But, alas! the light of the little fire we had left, had disappeared, and we knew not the direction from which we had come. We shouted to the man who had remained with it, but no answer, save the ugly howl of the hyenas. Now we were completely bewildered, every one pointing in a different direction, as that in which we had come. A second storm pelted us most un¬ mercifully, and the wind seemed to penetrate through and through our almost naked frames. After a long search, we found the little bush the man asleep, and the fire out. AVe threw down our crow-nests which we had gathered for fuel, resolving to brave it out; hut the prospect was horrible, of shivering till the next day’s sun should warm us. Each lay down in a lump, on a goat-skin, which had served as a saddle¬ cloth. Two of us tried to get down to dry earth, for though there had been a stream on the ground, it was scarcely wet six inches deep. Beyond our exyectation, we fell asleep, and as I lay rather lower than some of my comrades, the rain and sand buried nearly the half of my body. It would be vain attempting to describe my feelings on awaking at day -break, stiff, cold, and dizzy; my hair clotted with mud. AVe crawled off’ to the pool of rain-water, and though very thick, we enjoyed a thorough ablution; after wringing the water out of our clothes, we put them on as they were, being obliged to proceed. Before starting, we resolved to have a delightful taste of our biscuit, hut, alas! when the contents of our bag were turned out, we found

that the rain having saturated the tobacco and biscuit, the latter was reduced to a dark-brown paste; smokers as we were, this dish was too unpalatable for us and a good draught of muddy water had to supply the deficiency.

As the sun arose towards the meridian, the heat became excessive; and if we had been nearly frozen at night, we w’ere almost scorched during the day; and before we reached water the following night, we would have given a crown for a bottle of that in which we had washed in the morning. Our return was little different from our outward journey, ‘‘ in fastings oft.” A kind Providence watched over us, and in some cases remarkably interposed in our behalf, which the following incident will show. We had passed the night without food; and after a long day’s ride, the sun was descending on us, with little prospect of meeting with any thing to assuage the pains of hunger, when, as we were descending from the high ground, weak and weary, we saw, at a great distance, on the opposite ridge, a line of dust approaching, with the fleetness of the ostrich. It proved to be a spring buck, closely pursued by a wild dog, which must have brought it many miles, for it was seized within two hundred yards of the spot where we stood, and instantly despatched. We, of course, thankfully took possession of his prize, the right to which the wild dog seemed much inclined to dispute with us. I proposed to leave half of it for the pursuer. “No,” said one of my men, “he is not so hungry as we are, or he would not run so fast.”

The night before reaching home we had rather a narrow escape from a sea-cow (hippopotamus.) We were obliged to cross the river, which could only be effected by passing over two low islands, nearly covered with reeds and jungle. They were a great distance from each other, and it was now nearly dark. We had just reached the first, when a sea-cow came furiously up the stream, snorting so loud as to be echoed back from the dark overhanging precipices. Younker Africaner shouted out to me to escape, and, springing from his horse, which appeared petrified, he seized a large stone, and hurled it at the monster of the deep, for our guns were both out of order. The enraged animal then made for the next ford, through which two of us were forcing our horses, up to the saddle in a rapid torrent. A moment’s delay on our part would have been fatal to one or both of us. The other three men remained till the infuriated animal had got again into the rear, when they also escaped to the second island, where expecting another encounter, we made the best of our way to the mainland, effectually drenched with perspiration and water. We soon after reached a village of our own people; and it was with the live¬ liest gratitude to our heavenly Father that we re¬ viewed the mercies of the day. These animals, in their undisturbed lakes and pools, are generally timid, and will flee at the approach of man; but when they have been hunted and wounded, from year to year, they become very dangerous, as the following fact will prove. A native, with his boy, went to the river to hunt sea-cows. Seeing one at a short distance below the island, the man passed through a narrow stream, to get nearer the object of his pursuit. He fired, but missed; and the animal instantly made for the island; and the man, seeing his danger, ran

to cross to the bank of the river; but, before reaching it, the sea-cow seized him, and literally severed his body in two with its monstrous jaws.

AFRICANER, DRESSED AS HE ACCOMPANIED THE AUTHOR TO CAPE TOWN.

A detail of our journey was laid before Africaner. The whole of our researches gave him entire satisfaction, when it was resolved that his removal should remain prospective for a season. My labours were resumed, but the drought was severe, and great hunger prevailed in the place. The means of grace, however, were well attended, and a delightful unction of the Spirit realized, especially in our sabbath con¬ vocations: and so strong was the attachment of the people that, although I was contemplating a visit to the Cape, I dared not to mention the subject.