366 A JOURNEY INTO THE 
us in less than five miles close to that place, but without finding any 
additional flowering botanical object, except Hamanthus obliquus, ine 
is also a native of the Tambooki country near the “ Windvogelberg ;" 
its leaves resemble those of Cyrtanthus obliquus, and its flowers are 
white. It seems that a locality of alluvial deposit suits that plant, as 
it grows on both places in a loamy kind of soil, accumulated in the 
manner just now described. 
The favourable locality, to bring the water of the spring over a vast 
tract of ground, which is an important circumstance here, as there falls 
no rain during the months of the winter, has induced the emigrants to 
erect a small village on the upper side of the spring, its houses being 
densely inhabited by the farmers, who were very kind towards us. The 
small village is called “ Potgieter-stroom,” named after Mr. H. Potgieter, 
being their principal leader of the division between Drakasberg, Vetrivier, 
and Mooyerivier. It happened that we met him here, residing at this 
place for a short period, with his wife and family. Although a man of 
simple manners, he is not wanting in ability as the patriarchal leader 
. of a large body of his countrymen. He gave us an introduction to 
. . the Frontier Fieldcornets along the northern boundary of the country 
they inhabit, before we left him. 
Although I have seen the large spring of the Kuruman, near Eita- 
koo, of which Professor Lichtenstein and Dr. W. Burchell, in their able 
writings, relate in an attractive manner the allegorical tales of the 
. Bachapins, or Batlapins, residing near that spring on that missionary 
station, I do not hesitate to compare the remarkable spring of the 
** Mooyerivier" with that of the Kuruman, on account of its grandeur. 
Out of a yawning dark hollow of considerable breadth, and high enough 
. to allow an entrance to that dark chasm with a torch, comes forth the 
= erystal flood of that stream, running for several paces over loose stones, 
till it falls into a large and very deep basin, its surface being graced 
by a dense carpet of floating leaves of Nymphaea, No. 13, resembling 
in its leaves N. seutifolia, D.C.; but its flowers, which are coming 
forth in December, are larger than N. scutifolia, and of a whitish-blue 
The basin close towards the spring is nearly free from reed or sedges, 
ut further on, when the water assumes the size and aspect of a lake, 
is densely grown with a thicket of reed and other aquatic plants, 
: ue still the haunts and cover of several hippopotamuses, of which 
