BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 647 
the cattle nearly exhausted, and ourselves unable to purchase 
provisions, owing to the prevalent dread of contagious disease. 
The hyænas prowled about us constantly, and would pro- 
bably have made prize of our oxen at night, if they had not 
been too lean to be worth catching. It was most disheartening 
to contemplate the long journey before us with such cattle, 
and if I could have afforded it, I should have purchased a new 
team; for the farmers, who are well aware of the nature of 
the country, were continually assuring us we should never 
get them half way to Uitenhage. The weather too was cold 
and rainy. 
On the 4th of June, we arrived at a village called Worcester, 
where we met with still worse treatment, for not content 
with denying us any provisions for our money, the inhabi- 
tants threatened us with imprisonment for coming thither 
without a certificate of health from Cape Town. However, 
they were too anxious to be rid of us to fulfil this menace, 
and finally sold us a little bread and salt beef to hasten our 
departure. I was persuaded to let the people of the waggon 
have some brandy to keep up their spirits, and having given 
Punyer a bottle for this purpose, he served them rather too 
freely, so that. from singing they fell to fighting, but ended 
at last by going quietly to sleep. The next day we proceeded 
to the Hex River, where two of our cattle were knocked up 
by drawing the waggon across it, and the hardships of the 
road, which led us over the same river no fewer than nine 
times in three days, reduced our team to ten beasts, all in 
Pitiful plight, and quite unfit to ascend the Hex River hill, 
Which was our next trial. Accordingly, at one steep place, 
the oxen all stopped, and away went the waggon backwards, 
ing them along the stones and bruising them severely. 
The cold frosty nights and barren ground which affords hardly 
ny food, give the poor creatures no chance of recovery. The 
‘Soil is generally a mixture of gravel and clay, sprinkled with 
x stunted Mesembryanthemums, and, here and there, a Euphor- 
E bia; I also saw Loranthus elegans in flower. = = = | 
~ The same state of things prevailed for a fortnight. Though _ et 
