648 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
much rain fell, the ground looked everywhere parched. At 
one place, we came to a swarm of locusts and spent a whole 
hour in passing through them. It is difficult to imagine 
what these insects could find to eat ; our oxen can hardly pick 
up anything, and they wander so much, that on one occasion 
I had to pay seven dollars to a Dutchman for damage done 
to what he called his garden, where there had been some 
young corn, on which they browsed. The rivers are nearly dry 
and water is often scarce. Near a place, called Hartebeest's 
Fonteyn, I noticed a few ostriches and Spring-boks. 
On the 23rd, we fortunately fell in with a Cape Town 
butcher driving sheep, and bought one of them. It was 
remarkable to see how our dogs ate the locusts, through — 
clouds of which we passed that day. At the Dwaka River, - 
which we reached on the 25th, it seemed expedient to halt, 
that the oxen might be refreshed. A boor, whom we found 
there with his flock, offered to exchange my team for 
oxen, for 200 rix-dollars ; but I cannot afford this sum and 
have therefore no alternative but to push on as far as I can, — 
and then, leaving the cattle and waggon in Punyers charge ——— 
to proceed alone to Uitenhage and send back assistance. It 
seems certain that the cattle cannot go much farther; but 
I shall try night-travelling, for the hot days exhaust us all, the 
thermometer varying from 90? to 95? in the shade. Accord- 
ingly, I set off after sunset on the 27th, went on for six hours, ` 
halted till daybreak and then proceeded for two more hours; — 
which brought us to the Gamtka River, where we spent the — 
day and pursued the same plan next night, till we a 
close to the Zwart-Berg range. lam sorry to say that yum 
tation was so scanty, that we were obliged, on halting, fo —€— 2 
our poor oxen to the yokes, or they would stray so wide we : 
should never recover them. Passing near a cluster of house? — 
the terrified inmates sent us word to go another way A 
lest we should bring them the small-pox ; but as the course 
they indicated would have caused such a circuit that -— 
oxen must have knocked up, I returned for answer that I 
could not leave the regular route to oblige them. No vege 
