BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 15 



quence, I decided on losing no more time and starting im- 

 mediately for the interior. Months have already been 

 wasted in waiting for my goods. I therefore gave orders for 

 departure from Saut Fonteyn on the 17th Nov., and crossing 

 the Sundays River, we halted for the night at Commando 

 Kraal, where we killed a grais bok and a bush bok. Plum- 

 bago Capensls was in full bloom. For four days we had much 

 stormy weather. At a small stream called Mill River, which 

 we crossed on the 22nd, the hills were quite pink with a 

 species of Watsonia in full flower. Another dog died here, 

 the third since we left Cape Town. It is said that these 

 animals, when brought from England, seldom survive long in 

 Africa. On the 24th we arrived at Graham's Town, where I 

 bought a stock of paper, and two days after, reached the Fish 

 River, which we crossed without difficulty, though we had 

 heard alarming reports of its swollen state from persons who 

 were perhaps anxious to keep us as long as possible in their 

 vicinity, hoping to obtain a share of our tobacco, coffee, &c. 

 From this time to the 6th of December, we pursued our 

 journey with little adventure, the track crossing and re- 

 crossing the Fish River several times, till the rains, which 

 fell heavily at night, had increased that stream so much that 

 we found it impassible, and we halted at a place called 

 Cradock, and took the opportunity of having some repairs 

 done to our waggons. We saw and shot several spring boks, 

 black grous, quaggas, and many kinds of birds, the skins of 

 all which gave us much occupation in preparing during 

 the intervals of halting. Thus we went on till the 16th of De- 

 cember, when we reached the boundary of the Cape Colony. 

 At a farm-house lives a Smith, who undertook to repair our 

 waggons, but failed to do so, because he had neither iron nor 

 coals ! Stanley cranes, ibis calva, and spring boks, were seen 

 in great numbers on the plains hereabouts. On the 19th we 

 came to Orange River, which is traversed on a very con- 

 venient raft ; but first the waggon requires to be put in order, 

 a job occupying two days, during which our diet was agreeably 



