BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 321 



pass their time away, made frequently use of the cargo of a 

 dealer in wine and spirits, who were, like us, on the way to 

 the interior, and was arrested in his proceeding by that 

 river. Merriment and joy were their first entertainment, 

 which was often followed, as usual on such occasions, with 

 fighting and quarrelling. Their party split one day in two, 

 and they pronounced war with each other, and soon entered 

 the field of battle with guns, instead of as formerly with clubs, 

 or with the fist. We were no less in danger by this proceeding, 

 as the party on our side of the river, without asking our 

 permission, considered it safer to use, in such circumstances, 

 our waggons as a battery, from which they intended to effect 

 an assault ; the ground being so level, and no other shelter 

 here about. They were arrayed already in a line of battle, 

 and considering their excited, frantic gestures, and yelling 

 noise, we prognosticated a heavy musket-fire and some lives 

 lost. After a short while, however, through the eloquence 

 of their principal speakers, the matter was quite amicably 

 settled, without there being a shot fired. 



As there was no hope left that we could cross that river 

 in any other way, except with the aid of a raft or boat, and 

 the social intercourse with our neighbours becoming ob- 

 viously every day more annoying to us, we were very glad, 

 a 'ter some fruitless attempts, to persuade one farmer, be- 

 longing to the above-mentioned club, to borrow a boat from 

 one of his relations, living at the Orange River, which was, 

 however, very small. For that reason it occupied a couple 

 of days before we effected our transit. We were obliged to 

 take our waggons to pieces, and bring them over, piece after 

 P^ce, together with the other things. We left the opposite 

 hanks directly after we had put every thing right again, calling 

 first, as we went on, at several emigrant stations, about 

 the environs of the Caledon River, in order to receive a 

 number of sheep from them, as provision for our party. 

 Having settled this matter, we continued our journey over a 

 trackless plain, of very luxuriant vegetation, and bounded 



