IN THE ZULU COUNTRY. 259 
would allow it. I was buta poor swimmer before I arrived in this 
colony, but my practice since proved of essential benefit in this in- 
stance; a few rapid strokes brought me before them, and by dint of 
shouting we got the ox round. The poor fellow who took the lead 
was nearly exhausted, being as often under water as above it, in conse- 
` quence of the thong by which he had hold of the ox becoming en- 
tangled round his wrist. During this time the rain had come on 
heavily, wetting everything, and on coming to drink our coffee we found 
the water was salt ;—so that this was the most cheerless night (with 
one single exception) I spent on the journey. Sleep was out of the 
. question: we were close to the river and the sea-cows kept up a bel- 
lowing all night. The passage of this river was indeed most disas- 
trous, and we had two days’ journey before we should arrive at the place 
appointed for the wagon to leave our first lot of provisions; luckily 
the next day afforded us a good supply of meat, antelopes of two or 
three kinds being plentiful; the largest, or ** Eiland,” is certainly the 
most graceful animal I know in this part of the world, and its flesh is 
the best eating of all the wild meats. 
The country here began to assume a bolder appearance, the hills 
larger, backed in the distance by a range of mountains which we were 
evidently approaching, little or no bush on the left hand, while towards 
the sea the trees were gathered into dense forests. On the hills 
around us, whole acres of blue, pink, white, and yellow flowers occurred . 
every mile or two, either in detached beds or mingled together in the 
most pleasing confusion. The Fan-palms, which in Natal are but mi- 
serable stunted things, are here seen in native magnificence. Of the 
herbaceous plants, I may mention a large white Aster, two or three 
bright-yellow Genista-like dwarf plants, a very pretty little purple Poly- 
gala, a very dwarf deep blue and red Cynoglossum, the Gazania before 
named, and a larger one, several species of Asclepias, Gladiolus psitta- 
cinus, and a green variety of the same, the dwarf hispid Thunbergia, 
a large white Linaria, two or three terrestrial Orchids, one of them re- 
markable for its large chocolate-brown and yellow flowers, fully equal to 
the majority of Epidendrums, three or four Gnaphaliums, and a very fine 
white Hyoscyamus. : 
In the afternoon of the second day from the Umlilassi, we crossed 
the Umsatense, and at night arrived at our expected depót ; great indeed 
Was our astonishment and disappointment to find the wagon had 
