.ZOUTPANSBERG AND THE MAGWAMBAS. 



97 



novelty ; as one gazed through the opening behind at the 

 clear starry sky, and realized the quiet of solitude, it 

 seemed as though life was at last free, and social exist- 

 ence deprived of its fetters. With the second day's trek 





CASTELLATED RESIDE> T CE IN ZOUTPANSBERG. 



the scenery altogether changed, the country was more or 

 less thickly wooded, especially after fording the Dwaas 

 River, which we reached about noon. A few hours 

 from this spot we crossed a plain studded with granitic 

 hillocks, which rose like rocks and islands from a shallow 

 sea ; viewed from above, the whole scene reminded one 

 of some portions of the coast of Brittany at low water, 

 and it was difficult to overcome the impression that we 

 were gazing on an old ocean-bed. Most of these 

 elevated masses of granite were quite bare, with their 

 surfaces highly heated by the rays of the sun. 



The only Europeans we met on our road up the 

 Spelonken were the traders, who keep Kafir stores. 

 They all seem to succeed, and some are moderately in- 

 dependent after years of patience, industry, and solitude, 

 for their life is a lonely one, especially when they are, 



H 



