88 A NATURALIST IN THE TRANSVAAL. 



As the untutored mind is apt to people the air with 

 ghosts and goblins, so the Kafir loves to imagine the 

 waters of the dark stream as inhabited by river gods 

 and great reptiles. Even sailors find it difficult to 

 believe that the vast silent ocean is not peopled by 

 huge sea-serpents and other monsters ; but, alas ! all 

 things, and even fancies, die a natural death, and the 

 sea-serpent has now nearly followed the mermaid. 

 Zoological science has made it impossible to 



" Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea ; 

 Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn." 



The dangers of these rivers are not from their in- 

 habitants, but from their swollen and sudden rush 

 during the heavy rains. We once narrowly escaped in 

 driving through one of these augmented streams. The 

 water rose over the floor of the spider, which floated, 

 and for a few moments the horses lost their foothold ; 

 but I shouted to the Kafir boy to use the whip, and we 

 got through. The Boer farmer I visited would scarcely 

 believe we had driven through the stream (which was 

 certainly due to ignorance and not courage on my part), 

 and on our return he sent two of his sons to the river to 

 help in an emergency, or to witness a foolhardy Britisher 

 have at least a dangerous ducking. Of course under such 

 a challenge the thing had to be again attempted, and 

 we succeeded in accomplishing our purpose, though with 

 an unexpressed resolution to try no such experiments 

 again. The Kafir boy showed no fear, nor did he on 

 another occasion, when the horses breaking from con- 

 trol took fright in going down a rocky hill and bolted, 

 while for several moments I was asking myself whether 

 it was to be broken limbs or broken neck ! 



Although, as before remarked, the high veld is an 

 almost treeless region, and Pretoria by planting has 

 been made an exception to the somewhat general rule, 

 its arboriculture is in danger by the arrival of the 

 Coccid, or so-called " Australian Bug" (leery a 'purchasi], 

 which lias ruined many trees and shrubs. Already a 

 formidable pest in Australia, New Zealand, and North 



