PHASES OF NATURE AROUND PRETORIA. 43 



called bv the Boers " Bers* bas.' It is found scattered 



* O 



about in the woody portions of the country, but grows 

 most plentifully at least it was there from whence we 

 obtained our largest supplies on the hills of the 

 Waterberg district. The sugar-bark was obtained on 

 the farm I have mentioned, which was situated in what 

 was known as " Ward Crocodile River," and at no equal 

 distance from Pretoria could a greater diversity of 

 scenery be found. I drove in a " spider " drawn by what 

 appeared to be two sorry nags ; but in this country it is 

 such looking animals which show an endurance and 

 aptitude for the peculiar " roads," not to be equalled 

 by better horses at home. The first part of the 

 journey was along the somewhat good road which crosses 

 the level veld towards the Crocodile River ; but after 

 an hour's drive we turned off, and leaving the plain, 

 struck across country for the mountains or kopjes on 

 the left. At this spot, on a clear day, these ranges 

 could be seen rising one above another in the distance, 

 the farthest only seen in greyish outline, and a blue sky 

 and fresh air prompted that joyous feeling that moun- 

 tain slopes produce under similar circumstances in all 

 parts of the world. The shadows of these bare hills are 

 thrown one upon another in an almost artificial manner, 

 sometimes in colour nearly black, and in shape fre- 

 quently an almost perfect parallelogram, as though the 

 slopes were a screen on which a solar lantern threw its 

 magic shapes. The road now becomes much worse, 

 and large rocky stones are freely strewn about the 

 track over which we drive. Trees are more plentiful, 

 but are principally long-spined acacias and " iron " 

 and other hard-wooded species. These trees are the 

 silent witnesses of what was once the head-quarters of 

 the ruminant mammalia, now practically exterminated 

 or driven back by the incessant warfare waged against 

 them by the Boer farmers, and by the opening up of 

 the country to a mining and mercantile civilization. 

 There was a time when a deadly struggle went on 

 between the plants and trees of this region and the 

 vast herds of herbivorous animals that swarmed over it. 



