CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 141 



The road follows the shore, being cut out on the side of the 

 steep coast, and crosses at several places sandy sea beaches, where 

 the driver keeps the horses with their feet at the very verge of 

 the surf, because the sand is harder here, as everyone knows 

 who has had to walk along a sandy shore. 



The conveyances are two-wheeled carts with a hood cover, 

 open in front and with two parallel seats placed transversely. 

 There is a pole to them, and a pair of horses are always driven, 

 great care being taken as to balancing. I never saw a pair 

 of horses thus driven in a two-wheeled vehicle before. 



The drivers are mostly Malays, of whom there are large 

 numbers in Cape Town and Simons Town, emancipated slaves 

 of the Dutch, or progeny of these. Those who disregard expense 

 take four horses to one of these traps, and the mail always has 

 four. It is a shabby cart, like the rest. The Malays drive well, 

 and manage a very long whip to a nicety. The travelling is not 

 dear ; a cart and pair to Wynberg, i.e., 14 or 15 miles, costs 15s. 



Half-w r ay to Wynberg is a noted wayside inn, called "Farmer 

 Peck's," with a long rigmarole about the Gentle Shepherd of 

 Salisbury Plain, over the door, and some Latin verse, and inside 

 some quaint old prints illustrating coarsely the Life of the Prodigal 

 Son. Here it is the custom to stop and take stimulants, and a 

 peculiar drink of milk, eggs, and brandy is made, and is highly 

 recommended for anyone coming down w T ith a bad head after 

 dissipation at Cape Town. 



The road after this leaves the head of the bay behind and 

 stretches over part of the flats, and passing at a distance High 

 and Low Constantia, where the celebrated wine is made, reaches 

 Wynberg. Wynberg is by far the most beautiful spot about 

 Cape Town, and almost as beautiful as any village I have seen ; 

 but then nearly all its beauties are derivative, not indigenous, 

 and arise from the fact that it is situate in the midst of thick 

 pine groves and plantations of other trees. Here one sees 

 growing together the European pines, the oak, poplars, and the 

 gnarled and contorted South American Cactus (Cereiis), and 

 numerous Australian gum-trees and acacias. 



The road at Wynberg leads through a grove of pines for 

 a mile or more, the pines meeting overhead and forming a 



