l6o ORIGIN OF CERTAIN SOUTH AFRICAN PLACK NAMES. 



ing that Bloemfontein lies nearly 200 miles to the east of Griqua- 



town, there should be no difficulty in locating Jan Blom's 



Fontein. 



The traveller Lichtenstein*, whose travels covered the 



years 1803-1806, when on a journey to the Bechuanas, shows 



that he passed from Jan Blom's Fontein to Blinkklip in a few 



hours. They had camped at Jan Blom's Fontein, and on leaving 



it he says : — 



A considerable hill, with a liigh conical summit, was the first object 

 worthy of remark that presented itself as we proceeded on our way. . . 

 The colonists call the mountain lUinklip (glittering rock). 



Campbellt tells us that he left Klaarwater (Griquatown) 



by wagon for Lattakoo (which was a little beyond the present 



Kuruman) at 4 o'clock p.m. on the 15th June, 1814, and that 



on the 17th June, at ii o'clock a.m., he reached Jan Blom's 



Fontein. He says : — - 



This fountain derived its name from a person who died about four- 

 teen years ago, who was a runaway from the Colony, and put himself at 

 the head of many Bushmen, Coraiinas, and Hottentots, and lived on the 

 plunder of other kraals. As he resided chiefly at this fountain, it was 

 called by his name.J 



Leaving Jan Blom's Fontein at 2 o'clock ixm., Campbell 

 continues : — 



At four we halted at Blink Fountain, at tlie bottom of Blink (or 

 Shining) Hill. 



Blink Hill is Campbell's rendering of Blinkklip. the name 

 l)v which the mountain is still known. 



Burchell§ says that on the 17th June, 181 2, he 



arrived at a spring where there was still abundance of good water. This 

 was called Bloem's Fontein after a man named Jan Bloem, who had for- 

 merly resided in the Colony, but who stationed himself at this spring, and 

 continued for some years to lead a lawless life. 



At this spring a buffalo was killed by some member of the 



party, which was cut up and dried. Burchell continues : — 



i8th. — As the business of cutting and drying our buffalo-meat had 

 detained us till a late hour, we advanced but a few miles, and halted for 

 the night at the foot of a hill known to the Klaarwater Hottentots by 

 the name of Blink-klip (Shining Rock). 



These quotations go to prove that the Blinkklip spoken of 



is to the north of Griquatown, on the road to Kuruman, and 



that Jan Blom's Fontein would be from six to eight miles from 



the Blinkklip. Bloemfontein lies, as we have said, nearly 200 



miles in a direct line to the east of Griquatown, and supposing 



that it had then been in existence as a kraal or dorp, was that 



much out of Campbell's and Burchell's line of travel, and would 



be much the same distance from the spring then known as Jan 



Blom's Fontein, to say nothing of the short time (two days) 



in which Campbell trekked by wagon from Griquatown to Jan 



Blom's Fontein. 



*2, (1815) 271-275. 



t Travels in South Africa (1815), 224. 



$ P- 230. 



§" Travels in South Africa" (1824), 249-255. 



