420 THE NATIVE AND AGRICULTURE. 



Bechuanaland, as well as the Waterberg and that part of the 

 Transvaal lying South and West of the Magaliesberg Watershed. 

 It is for the most part devoid of trees, interrupted at great dis- 

 tances by a few isolated flat-topped mountains. On these hills 

 grow a few stunted bushes such as the "buchu" (Barosma) and 

 "bitter-boschje" (Chrysocoma) ; the vleis and shallow valleys are 

 tussocks of "rooi-gras" (Themeda triandra) and "twa gras" 

 (Aristida). 



A portion traversed by the richer valleys of the Vaal, Modder, 

 Hartz, Molapo and Moletsane, northern tributaries of the Orange, 

 is supplied with water during a rainy season which produces a 

 rainfall averaging 18 inches to 22 inches per annum. More to the 

 west the Kuruman and Okavango are only flooded by tropical 

 thunderstorms coming from the north, and long periods of drought 

 prevail. 



The eastern or mountainous part of the "Kalahari region" 

 unites with the western half of the sub-tropical or east coast region 

 in a rugged and rock-riven complex of buttresses and bastions 

 culminating in the Mont aux Sources on the Natal-Basutoland 

 border and the Spelonken of the Transvaal. Here for half a 

 century was the theatre of war between Sutu and Zulu in which 

 the wielder of the battle-axe soon fled before the javelin of his 

 shield-protected foe. Some of the mountain clans were reduced 

 to cannibalism ; others sought refuge in the caves and krantzes of 

 the Drakensberg. In more peaceful times an ample and timely 

 rainfall enables these fragments and remnants of tribes to grow 

 small patches of mealies in the narrow but fertile valleys irrigated 

 by streams of running water. But generally the ground is too 

 poor and rugged for cereal culture on a large scale. In the 

 Springbok Vlakte, it is true, there are enormous flats, but the soil 

 is peaty and tillage as difficult in the rains as in the drought. 



In the so-called Kalahari "desert" (Bechuanaland Protec- 

 torate) extend vast level grassy prairies or savannahs interspersed 

 with patches and stretches of dense low forest, formerly abound- 

 ing in and still frequented by hartebeeste, wildebeeste, gemsbok, 

 giraffe, zebra and ostrich. 



The Ngami lake and Makharikhari saltpans, fringed by reed 

 and willow and supporting a prolific bird life, pelicans, flamingoes 

 and other water-fowl, are but breaks in the rolling series of downs 

 carpeted with a sweet nutritious herbage or cluster of bushy com- 

 posite shrubs and interspersed with vaal bosch 1 and the kameel 

 doom mimosa 2 , which lends to the open country a gracious park- 

 like appearance. 



The existence of underground "sand rivers" like the Mashow- 

 ing and Setlagoli indicates a period when the rainfall was more 

 abundant and streams, now mere wadys or flumaras, once were 

 rolling rivers. In the vicinity of these old river-beds may be found 

 good grazing grounds. So elsewhere the "sand-veld" thickly 

 covered with acacia has a deep rich soil and yields good pasturage. 



1 Atriplex. 



2 Acacia horrida. 



