356 Mr. T. E. Buckley on Birds observed 



spanning ^^ bullocks, we, with our white driver, an Englisliman, 

 pushed on by ourselves. At the foot of the Berg, as the 

 Drakenberg is generally called, we found a small Kafir boy, 

 who had run away from a Dutchman ; him we pressed into 

 our service, crossed the ridge, and soon after entered the 

 Transvaal. Here we unfortunately lost our bullocks for 

 eight days ; and as we were out of the game-countiy, and there 

 were very few birds indeed, our situation was by no means 

 enviable ; fuel, which consisted of dried bullock-dung, was 

 scarce, and the nights piercingly cold, accompanied by frost 

 and ice. During this time we had offered a reward for the 

 oxen ; and one evening, to our intense delight, they made their 

 appearance, and we soon left the scene of our misfortunes be- 

 hind. In two or three days, diu'ing which time we did a 

 little shooting, we crossed the Vaal river at a place called 

 Stander^s Drift, and at length, on the 28th of June, reached 

 Pretoria, the capital of Transvaal, without further mishap 

 than the loss of fom' bullocks, and one stick-fast, when we 

 had to " off-load " the waggon. 



The part of the Transvaal through which we had travelled, 

 is what is called the " High Veldt j-"^ it is an undulating plain, 

 in the summer covered with grass, but no trees, except a few 

 that have been planted round the fann-houses; but once having 

 passed Pretoria you enter the bush. We left that town on 

 the night of the 30th of June, crossed the Limpopo, or rather 

 the Crocodile (as it does not rejoice in the name of Limpopo 

 until after it is joined by the Marico), and took a north- 

 westerly direction across the Pilansberg until we again 

 joined the Crocodile river; we soon after crossed the Marico, 

 a small river with very sloping banks, and altogether an ex- 

 tremely bad drift for waggons, followed the Limpopo for 

 about two more days, and then, lea^dng the river, steered for 

 Bamangwato, which we reached towards the end of July. 

 Here we stayed for a few days, getting fresh bullocks and 

 laving in some necessary stores, and again set out in the first 

 week in August for the ISIatabili country. We had at first 

 intended to go to Lake N^gami ; but we found at Baman- 

 gwato that, on account of the want of water, with our tired 



