343 



the region of the night-fogs, where it is normally a tree of 

 15-20 ft., it seems to be even more successful than in British 

 South Africa. Its spread "was rapid from the first for Baine- 

 states that in 1861 it had become "quite a feature in the landscape 

 at Haikamchab." The numerous minute seeds are very well 

 adapted to wind-distribution. Its leaves are dried and used as 

 tobacco by the native when he can obtain nothing better. 



The Tamarisk, in some places a graceful tree but more commonly 

 deformed by the wind, sometimes reaches a height of about 20 ft. 

 but at Walfish Bay it is usually of lower growth. In favourable 

 times and places its natural reproduction by seed is profuse ; this 

 year in the river-bed east of Sandfontein, about 3 miles from the 

 coast, almost a square mile is covered with a dense carpet of 

 seedlings with very deep slender tap-roots. The sparse and 

 decadent Hottentot population of Walfish Bay use the wood of 

 both tamarisk and tobacco in the construction of their huts as 

 well as for firewood. Owing to the influx of a small body of 

 Hereros from German territory a few huts were in course of 

 erection at Sandfontein at the time of my visit. The skeleton 

 of the structure consists of a number of uprights arranged In a 

 circle their free ends being bent towards the centre and fastened 

 together, thus giving the familiar beehive form. The stouter of 

 these are Tamarix, the rest Nicotiana. They are strengthened 

 by three or four horizontal series of flexible Nicotiana stems to 

 which they are securely tied. In this stage the erection is more 

 rigid than would be expected from the nature of the materials. 

 It is then rendered hideous but perhaps sufficiently proof against 

 the penetration of the copious night-fogs by a heterogeneous 

 outer covering of scraps of corrugated iron and of kerosene tine, 

 skins, and old sacking. This marks an advance m civilization 

 for 50 years ago the huts in this same hamlet were described by 

 Baines as "of the very rudest description being in tact mere 

 boughs thrown over a rough framewook without the siigntesr 

 pretence of being either wind or water-tight." The Mtives obtain 

 their water from holes, a few feet deep, excavated in the ™er-w>a. 

 The supply is meagre and, within a few miles of the jea.« 1 a>s 

 brackish. Part of the water-supply of the British Settlement is 

 derived from the same source. It is conveyed to Lh^ima 

 large barrels drawn by donkeys. Two ^^J^Jhl 

 are attached to the circumference at equal dist ancesfr om jhe 

 ends and the barrel is wheeled along, as Baines described ,t more 

 than 40 years ago, « in the fashion of a garden .oiler. t or 

 drinking purposes the white population ^*g«f£jK2S 

 condensed water, for the preparation of which f '°™ f * ^^r-e 

 Cape Government maintains a condensing P^t unde r t n e harge 

 of Mr. Gale. The house of each Government officer i ^gj e * 

 free of charge, but to the private residents the condensed 

 sold at 10s. 6d. per 100 gallons. 



The most interesting 



important 



member of the Walfish Bay 



srrt?fiSS 



Walhsn Kay nora « -- — • h Cucumbers 

 norrida, Wei w. This highly specialised *™™*^ m n0 doubt 

 is an important dune-former (Fig. 1). J^^g underground 

 penetrates to a considerable depth, tapping tne * 



water and securing such a supply that drops exude and 



