78 THE FISCAAL PREPAKING TO TRAVEL. 



was not their proper home, they would resume their airy sta- 

 tion. They generally ended by settling near a large reedy 

 fountain ; but they were very difficult of approach. 



The laniiLS suhcoronatus, a species of shrike, first described 

 by Dr. Andrew Smith, I found to be common at Schepp- 

 niansdorf, as also the butcher-bird, which, as known, always 

 impales its prey on some thorn or sharp-pointed stick before 

 devouring it. The Cape people call this bird the " fiscaal," 

 or magistrate, in consequence of a superstitious belief that it 

 represents among the smaller animals what the judge does 

 among men. Many even go farther, and say that the " fis- 

 caal" only administers justice on a Friday; probably from 

 the Dutch court of justice being held in former times on that 

 particular day. 



Part of the oxen being at length pretty well trained to the 

 yoke, we made preparations for our departure. 



When we left the Cape, the belief was entertained that 

 we should be able to carry thirty or forty hundred weight 

 on each wagon ; but on taking into account our young and 

 wild cattle, and the sandy and heavy soil through which we 

 should have to pass, we had, ere this, made up our minds to 

 reduce the quantity to rather less than one third of this 

 weight, or to about fifteen hundred pounds. Even this, as 

 will be shortly seen, proved too great. Accordingly, every 

 article was carefully weighed with the steelyard previously 

 to being stowed away in the wagons. 



Before proceeding farther in my narrative, it may be 

 proper to introduce to the reader our traveling establish- 

 ment, as the character of the several individuals composing 

 it had by this time become pretty well developed. And 

 though among our retainers we had more than one "black 

 sheep," and others whom it was exceedingly difficult to keep 

 in order, yet, taking them together, they were probably a 

 fair average of the servants likely to be picked up by the 

 African traveler. On an expedition similar to the one in 



