10 Diary of a Journey to the Amaqnas. 



This river bears its name from the circumstance of the water 

 - emitting a strong stench during the dry season. There we 

 found ourselves in latitude 33° 55', and longitude 38° 2'. 

 Our course had been N. 5°. 14' E< and the weather very fine. 

 Monday, 27th. — In the morning, about half-past eight 

 o'clock, the friends mentioned as having joined us on the 25th, 

 . took their leave- During the day we pursued various courses, 

 on account of the great mountains along which we had to 

 travel, and which we had also sometimes to cross. Our first 

 direction was N.N. E. half a mile; then one-third of a mile 

 E. by N. ; then half a mile E. N. E. ; farther half a mile E. 

 by N. ; then a quarter of mile E N. E. and from thence N. 

 by E. a quarter of a mile, when we arrived at a flat extend- 

 ing E. by N. three fifths of a mile. That flat was terminated 

 by a hill, which we passed half a mile in a N. E. direction, 

 when we found another flat called Ronde Bosjie. The fore- 

 mentioned hills have the name of Tiger mountains, (Tyger- 

 bergeii). The soil consisted chiefly of clay covered pretty 

 abundantly with grass, and well supplied with water. They 

 are inhabited by a nation called Hottentots, who live in troops 

 or hordes which they call kraals, and of which we passed three 

 that day. The two first belonged to a Captain called Schag- 

 her, and the third was one of Captain Kuyper's. Accord- 

 ing to a rough calculation we had travelled three miles 

 and a quarter; our course had been E. N. E. 6° N. our lati- 

 tude was 33. 46. and longitude 36. 16. ; the weather fine. 

 Towards evening the last-mentioned chief, Kuyper, visited 

 us, and brought with him a slaughter ox, as a present to His 

 Honor the Commander, and in return for which he received 

 a flask of brandy. 



Tuesday, 28th. — At break of day we prepared for depar- 

 ture. The soil of the place consisted of good clay, and there 

 was abundance of water and fire-wood. We commenced to 

 advance at half-past seven o'clock, and our route lay N. E. b, 

 N. through a kloof of the Musselbank hills. On one of tho- 

 was placed a Hottentot kraal, which we passed, and after a 

 mile and three-quarters, we reached the Musselbank Rive-, 

 so denominated because shells of that genus are sometimes 

 found in it, though unfit for use. We journeyed along the 

 course of this river and the hills on which the kraal was 

 situated, for the distance of a quarter of a mile, being unable 

 to cross on account of the precipitous banks of the opposite 

 side. Though Ave were occupied nearly an hour and a half in 

 getting our cattle and wagons over, yet the whole was effect- 

 ed tolerably well, as the water in the river was not more than 

 three feet deep. This stream runs East and West, whilst 

 our course was N.N. E. for a mile and three-quarters to a 

 II streamlet, which we crossed. The roads were all very 



