THE WATER HOLE 27 



At Gamoep was a permanent spring, — the 

 water of which, although fit for animals, was 

 not quite suitable for human consumption. 

 Alongside the pool which the spring feeds we 

 decided to rest for twenty-four hours, for the 

 oxen had a heavy strain to undergo and we felt 

 it necessary to cover as much as possible of the 

 first part of our journey during the cool hours 

 of night. 



We slept soundly after our long tramp. 

 Next morning, as the sun began to soar, sand- 

 grouse in flocks of almost incredible numbers 

 came sweeping in from the desert. The 

 wearied birds alighted a few hundred yards 

 from the pool, and there rested for about ten 

 minutes. Then they arose, swooped down to 

 the edge of the pool for a hurried sip, and sped 

 back whence they came. We shot sufficient of 

 these for our immediate needs. 



Late in the afternoon, when the sting had 

 gone out of the sunshine, we drove the oxen 

 to the pool and let them drink their fill. We 

 had brought two horses — my old hunting- 

 horse, " Prince," and another " Swaitland," re- 

 named " Bucephalus/' for Hendrick, my after- 

 rider. But the horses had to remain for the 

 present at Gamoep, in charge of Danster, one 

 of our Hottentots. Piet Noona, another Hot- 



