WILD HORSES 225 



description of my wrath on the occasion of the 

 last gatherers turning up, that they fled. To 

 prevent misunderstanding it had better be ex- 

 plained that Arris is not a city — not even a 

 hamlet. It is merely a place where, in speci- 

 ally favourable seasons, a few of the Richters- 

 velders sojourn with their goats. The locality 

 is usually known by another name ; one that is 

 more realistic than refined. 



Andries had rather chafed under the delay. 

 Not knowing that springbuck were to be found 

 in the vicinity he undertook the suggested ex- 

 pedition to the mouth of the Orange River, 

 but turned back on account of the dense fog. 

 However, he saw what I should dearly love to 

 have seen : a troop of those wild horses which 

 roam over that section of the desert. 



He had been walking alon^ the river shore 

 about ten miles from here when the fog parti- 

 ally lifted. Within about two hundred yards 

 of him he saw eight shaggy horses with long, 

 flowing manes and tails. They at once 

 plunged into the water and swam out to the 

 celebrated islands — that forest-covered archi- 

 pelago which there enriches the river's widened 

 course. I much regretted having missed that 

 sight. Descended as they are from tame 

 animals which escaped from man's control, 

 c 



