46 KLOOF AND KARROO. 



afterwards at the Phoenix Hotel at Port Elizabeth, 

 at which town she was giving concerts. Since 

 that time, I regret to say, she has gone over to the 

 great majority. 



We spent three very pleasant days in Graaff 

 Reinet, visiting, among other places, the well- 

 known Valley of Desolation, a ridge of rocks from 

 which huge basaltic pillars thrust themselves abruptly 

 skywards to heights of 300 and 400 feet, forming a 

 very striking spectacle. After inspecting a good 

 many horses and traps, we arranged with our late 

 guide for the purchase from him of his Cape cart 

 and the two older horses which had drawn the 

 buggy. For the Cape cart, which was a very good 

 one and nearly new, ^45 was paid, while the horses 

 cost 23 each. Experience afterwards taught us 

 that we had paid quite sufficiently for these appur- 

 tenances of travel, the nags in particular not being 

 worth the money. However, in such transactions in 

 every land, and especially with Afrikanders, the 

 motto is caveat emptor ; and, as we had no adviser 

 at hand, we might have done worse, for both 

 cart and horses served us well and faithfully long 

 afterwards. We were almost sorry to leave Graaff 

 Reinet ; the rest and the quiet, old world calm of 

 the charming little town is very pleasant, and for 

 those in search of change and absolute repose I can 

 recommend no more suitable " outspan " for a time. 

 The place had a curious charm for me. As I stood 

 in front of the hotel, looking on to the Market- 

 square and the old-fashioned houses around, I could 

 see distinctly before my mind's eye many a bygone 

 incident in the history of the stormy past. I could 

 picture the arrival in the town, in 1796, of Mr. 



