THE ELEPHANT OF AFRICA, 127 



during an exploratory excursion with some engineer 

 officers, which gives a good idea of the natura* 

 haunts and habits of this species. 



" I rode with them next day into the Ceded 

 Territory ; and while they ascended the Winter- 

 berg, I constructed, with the aid of the Hottentot 

 soldiers, a sort of booth or shieling for our shelter 

 at night, on the skirts of a wood, in a lovely ver- 

 dant glen at the foot of the mountain, all alive 

 with the amusing garrulity of monkeys and paro- 

 quets. The aspect of the Winterberg from this 

 spot was very grand, with its coronet of rocks, 

 its frowning front, and its steep grassy skirts, 

 feathered over with a straggling forest partly 

 scathed by fire. As lions were numerous in the 

 vicinity, we took care to have a blazing watch- 

 fire, and a couple of sentinels were placed for our 

 protection during the night. We received, how- 

 ever, no disturbance, and spent a very pleasant 

 evening in our * greenwood bower ; ' the spot, in 

 jocular commemoration of one of the party, being 

 thenceforth denominated Fox's Kraal or Shieling. 



" Next day, we followed the course of the 

 Koonap over green sloping hills, till the increas- 

 ing ruggedness of the ravines, and the prevalence 

 of jungle, compelled us to pursue a Caffer path, 

 now kept open only by the passage of wild 

 animals along the river margin. The general 

 character of the scenery I have already described. 



