THE JOURNEY BEGUN. 41 



In dangerous ground, however — where the narrow 

 road winds through stones and rocks, or along the brink 

 of a precipice ; or where the road is much intersected 

 by water-courses, and bordered by the eternal hillocks 

 raised by the white ants, which are of the consistence 

 of a brick, being formed, during damp weather, of clay, 

 which the sun afterward hardens; or where the "aard- 

 varcke," or ant-bear, with his powerful claws, has 

 undermined the road with enormous holes — the fore- 

 oxen, however trustworthy, should never be left to their 

 own devices, but the leader should precede them, lead- 

 ing by the tow. This safe and highly necessary pre- 

 caution is, however, rarely practiced by the ruffianly 

 Hottentots if the " baas" or master is not present, these 

 worthies preferring to sit still and smoke their pipes or 

 play their violins during the march to performing their 

 duty, thus frequently exposing their master's property 

 to imminent peril. It is thus that more than half the 

 capsizes, broken axle-trees, broken dissel-booms, and 

 smashed cap-tents, daily occur throughout the colony. 

 All being now in readiness, and some pots and spades, 

 which the Hottentots, as a matter of course, had omit- 

 ted to stow away in their proper places, being securely 

 lashed on the trap and to the sides of the wagon, the 

 illustrious Kleinboy brandishes his huge whip, and, 

 cracking it with a report which loudly reverberates 

 throughout the walls and houses of the Cape-corps bar- 

 racks, shouts out, with stentorian lungs, " Trek, trek, 

 you duivels ! 'Rhure y'lla dar vor, you skellums ! Ane 

 spoor trap, you neuxels ! Tabelberg, you ould kring ! 

 Trek, you lowe paar marys. Schneeberg, you liiwo 

 Satan ! Blauberg, you duivel's kind I" (Draw, draw, 

 you devils ! Move yourselves forward there, you skel- 

 lums I Tramp all in the same track, you humbugs' 



