58 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



that an Englishman's oxen must be inferior to theirs, 

 Dut this idea is grossly erroneous, the reverse being in- 

 variably the case. A Boer will hardly ever flog his 

 oxen when they require it, which, though it may shock 

 the ear of my fair reader, my regard to truth compels 

 me to state is indispensable, oxen being of a strange, 

 stubborn disposition, perfectly different from horses. 

 This, at a future period, I had cause to ascertain prac- 

 tically, when, forsaken by my followers on the borders 

 of the Kalihari desert, I was necessitated daily to in- 

 span and drive my own oxen, which I did, with the as- 

 sistance of a small Bushman, for a distance of about a 

 thousand miles. 



It is a common thing to see a Boer's oxen stick fast 

 on a very moderate ascent, with not above 1000 lbs. 

 or 2000 lbs. weight in the wagon, where an Albany 

 transport-rider would pass him with a load of 6000 lbs 

 behind his bullocks ; and it is by no means uncommon 

 to see these Albany men discharging a load of even 

 8000 lbs. weight at the stores of the Grahamstown 

 merchants, which they have transported with a team 

 of fourteen oxen through the hilly country between that 

 town and Algoa Bay. After crossing the river, the 

 road continued good for about three miles, but after 

 that we found it washed away in many places. Once 

 we stuck fast, and were obliged to dig the wagon out, 

 and broke our trek-tow three times in extracting it. 

 In other places we Vvere obliged to leave the usual road, 

 and cut a new way through the thorny trees with our 

 axes, the road being cut up with water-courses six and 

 eight feet deep. At mid-day we outspanned for two 

 hours, to rest the oxen, on the farm of a Mr. Corrie. 

 Here we met a " smouse," or trader, coming down the 

 country with a drove of about a hunJ^cd and fifty vcr^ 



