136 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



months, on the banks of its various rivers. The cur- 

 rent here being very powerful, I mounted the leaders 

 of my teams, and in a few minutes my long double line 

 of oxen was stoutly stemming the rapid stream, which 

 reached half way up their sides. We got both the 

 wagons across in safety. The water had just reached 

 the bottom of my cargoes, but did not damage any 

 thing. The bank on the further side was extremely 

 steep and stony, and required every ox to exert himself 

 to the utmost. The river here is very beautiful ; broad 

 and rapid streams are succeeded by long, deep, and 

 tranquil pools, termed by the natives "zekoe ychots," 

 signifying sea-cow or hippopotamus' holes, these vast 

 and wondrous amphibious animals having, not many 

 years since, been plentiful along the entire length of 

 the Vaal River. The hippopotamus, however, hke the 

 elephant, is of a very shy and secluded disposition, and 

 rapidly disappears before the approach of civilization. 

 ■ I drew up my wagons on a commanding open position 

 on the northern bank of the stream. The margin of 

 the Vaal, like the Orange River, is richly clad with 

 dense groves of various evergreen trees, among which 

 drooping willows predominate, whose long waving 

 fringes dip gracefully into the limpid waters as they 

 glide along in their seaward course. All along the 

 banks of both these rivers huge trunks of trees are 

 strewn, having been borne thither by the mighty iloods 

 to which they are annually subject. A short distance 

 above my position was a beautiful island, adorned with 

 trees of the richest verdure. 



About 3 P.M. I rode northeast to look for roan an- 

 telopes, which, next to the eland, are the largest in the 

 world, and, being incapable of great speed, may at 

 times be ridden into with a good horse. I was accora- 



