256 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA, 



for several miles, I and Ruyter separated at a conspicu- 

 ous tree, and rode in opposite directions. Before riding 

 far I recognized the country as being the spot where I 

 had seen the leopards in the morning. I at once followed 

 Ruyter, and fired several signal shots, which he fortu- 

 nately heard, and soon joined me. We then rode due 

 east, and eventually, to my inexpressible gratification, 

 we discovered the spoor of the wagons, which we reached 

 after following it for about four miles in a northeasterly 

 direction. 



Our poor horses were completely exhausted, and could 

 barely walk to the camp. I found my wagons drawn 

 up beside the strong fountain of Lepeby, which, issuing 

 from beneath a stratum of white tufous rock, formed an 

 extensive deep pool of pure water, adorned on one side 

 with lofty green reeds. This fountain was situated at 

 the northern extremity of a level bare vley, surrounded 

 by dense covers of the wait-a-bit thorns. Such a pe- 

 culiar sameness characterized the country, that a per- 

 son wandering only a few hundred yards from the fount- 

 ain would have considerable difficulty in regaining it. 

 It was night when I reached the wagons, and two or 

 three cups of coffee soon restored me to my wonted 

 vigor 



On the following morning, from earliest dawn until 

 we trekked, which we did about 10 A.M., large herds 

 of game kept pouring in to drink from every side, com- 

 pletely covering the open space, and imparting to it the 

 appearance of a cattle-fair ; blue wildebeests, zebrasjr 

 sassaybies, pallahs, springboks, &c., capered fearlessly 

 up to the water, troop after troop, within two hundred 

 yards of us. In former years a tribe of Bechuanas had 

 frequented this fountain, and I beheld the skeletons of 

 many rhinoceroses and of one elephant bleaching in the 



