40 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



I c'lntinued hunting atMassouey till the 12th, when, 

 bidding a long farewell to the land of elephants, I in- 

 spanned, and marched npon Lepeby, which I reached 

 at an early hour on the following day, having traveled 

 several hours during the night, availing myself of the 

 bright moonlight. When last I visited this fine fount- 

 ain the game drank at it in numerous herds, but now 

 not an animal of any kind came near it, with the ex- 

 ception of a few rhinoceroses. This I always found to 

 be the case at the fountains during the summer months, 

 when the game are very independent of water, owing 

 to the more abundant moisture contained in the young 

 grass. In the forenoon I went bird-nesting among the 

 reeds and rushes which grew around the fountain. 

 Hundreds of birds resembling the redpole were busy 

 building their grassy nests, which they ingeniously sus- 

 pended between the tops of the reeds. In the rushes I 

 found two nests of the water-hen, containing eggs, 

 which, along with the nests, exactly corresponded with 

 those in Scotlanjl. Two beautifully-painted wild geese, 

 an egret, or white heron, and about twenty teal, orna- 

 mented the fountain, and were so tame that they per- 

 mitted me to approach within a few yards of them. 



At an early hour on the 16th I trekked for Bootlo- 

 namy, which I reached at sundown on the same even- 

 ing, and drew up the wagons under an impenetrable 

 grove of picturesque mimosas, which were then gayly 

 decked with a profusion of highly-scented yellow blos- 

 soms, brightly contrasting with their summer vestment 

 of delicious green. Here I continued hunting for sev- 

 eral days, and enjoyed excellent sport, daily securing 

 several fine specimens of the different varieties of gama 

 frequenting the district. On one occasion, while hunt- 

 ing, I started a secretary from off her nest, which was 



