232 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



way into the interior in charge of Mr. Edwards, and 

 with these, on the 3d of the new year, we again in- 

 spanned and tried to make a start with twelve oxen in 

 each wagon : they, however, finding the wagons ex- 

 tremely heavy, would not move them, nor could we 

 prevail upon them to take to their wonted work, as 

 they ought to do, until every ox had been most unmer- 

 cifully flogged with both wagon- whips and jamboks. 

 Our course for Bakatla was southwesterly, but, owing 

 to the position of the mountains, we were obliged to 

 make a very zigzag and circuitous march. We halted 

 at sundown. The country here is the most pleasing I 

 have seen in Africa — beautifully wooded, undulating 

 plains, valleys, straths, and conical and tabular mount- 

 ains of most fascinating appearance, invariably wooded 

 to their summits, stretching away on every side. 



We marched steadily for several days, and on the 

 7th reached Bakatla, which was looking extremely 

 beautiful, being surrounded by very green fields of 

 Bechuana corn. Here we remained a few days while 

 I obtained fresh oxen, and then, pushing on, gained the 

 River Molopo. Early on the 14th I drew up my wag- 

 ons on its northern bank, and in the forenoon sallied 

 forth to seek for reitbuck, which are here abundant. 

 At this hour of the day, however, it was of little use to 

 seek for them, as they were lying concealed in the end- 

 less dense reeds which inclose the Molopo, in some parts 

 extending to a breadth of half a mile, their height aver- 

 aging from twelve to twenty feet and upward. I found 

 plenty of spoor, including the fresh spoor of lions, which 

 along the Molopo are always abundant. The day was 

 excessively hot, and there was a most painful, oppressive 

 feeling in the atmosphere to an extent which I had 

 rarely experienced. In the afternoon dark masses of 



