302 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



former state, even at that late period, but of this I could 

 not help being very doubtful.] 



During my stay in Colesberg I had much pleasure in 

 meeting my friend Mr. Oswell, of the Honorable East 

 India Company's Service. He was then en route for 

 the far interior, intending to penetrate the Kalihari in 

 a northwesterly direction, and visit the lake of boats. 

 This was an expedition which I myself had often 

 thought of making, but a limited finance, and my fan- 

 cy for collecting objects of natural history, led me to 

 incline my course to the more verdant forests of the 

 East, where I deemed I could more certainly first col- 

 lect, and then export, the precious spoils of the ele- 

 phant. Mr. Oswell being in want of draught oxen, I 

 permitted him to select as many as he required from 

 my extensive stock, with which he shortly set out, in 

 company with Mr. Murray, on his interesting journey 

 of discovery. I was occupied in Colesberg till the 12th 

 of April, when I marched to " Cuil Vonteyn," a farm 

 belonging to a Mrs. Van Blerk, which I reached in 

 about three hours ; the country all karroo, herds of 

 springboks feeding in sight of the house. Here I found 

 nine heavily-laden wagons drawn up, which I had hired 

 and laden up to transport my collection of hunting tro- 

 phies to the sea. When I entered Colesberg I had al- 

 most made up my mind to make another shooting ex- 

 pedition into the interior ; but a combination of cir 

 cumstances induced me at length to leave Africa for a 

 season, and revisit my native land. I felt much sor- 

 row and reluctance in coming to this resolution ; for, 

 although I had now spent the greater part of five sea- 

 sons in hunting in the far iaterior the various game 

 of Southc.rn Africa, I nevertheless did not feel in the 

 slightest iegree satiated with the sport which it affortJ. 



