HUNTING THE ZEBRA AND RHINOCEROS. 381 



hartebeest, which, along with sassaybys, oryx, and ostriches, 

 now becoming daily more abundant. 



On the 31st we reached the Kurrichane mountain range. 

 Having crossed these, we proceeded up the valley about three 

 miles, when we reached a gorge in the mountains which con- 

 nected this fine valley with the great strath or vale of Bakatla. 

 Through this gorge ran a stream of the purest crystal water. 

 Our road lay along the margin of this stream, across large 

 masses of stone and ledges of rock, which threatened every 

 moment the destruction of our wagons. 



Following the stream for half a mile, we arrived at Mabotza, 

 the kraal of Mosielely, king of Bakatlas, a tribe of Bechuanas. 

 Here I was kindly received by Dr. Livingstone, the resident 

 missionary. The vale of Bakatla, which I had now reached, 

 is one of the most beautiful spots in Africa. It is a broad 

 and level strath extending from east to west, and bounded by 

 picturesque rocky mountains, beautifully wooded to their 

 summits. In parts the strath is adorned with groves and 

 patches of beautiful forest trees of endless variety ; in others 

 it is open, carpeted with a goodly coating of luxuriant grass. 

 A large portion of the valley, opposite to the town, is culti- 

 vated by the Bakatla women, and a succession of extensive 

 cornfields stretched away to the northward of the kraal. 

 These had lately been denuded of their crops, but a goodly 

 show of pumpkins and watermelons still remained on the fields. 

 The following day was Sunday, and I attended Divine service 

 in a temporary place of worship that had been erected by the 

 missionaries. It was amusing to remark, in the costume of 

 the Bakatlas on this occasion, the progress of civilization. 

 All those who managed to get hold of some European article 

 of dress had donned it, some appearing in trowsers without 

 shirts, and others in shirts without trowsers. 



The 2nd of June was the coldest day I had experienced in 

 Africa, a cutting cold wind blowing off the Southern Ocean. 

 On the morning of the 2nd I was waited upon by Mosielely, 



