46 



two latter especially in the neighbourhood of TTai 

 Dra-dra. 



Babuca is the name of a small district as well 



of a village. "VYe stayed in it several days, and 

 had long rambles in the forests. This part of the 

 country is exceedingly mountainous, and is well 

 wooded. Portions of the woods are annually cleared 

 as elsewhere ; but on account of the superabundance 

 of rain, nature soon restores the balance by the rapid 

 growth of other portions ; and, also, on account of the 

 moisture, fires are neither so extensive nor destructive 



in the province of Xavosa. Agglomerate is the 

 kind of rock that most abounds, but those of aqueous 

 origin were also met with. The land is fertile, and 

 coffee would thrive well upon it. 



On leaving Babuca the path to na Koro Vatu led 

 down the bed of the AVai ni Loa to its junction with 

 the AVai ni Mala, and afterwards along the bed of that 

 river, nearly as far as the village of Ruku-ruku. We 

 found it a rough one, and, following the course of the 

 river, we had to climb over boulders, and to cross the 

 river 15 times. The depth of water at the fords below 

 the confluence of the two rivers, varied from 3 to 5 

 feet. The scenery of the river was extremely pretty, 

 country was mountainous and well wooded. At 

 several places the TTai ni Loa has cut through in- 

 verted V or triangular shaped ridges, exposing whole 

 Beriea of strata. On the journey to na Koro Vatu 

 we stopped a night at Koro Suli, a large village on 



lelt bani of the river. A short ramble into the 

 wae made at this place, when a new species of 

 gardenia and Beveral species of ferns were collected. 

 On resuming our journey the country began to open 

 out, to be Less densely wooded, and less mountainous. 

 The course of the river is crooked. The large flats on 



