Chap. III.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 15 



searcli, but had set out forthwith in the pedestrian 

 order I have described, well convinced that if his 

 truant horse were not already at home, he would 

 shortly return thither. 



John Strydom having messed with us on the road, 

 his good vroiiiv insisted in return on entertaining us 

 at supper. Mynheer de Klerck, and several of the 

 members of his family, visited our host after the 

 repast was over, and were very slow in taking the 

 hint conveyed by his violent yawnings, that he was 

 anxious to retire to rest. We slept in the waggon, 

 as usual, and were amused during the greater part 

 of the night by the drunken merriment and boister- 

 ous singing of a lame Irish cobbler, who was "keep- 

 ing it up" in a roofless mud outhouse, with two 

 Hottentot " boys," neither of whom was under fifty 

 years of age. The cobbler apologized next morning 

 for not inviting us to the wassail, on the score that 

 we were gentlemen, adding that not being at tlie 

 time altogether " compos mentis," he hoped we 

 would excuse his apparent want of politeness. 



We halted one day, in order to enjoy the diver- 

 sion of wild Guinea-fowl shooting on De Klerck's 

 farm, where we found these birds in abundance, 

 lying in coveys amongst the long grass and under- 

 growth. When flushed, they rose whirring like 

 pheasants high above the tops of the trees. On 

 the 31st we continued our journey about five miles, 

 to Somerset, at which we hoped to obtain another 

 waggon ; the uxorious John Strydom having been 

 proof against the most tempting bribes offered to 



