Ci.AP. IV.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 21 



CHAPTER IV. 



GRAAFF REINET— AND FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR 

 OUR JOURNEY INTO THE INTERIOR. 



The picturesque little Dutch village of GraafFRei- 

 net, with its adjoining gardens and fields, is nearly 

 surrounded by the Sunday River, which takes its 

 source in the Sneuwbergen, a lofty range of moun- 

 tains immediately to the north, and flowing through 

 the districts of Camdeboo and Uitenhage, falls into 

 the sea at Algoa Bay. The village is sheltered on 

 each side by high conical mountains decorated with 

 perpetual verdure, which is derived from the abun- 

 dance of speck-boom that covers their rocky declivi- 

 ties. The serpentine banks of the river are lined 

 with willows and acacias — many of these latter are 

 overgrown with mistletoe, and both with evergreen 

 creepers, which climbing to the very topmost branches 

 fall gracefully in festoons, adorned with a profusion 

 of fragrant white flowers, not unfrequently concealing 

 the tree upon which they have entwined themselves. 

 The district of GraafF Reinet was formed in 1786 

 under the administration of Governor Van-derGraaft", 

 whose name it received with the adjunct of that of 

 his lady. Nothing can exceed the neatness of the 

 quaint little Dutch houses; and whilst the salubrity 

 of the climate has no rival in Southern xAfrica. the 



