34 EXPEDITION INTO [Ch^p. V. 



ing completely broken clown, and so deeply galled 

 the back of one of the best horses, that he was 

 utterly useless during the rest of the trip. Andries 

 still remained to carry on ihe search for those that 

 had strayed. 



Three tedious marches through an arid level 

 country, quite denuded of herbage, and nearly des- 

 titute of water, brought us across an extensive tract, 

 impregnated with salt, to the residence of the fron- 

 tier Field Commandant, whose domains are situated 

 on the extreme border of the Colony, and are 

 bounded by the Nu Gareep (one of the two prin- 

 cipal branches of the Great Orange River), where 

 we encamped to enjoy the luxury of bathing, and 

 having our linen washed. This day, three more of 

 our oxen dropped down on the road, and being 

 unable, from fatigue and want of sustenance, to 

 advance another step, we had no alternative but to 

 leave them a prey to the wild beasts. A forlorn 

 traveller, whom we overtook, might have shared the 

 same fate had we not succoured him, for his horses, 

 agreeably to colonial usage, had absconded, leaving 

 him to pursue his journey on foot. In return for 

 our opportune hospitality. Mynheer afforded us a 

 fund of diversion by his uncouth and futile attempts 

 to convey boiled rice into the cavity of his mouth 

 through the unwonted agency of a silver fork. 



We were at first rather coolly welcomed by the 

 Field Commandant, to whom we presented the 

 Government letter. He received it with great res- 

 pect, and putting on liis spectacles, laboured hard 



