Chap. VII.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 55 



As the morning's dawn slowly withdrew the 

 curtain from the landscape, we perceived the aspect 

 of the country completely changed. Instead of the 

 dreary waste over which we had lately passed, we 

 might now imagine ourselves in an extensive park. 

 A lawn, level as a billiard-table, was everywhere 

 spread with a soft carpet of luxuriant green grass 

 spangled with flowers, and shaded by spreading 

 mokaalas — a large species of acacia* which forms 

 the favourite food of the giraffe. The gaudy yellow 

 blossoms with which these remarkable trees were 

 covered, yielded an aromatic and overpowering per- 

 fume — while small troops of striped quaggas or 

 wild asses, and of brindled gnoos, which were for 

 the first time to be seen through the forest, enlivened 

 the scene. After travelling four hours we reached 

 Little Chooi, an extensive salt-lake, surrounded by 

 troops of ostriches and spring-bucks, attracted thither 

 by the luxuriant, yet crisp and sour grass, which our 

 cattle refused to eat — and by a small pond of in- 

 tolerably alkaline water, which we found it impos- 

 sible to purify. 



Several armed natives of the Barolong and Batlaroo 

 tribes, branches of the Bechuana, visited us for the 

 purpose of begging w2Mc/mA-o or tobacco, causing great 

 consternation by their approach. Poor Richard in 

 particular, who till yesterday had considered him- 

 self a perfect Sayard " sans peur et sans reproche," 

 had been rapidly sinking since the affair of the flying 

 savage, and now felt convinced that the threatened 



* Acacia Giraffae. 



