282 EXPEDITION INTO [Chap. XXXII. 



to be about one hundred and fifty miles from the 

 present position. In order to reach the missionary 

 station of Phillipolis, therefore, which was supposed 

 to be rather less than double that distance, it was 

 determined to adopt a south-westerly route. Day 

 after day, as I pricked off on the chart the progress 

 that we had made, was I strengthened in the opinion 

 I had formed, and the sequel fully confirmed its 

 correctness. 



The first day we travelled over an uninterrupted 

 plain strewed with small land-tortoises, and covered 

 with a profusion of gay flowers, red, yellow, purple, 

 and crimson. Amongst these the gaudy marigold 

 was predominant — growing sometimes singly, and 

 at others spreading out into beds of several acres in 

 extent. A sultry and tedious march of nine hours 

 brought us at length to a bog, with a scanty pool 

 of excessively fetid mineral water, which nothing 

 but the direst necessity could have induced us to 

 taste. The number of animals collected in the vi- 

 cinity first drew our attention to this treasure, which 

 was surrounded by a clump of bulrushes, with a 

 strong calcareous incrustation at their roots. So 

 exhausted were the oxen, after their three hours' 

 cold bath the preceding day, that they would hardly 

 have reached this oasis, had not the fresh scent 

 of a lion recruited their vigour. However tired the 

 poor beasts might be, a sniff of one of their feline 

 enemies never failed to put them in the highest 

 spirits. Several gnoos rushed with them to the 

 water's edge, as if to dispute their share, and I 



