Chai'. XXII.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 287 



in every direction, without being able to discover 

 a drop of water, although the thirsty earth was 

 seamed with dry tanks and guUies. Late in the 

 afternoon, still plodding our weary way over the 

 cheerless expanse, we were vainly Hstening for the 

 melodious croaking of some friendly frog, which 

 alone was likely to be the index to the element we 

 required, when our eyes were unexpectedly greeted 

 by a waggon-road. The appearance of the deeply 

 ploughed ruts, the first that we had seen since leav- 

 ing Tolaan, showed that upwards of twenty laden 

 vehicles had passed about twelve months before, 

 during a fall of rain. Trusting that they might lead 

 us to wafer, we followed them as long as daylight 

 lasted. Then the sky became overcast, and flashes 

 of lightning, at short intervals, showing us some- 

 thing on the verge of the horizon which looked like 

 a thick bush, we persevered towards it. Alas ! like 

 the delusive lakes in the morning, it was metamor- 

 phosed, on our approach, into a few dwarf shrubs 

 barely a foot in height. Unable to proceed further, 

 we halted in the middle of the bleak and exposed 

 heath, without either fuel or water beyond the 

 scanty supply in the waggons. The sheep were 

 placed in a circle formed by haltering the horses 

 together ; and to prevent the oxen from straying, 

 we were compelled to secure them to the waggon- 

 wheels, although the unfortunate beasts had passed 

 twelve hours in the yoke, without tasting a morsel 

 of food. 



