THE RICHTERSVELD 181 



River was, however, sped oceanwards over a 

 vast plateau of hard-grained rock, several 

 thousand feet above sea-level. Into this the 

 stream has been slowly biting, and the allu- 

 vium that meat upon which material civilisa- 

 tion is nourished, was hurled through the chan- 

 nel and flung wastefully into the maw of the 

 all-consuming waves. Under different phy- 

 siographical circumstances another Alexandria 

 might have arisen where to-day the flamingo 

 nests among the misty dunes at the Orange 

 River's mouth, " and another Sphinx, of Hot- 

 tentot or Bantu physiognomy, might have 

 stood, gazing through forgotten centuries, 

 across the waste of Bushmanland."* 



The tract lying within the sickle-bend is 

 called the Richtersveld. Little is known of 

 this tract or of its inhabitants. Half a century 

 ago prospecting for copper ore was carried on 

 in the vicinity. Indications of the metal 

 abounded, but no payable deposit was dis- 

 covered. 



I decided to organise an expedition to the 

 Richtersveld. There were several reasons for 

 doing this. One was a complaint which had 

 been made to the Attorney General of the 

 Cape Colony respecting the alleged flogging 



* Between Sun and Sand. 



