214 LODGES IN THE WILDERNESS 



the spot where my clothes were, and returned 

 to camp for breakfast. All hands were forag- 

 ing for " veld kost " among the kopjes. Soon 

 they returned, laden with strange vegetable 

 spoil. 



The previous day had been unusually cool, 

 but that morning opened with a breath from 

 the Kalihari, the definite and unalterable 

 promise of severe heat. This would last until 

 the sea-breeze reached us, late in the after- 

 noon. We marched along the river bank, ad- 

 miring the towering bluffs that glowed in the 

 sunshine and then allowing our eyes to sink 

 down and drink refreshment from the de- 

 licious greenery of the forest. We were now 

 well round the eastern section of the bend, 

 and were travelling almost due west. More 

 pheasants and monkeys fell to my gun. An 

 army on the march must levy tribute on the 

 ' territory it passes through. 



The character of the country somewhat 

 changed as the river curved southward. On 

 the northern side of the river the mountains 

 were not quite so high; on the southern, they 

 now sprang steeply from the river bed. Here 

 and there, under the overhanging edges of the 

 higher terraces, we noticed caves. A murmur 

 stole up the gorge and waxed as we advanced. 



