36 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



think, with some loose lead in bars and I was fortunate 

 enough to escape any loss. Here we bought our wagon ; 

 the builder of it was a friend of Holly's. It cost a 

 hundred and ten pounds, including dissel-boom, yokes, 

 treck-tow, and keys, and in every sense of the word it 

 was quite worthy of the price paid. So large a con- 

 veyance had to be taken to pieces before putting on board 

 the coasting-steamer, the tent part being very bulky and 

 cumbersome. As freight is charged by measurement, the 

 cost of shipping it to Natal was twenty pounds. This 

 certainly appears a great deal, but I am convinced that 

 both captain and agents would much sooner have sailed 

 without it ; for I suppose if heavy weather had occurred, 

 there would have been no other course than to heave it 

 overboard. 



Being once more free from care and anxiety, I turned 

 to to enjoy myself, and see the wonders of Cape Town. 

 One of our fellow-passengers, long a resident at the 

 Cape, had given us an invitation to pay him a visit at 

 his country residence in Eondebosch. As two ladies, 

 also passengers, were anxious to avail themselves of a 

 similar invitation, Morris engaged a handsome carriage, 

 with four excellent bays, and sitting beside the for- 

 midable-looking Malay coachman, tooled us out in grand 

 style. 



Kondebosch and Constantia, from old experience, I 

 knew to be very pretty; but never conceived that I 

 should see such a view as could be had from our host's 

 gardens. It was Marapossa County, California, come 

 to life in South Africa. Table Mountain, as it over- 

 hangs Cape Town, is bleak ; but here all was green and 

 verdant as our fields in May. But to return to the 

 garden ; I do not know that I ever saw a more beautiful 



