SOMETHING LIKE A GARDEN. 37 



one the choice and variety of shrubs were wonderful, 

 many being natives of sub-tropical climates. Vines, 

 oranges, and almost every variety of fruit, grew in the 

 wildest profusion, and the extent of all this ran into 

 many acres. There were several ponds, a rivulet, 

 and pum ping-machines, explaining how this wealth of 

 vegetable life was kept in such a healthy condition; and 

 to till the soil, weed, prune, and perform other gardening 

 functions, sixteen Hottentots were employed. Wines 

 of the choicest vintage, some so old that I am afraid to 

 state their age, did much towards shortening the journey 

 homewards ; while pontac and soda, strongly recom- 

 mended by Holly, failed to put me in a serene state of 

 mind next morning. When you visit the Cape, avoid 

 vineyards and wine- tasting, and above all, never take 

 the advice of an Africander on the subject of what you 

 ought to imbibe in the morning as a pick-me-up. 



Although I enjoyed myself exceedingly, and received 

 much hospitality in Cape Town, the hour for departure 

 was most, acceptable. With a dark, black, threatening 

 sea, and lowering, searching wind, we started, and, ere 

 reaching Simon's Bay, commenced to regard a heavy 

 southerly gale a moral certainty ; but the weatherwise 

 were disappointed, and those who from ignorance kept 

 silence were at once credited with the most critical 

 observation. Mossel Bay was passed in the evening, 

 and at break of day the long stretch of yellow sand that 

 surrounds Port Elizabeth was in sight. No sooner had 

 the anchor dropped than the vessel was fairly stormed 

 by friends and relations of the passengers ; and what 

 a funny lot most of them looked for I believe the 

 majority were from small towns up country. Their 

 manners and dress were horseyish; but where, oh, 



