RED-WATEU. 119 



But, speaking for myself, the most enjoyable feeling 

 I had that day was to turn and look at the range of 

 mountains the rugged, the steep, the precipitous, the 

 dangerous Drackenberg, now in our rear so long the 

 bugbear of our journey, so long the point foretold that 

 was to end our expedition ; and, on the other hand, to 

 look over the vast plain that lay extending to the north, 

 and to know that it was but a matter of a few days 

 when we should be trecking through countless herds of 

 spring-buck, bless-buck, intermixed with quaggas and 

 wildebeest (gnu}. 



Again, another source of rejoicing I possessed was 

 that, if the Boers who accompanied us became insolent 

 or lazy, we were now comparatively independent. At 

 the same time, in justice I must add that they had 

 stood to us nobly, and gone through a severe and heavy 

 ordeal which few but men skilled as the Boers are in 

 bullock -driving could have accomplished ; for we had a 

 load that would have frightened any person but such 

 as were as ignorant as ourselves in like matters. 



Next morning at daybreak we inspanned, and made 

 a short treck of two hours. Our halting-place was 

 densely clothed with good grass, and in the immediate 

 vicinity an abundant supply of water could be obtained. 

 Here the cattle were allowed to revel till three in the 

 evening ; for Hendrick and Pater had to go to a neigh- 

 bouring farm to fetch, if alive, two oxen they were 

 obliged to leave behind on their downward journey, on 

 account of their being attacked with red- water. 



I have, in a former chapter, alluded to lung-sick- 

 ness : red-water is a disease almost as prevalent in this 

 part of the country ; it unquestionably is hemorrhage in 

 the vicinity of the bladder, which ultimately wears out 



