122 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



walked up to him; the pig, no way daunted, turned round 

 and faced what he supposed a dangerous neighbour, 

 setting his bristles, and looking as fierce as possible. 

 Still Bob was in no way disconcerted, but made a small 

 feint, and in a moment had his adversary fast by the 

 butt of the ear, and there held him, poor piggy screaming 

 most vociferously till the redoubtable Bob was forced to 

 relax his jaws. I believe in all my life I never saw an 

 animal so destitute of fear as this half-bred greyhound. 



At length, just before sunset, we reach Harrismith, 

 and outspan three hundred yards beneath the town, 

 which is situated on a grassy slope at the back of the 

 Drackenberg, which here terminates in perpendicular 

 rocks almost resembling a wall seven or eight hun- 

 dred feet high. 



Catalin Bay, that charming Gibraltar detachment for 

 British subalterns of studious minds to ruminate at, is 

 not unlike this place in the lay of the land, only you 

 must transpose the sand into grass, the sea into velt, 

 and leave the rocks alone. About Harrismith you 

 find an abundance of fruit ; in the other there was a 

 mulberry-tree in the garden of the officer command- 

 ing the detachment; it was a government tree, 

 and I daresay the barrack -master put it in his sche- 

 dule, for it was uncommonly seedy and unserviceable. 

 When I was a " sub," the whole of the youngsters of 

 my own standing used to suppose that the barrack- 

 master was in the habit of putting all damages in his 

 pocket ; I do not think my father could have done so, 

 for he did not die rich. However, he might not have 

 played his cards properly, for twenty years ago it was 

 an accepted fact, at least I never heard any one dispute 

 it, that a barrack-master could realise a large fortune 



