WHAT BOERS CONSIDER A GOOD JOKE. 167 



sides of a square, Potschefstrom is frequently called, 

 especially by the Dutch, Mooi-river-dorp ; in fact, when 

 you get up country you will hear it spoken of among 

 the inhabitants by no other appellation. 



Our arrival here has done Morris a little good. I 

 believe the interminable plains we have been passing 

 over for the last twenty days depressed his spirits, and 

 with a sick body it is very hard to resist it. Persons 

 on coming into this part of the country invariably suffer 

 severely from some ailment or other. The water is 

 accredited as the cause ; in my opinion it may assist, 

 but elevation, and consequently unaccustomed rarefica- 

 tion of atmosphere, has more to do with the indisposition 

 than is generally believed. 



Pasture all round the camping-ground there is an 

 abundance of, still it is not safe to let your bullock 

 graze alone, without the forelopers being in attendance, 

 for there are such things as mealy fields, and nothing 

 delights a Boer more than sending cattle to the pound, 

 particularly if they belong to a travelling Englishman. 

 They are asserted to have a penchant for sending their 

 neighbour's cattle also ; who could then expect that a 

 stranger's would be safe? In Umganey I have long 

 been aware that I possess a most valuable servant ; his 

 work he conscientiously performs, seeking neither to 

 thrust his doings under your eyes nor to make market 

 out of them. For performing his duty I do not 

 applaud him he is but doing his duty, and for that 

 he is paid; but as a good and faithful servant, often 

 taking work out of my hands, I give or send him a 

 piece of tobacco, for which he is very thankful. 



I have forgotten to state that Imp, the little scamp 

 Imp, who was in charge of the culinary department, 



