22 Recollections of Adventures 



better for half-a-crown. Ted and I used to go 

 about the hills overlooking the Tugela. There were 

 crowds of baboons, and one day while we were 

 bathing, they stole some green mealies we had left 

 on the hill above, so we lost part of our lunch. How 

 we enjoyed those rambles ! 



The Klip River being in high flood, Alex, and I 

 and our Zulu commandeered the ferry boat belonging 

 to old Adams the blacksmith, and gaily rowed down 

 stream. All went well until we got into the big 

 rapids above Cauvin's Mill, (in the Poort opposite 

 Umbulwana,) when we struck some rocks, got twisted 

 about, and half filled with water, but succeeded in 

 landing at Cauvin's, where we hired a cart to drive 

 home. Old Adams was unreasonably put out ; but we 

 paid for a wagon to fetch the boat back, and there 

 was a reconciliation. There is a large pool in the river 

 above our house with a rapid shooting into it. I 

 was bathing when I saw a man wash down into the 

 pool, I swam to help him out, but he was dazed 

 and tried to grapple me, so I hit him between 

 the eyes, caught his " back " hair and held him up 

 while we drifted with the stream. Fortunately, our 

 stable boy (who was watering the horses), a splendid 

 swimmer, jumped in, and helped to get the fellow 

 out. He turned out to be a half drunken Irish bush 

 sawyer, and he no sooner recovered, then he wanted 

 to fight me for hitting him in the eye. There's 

 gratitude for you ! There were no bridges in the 

 fifties ; so travelling was dangerous, as the rivers 

 filled so rapidly from the mountain rain storms. 



One day while shooting on Ruitenburg, I heard 

 my dogs barking, on getting near saw a large, 

 black snake swinging from a branch spitting at 

 them. I shot him, but all the dogs went blind and 

 remained so for some time. These mountain snakes 



