102 Men, Mines, and Animals in South Africa 



preciable additions to the daily meals. Any one 

 travelling in this country for pleasure should cer- 

 tainly be accompanied by a couple of well-trained 

 pointers. With these he would often have excel- 

 lent sport. Long-haired dogs, such as setters, 

 retrievers, spaniels, should not be brought here, as 

 they soon become infested by ticks Avliich cannot 

 be seen or extracted, and which bleed and torture 

 the ])00Y animals, making festering sores, until the 

 dogs fall away in condition, become weak and use- 

 less, and often die. A good supply of carbolic oil 

 is essential, as all scratches from thorns, bites, and 

 stings from insects on the hands or face are likely 

 in this country to fester and give trouble unless 

 treated with carbolic oil. Two hours at daybreak 

 and an hour and a half at sunset are the best times 

 for shooting game, which the wild beauty and 

 variety of the bush renders a most exhilarating 

 pursuit. On the second and third days we had to 

 traverse a route totally unprovided with water for 

 a distance of about sixty miles. The abundant 

 vegetation demonstrates that anv quantity of water 

 could be found within a {e^Y feet of the surface by 

 digging ; but wells are looked upon by the Boers 

 as useless luxuries, and unless Nature has provided 

 a " pan " or " spruit," the Boer passes on, at a cost 

 , of no matter what amount of suffering to his ani- 

 mals. For twenty-four hours our mules got no 

 water, and consequently reached Jahshaan on the 

 evening of the third day in a very exhausted con- 

 dition. A night's rest and good water completely 

 restored them. At Jahshaan is a kopje, Avherc 

 there are many guinea fowls. Here also, is a kraal. 



