178 Men, Mines, AND Animals in South Africa. 



most unusual. I have travelled many thousands 

 of miles, and visited many places of the earth, and 

 I have never vet arrived at any place where I was 

 not informed that the weather was most unseason- 

 able. The loss of tlie mules and another wet 

 evenino- made all disjnrited and melancholy. On 

 the morning of the 3 1st, we reached the Wanetse. 

 This is a river of importance, seventy or eighty 

 yards wide at this time of year, with a strong- 

 flowing current. The drift is an awkward one ; 

 large boulders obstruct the passage, and rocky 

 slippery banks make it almost impossible for the 

 mules to emerge from the river dragging any load 

 behind them. The " spider " crossed in safety, 

 but with tremendous jolts and shakings. The 

 mule waggon reached the middle and stuck hope- 

 lessly fast against a large l^oulder. The conductor 

 and " the boys " all stripped and plunged into the 

 stream. The whips were freely plied, the mules 

 from the " spider " were added on to the team, a 

 jack was placed under the waggon with great 

 difficulty to raise the wheels, but all to no 

 purpose. The mules struggled, plunged, and 

 tumbled about in the stream and on the rocks in 

 an extraordinary manner, so that it was a wonder 

 either that they were not drowned or that they 

 did not break some of their limbs. Finally, the 

 panting, heaving, fatigued, and dripping creatures 

 were released from their useless toil, and a team 

 of twenty-two strong oxen was borrowed from a 

 transport rider who, with his waggons, was en- 

 camped on the opposite bank. These, inspanned 



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