On the Way to the Mazoe Gold-fields. 239 



cart containing our provisions, blankets, etc. 

 About midday we reached tlie Gweebi River, 

 Avhich proved, in spite of its insignificant appear- 

 ance, a rather formidable obstacle to our dejected- 

 looking team, A^diich seemed quite unable to make 

 the slight effort necessary to pull us out. How- 

 ever, by completely unloading the waggon and 

 dio-o'ino- the o-round from under the wheels, we 

 enabled them eventually to drag themselves to 

 the other side, and "witliout further mishap we 

 reached ]\lount Hampden at nightfall, and were 

 soon afterwards joined bv ^Ir. Borrow (of the firm 

 of Johnson, Heaney, and Borrow). He had 

 followed us in a Cape cart drawn Ijy salted mules, 

 having very kindly consented to take us to the 

 best claims, and generally show us Avliat was 

 most worth examination. Up to this jiioint the 

 country was fiat, treeless, and occasionally marshy. 

 Some spoor was to be seen, Ijut no game was 

 caught sight of except a small buck and some 

 wild turkeys, although we met a party of pro- 

 spectors, some of whom iiad just shot an eland, 

 while the others were still out in pursuit of some 

 ostrich. We got under weigh next morning by 

 moonlight, about 5 a.m., and outspanned three 

 "^ hours afterwards on the Tatag-ora River, whore 

 Mr. Perkins had an opportunity of looking at 

 some claims on a neighbouring kopje which had 

 recently been purchased by the firm mentioned 

 above. The hill appeared to have been worked 

 on one side to some considerable extent by the 

 old miners. Several shafts have been cleared of 



