A Waggon come To Grief. 309^ 



to the horse sickness. This Avas a horse I had 

 purchased three months before at Victoria for a 

 comparatively large sum, as he Avas reputed to be 

 a " salted horse," and a guarantee against horse 

 sickness was given me in his case.^ I was noAV 

 entitled to the return of the purchase-money. On 

 the fifth day the heat became so great that we 

 had to wait till dusk to accomplish our daily 

 distance. No moon assisted us, and j^rogress with 

 " voreloj)ers " carrying lanterns was Aery slow. To 

 an ox waggon stones and stumps and steep spruits 

 offer little danger ; it plunges along, defying all 

 jolts and shocks. But Avith carriages on springs 

 the greatest care has to be exercised, as the 

 smashing of a wheel, or of a spring, or of a clissel- 

 boom is as easy as it is irreparable. I should 

 mention that between the Lundi and Wanetse the 

 Avaggon on springs, Avliich Avas draAvn by oxen, and 

 in Avhich Major Giles A\'as travelling, came to 

 aAvful grief. OAving to careless driving in the 

 dark across a nasty spruit the Avaggon Avas alloAved 

 to run U23 a high bank on one side of the passage, 

 Avdiich toppled it OA'er, the team draAving the fore- 

 Avheels and underbody of the Avaggon I'ight away 

 from the hind part. It took six or scA'en hours to 

 repair the damage caused by this accident. Our 

 night trek brought us to the Umzingwane, the ox 

 Avaggon being noAV left far behind. A fcAv scanty 

 pools of brackish water in a vast bed of dry sand 

 alone serA^ed to indicate what is at certain seasons 

 a large and rushing river. Half-way between this 

 ^ This was most promptly repaid by the former owner. 



