The Conquest of the Desert 



Chief of the party was Captain William S. 

 Bridge, commanding the " S " Division of the 

 Cape Mounted Police. His bear comprises the 

 whole of Gordonia, a part of Kenhardt, and a 

 portion of Namaqualand, or, roughly, 36,000 

 square miles. In other words, it is much larger 

 than the whole of Scotland. Inspector Bridge 

 is responsible for the law and order of this vast 

 area. He is also the warden of the game reserve 

 of the Southern Kalahari. His headquarters 

 are at Upington, with sub-stations at the follow- 

 ing points : — (1) Ramon's Drift, (2) Pella, 

 (3) Puff-Adder, (4) Scuit Drift, (5) Kakamas, 

 (6) Keimoes, (7) Zwart Kop, (8) Zwart Modder, 

 (9) Warm Vlei, (10) Obobogorop, (11) Witdraai, 

 and (12) Rietfontein. Born in the fair county 

 of Devon, Captain Bridge has spent thirty years 

 of his life in the Cape Mounted Police. He is 

 still in the prime of his manhood — lion-hearted, 

 proud of his magnificent corps, and as much 

 at home in the centre of the Kalahari as he is 

 in Piccadilly Circus — an Empire builder. 



His two native boys are named respectively 

 William and Jacob. They are the best 

 " Bastards " in the whole country. The 

 former, a private in the C.M.R., is the son of 

 a desert patriarch called Gert Louw. I took a 



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