The Cataracts of King George 



find on most maps, and have spelt it as it is 

 spelt on the map supplied with the Encyclo- 

 pedia Britannica. [Mr Lewis refers to the 

 Ninth Edition.] The correct pronunciation of 

 the name is not, however, an easy matter. It 

 probably represents the bushman equivalent 

 for ' Great Waterfall,' and bushman words are 

 difficult to pronounce on account of their many 

 clicks and other strange sounds." 



Mr Lewis's article is entitled " The Aughrabies 

 or Great Falls of the Orange River," and it is 

 hardly to be wondered at that in his ardour for 

 the irrigation possibilities of the Orange River 

 and far removed from historical references, he 

 should have missed the point that the Great 

 Falls have already been named by their dis- 

 coverer. In other maps (Chapman), as we have 

 just mentioned, the word is spelt " Aukurubies." 

 That is to say, there is no uniformity ever in the 

 spelling of the prefix or first syllables of this 

 word. To saddle the majestic falls of the 

 longest river in South Africa with such an out- 

 landish name is unthinkable. The native name 

 for the Victoria Falls — Mosioatunya — although 

 equally impossible, is far more musical than the 

 bushman word. It has been said that in all 

 cases where a native name is available to use 



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