The Conquest of the Desert 



for any geographical feature like a river, or 

 mountain, or falls, it should be preferred. But 

 no geographer of any standing would dream of 

 suggesting that the name of the English queen 

 should be removed from the falls of the Zambesi, 

 and few will deny an equal and earlier right for 

 the falls of the Orange River to bear the name 

 of an English king. 



The Great Falls of the Orange River, although 

 less majestic, are higher than the Victoria Falls 

 on the Zambesi, and more than double those of 

 Niagara ; and it does indeed seem strange that 

 their correct name should be blotted out. But 

 stranger still is the fact that these noble cataracts 

 have remained practically a sealed book, alike 

 to the scientific explorer and to the people of 

 South Africa. In the space of a century a mere 

 handful of men have visited these falls — so 

 hard has been the approach to the southern 

 gateway of the Great Thirst Land. But the 

 next few years will witness a marvellous 

 transformation in the surrounding districts of 

 Namaqualand, Kenhart, Gordonia, and the 

 Kalahari. For the sister sciences of dry-farming 

 and irrigation are destined to make the desert 

 blossom as the rose. Railways will convey the 

 sun-seeker from Europe, along the verdant bank 



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