The Cataracts of King George 



into the dark abyss below. Every few minutes 

 a vast column of vapour rose from the river and 

 spread far and wide in a soft white mist. The 

 water of the Orange is chocolate-coloured from 

 carrying fine particles of silt, and you might 

 almost imagine that a million men were 

 shovelling soil into the river, every single second, 

 where the cataracts leap into the canon. 



With the life-giving juice of a lemon we 

 solemnly re-christened the Aughrabies, or Great 

 Falls of the Orange River, as the Cataracts of 

 King George. And then, having taken a few 

 photographs, we prepared to return. Except 

 in the middle of winter, when the tributary 

 streams are low, it is not possible to reach the 

 Great Falls without a boat save by swimming. 

 This method was adopted by two members of 

 our party, the Hon. Paul Methuen and Mr 

 Gustave Lutz of Upington, Gordonia. 



And now in the quiet comfort of my home 

 I would like to record a few reflections. The 

 Union Government owns a large tract of land on 

 both sides of the waterfall. All citizens of South 

 Africa will pray that this splendid heritage 

 may be preserved for all time to come and be 

 laid out as a National Park, as has been done at 



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