8 EXPEDITION INTO 



seen bomiflmg' over the hill-tops^ or up their sides 5 stopping- 

 at hlte^^'als^ stamping- with his shg-ht fore-foot, and sendhig* 

 down the breeze liis not-to-be-mistaken whistle^ as he g'azed 

 at the wag'g'ons winding* beneath him. Besides gin-shops, 

 there are two inns on the road 5 the first at Sunday River^ 

 the second at Bushman's Hill ; but at neither of these could 

 we procure bread or forag-e, and the country not producing- a 

 sing'le blade of g'rass^ our cattle daily presented more finished 

 specimens of anatomy. Old Pollard, the loquacious land- 

 lord of the last-mentioned inn, endeavoured by his wit to 

 supply the want of cheer, g*ravely assuring* us that had we 

 employed him we might have obtained horses^ wag'g'ons, 

 and oxen^ at a tenth of the price. This worthy Boniface's 

 daughter here joined our party, proceeding- to Graham's 

 Town on a matrimonial expedition^ or, in other words, to 

 be present, agreeably to colonial custom, when her marriage 

 banns were proclaimed in church. 



Whilst descending a steep hill by night, one of the oxen 

 contrived to strangle himself — a circumstance only remark- 

 able from the great sensation produced by the Parsee's steady 

 refusal to partake of the flesh. We often overheard our 

 followers afterwards talking of the cow-worshipper, who 

 was not allowed to eat beef.* It rained repeatedly and 

 heavily during our journey, the roads in an instant becom- 

 ing so slippery that it was impossible to proceed a single 

 step until the Avater had run off. At a place called Assegai 

 Bush, the ground in the morning was white with hoar frost j 

 and all the brooks were frozen over^ a sight we had not 

 witnessed for years. It was piercingly cold, and even at 7 

 A.M. the thermometer stood at 34". When within a few 



* The well-known objection on the part of the Parsees, or fire-worshippers 

 of India, to eating beef, is believed to have arisen from a compact formed with 

 the Hindoos on their first arrival. A respect for Mahomedan prejudices is 

 understood to influence them equally against partaking of the unclean beast. 



