SOUTHERN AFRICA. 11 



CHAPTER III. 



JOURNEY FROM GRAHAM's TOWN TO GRAAFF REINET. 



For the moderate remuneration of one hundred Rix dollars, 

 equal to about seven pounds sterlmg-^ Mr. Pollard, junior, 

 the innkeeper's son, volunteered to accompany us with his 

 wag-g-on as far as Somerset, a small town about half way to 

 GraafF Reinet, where his maternal uncle resided ; but by 

 dint of attending- the market every morning-, we contrived, 

 on the 20th of the month, to obtain a retm-n vehicle for 

 one-fourth of the sum. When v\'e had proceeded about a 

 mile, one of the latety purchased horses deserted, and I did 

 not succeed in re-captm-ing" him until he had re-entered Gra- 

 ham's Town. After traveUino- ten miles, our wao-o-on havino- 

 been carelessly driven by Andries, became entang-led in a 

 wiry unyielding- bush, and could not be extricated without 

 the assistance of hatchets. John Strydom, the fat g-ood- 

 natured proprietor of the Avag-g'on that we had hired, took 

 advantng-e of this delay to ride back upon a horse that he 

 borrowed from us, in order to recover a cash receipt of some 

 importance, which he fancied he had dropped, and returned 

 about the middle of the nig-ht, having- completely knocked 

 up the steed. What added to om- vexation was that he 

 found the missing- document in his waistcoat pocket. The 

 leader of our team having- stolen a horse during- our sojourn 

 at Graham's ToAvn, had been incarcerated, and our difficulties 

 had not been a little multiphed by the impossibility of finding- 

 a substitute. Fortunately, however, in the course of the 

 second day's journey, a Hottentot, whom we found sunning- 



