12 EXPEDITION INTO 



himself by the wa3-side; consented to enter our service in 

 the vacant situation. 



The countr}^ was still of the same barren, uninteresting* 

 character as that alread}^ described, but g'enerally more level, 

 less abundantly watered, and more thickly covered Avith 

 brushwood and succulent dwarf trees, called by the colonists 

 speck-boom. We travelled at the rate of thirty miles a day, 

 twice passing" the nig-ht without water for the oxen — saw 

 several small herds of spring- -bucks, of which beautiful little 

 antelope I killed three— and arrived late on the evening- of 

 the 29th at the home-sick Strydom's cottag-e, on M3aiheer de 

 KlercFs farm, where his doating* young* vrouw received him 

 with overflowing* eyes and open arms. On the journey we 

 had picked up a disconsolate wheelwrig-ht, whom we overtook 

 plodding' his weary wa}^ along- the road, with a green veil over 

 his face, and a saddle, bridle, and bundle, on his head j his 

 horse having- most unceremoniously abandoned him under 

 cover of the nig-ht, an event by no means uncommon in the 

 annals of South African travelling-, and one to which our 

 dismounted equestrian was so well accustomed, that he had 

 lost no time in precarious search, but had set out forthwith 

 in the pedestrian order I have described, well convinced that 

 if his truant horse were not already at home, he w ould 

 shortty return thither. 



John Strydom having- messed with us on the road, his g-ood 

 vrouw insisted in return on entertaining- us at supper. Myn- 

 heer de Klerck, and several of the members of his family, 

 visited our host after the repast w^as over, and were very slow 

 in taking- the hint conveyed by his violent yawning-s, that 

 he was anxious to retire to rest. We slept in the wag-g-on, 

 as usual, and were amused during- the g-reater part of the 

 nig'ht by the drunken merriment and boisterous sing-ing- of a 

 lame Irish cobbler, who was "keeping- it up" in a roofless 

 mud outhouse, with two Hottentot " boys," neither of whom 



