18 EXPEDITION INTO 



CHAPTEE IV. 



GRAAFF REINET — AND FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR OUR 

 JOURNEY INTO THE INTERIOR. 



The picturesque little Dutch villag'e of GraafF Reinet^ with 

 its adjoining' g-ardens and fields, is nearly surrounded b}^ the 

 Sunday River, which takes its source in the Sneuwberg"en, 

 a lofty rang'e of mountains immediately to the north, and 

 flowing" throug'h the districts of Camdeboo and Uitenhag'e, 

 fiills into the sea at Alg-oa Bay. The villag'e is sheltered 

 on each side by hig-h conical mountains decorated with 

 perpetual verdure, which is derived from the abundance of 

 speck-boom that covers their rocky declivities. The serpen- 

 tine banks of the river are lined with willows and acacias — 

 many of these latter are overgTown with mistletoe, and both 

 with everg-reen creepers, which climbing* to the very topmost 

 branches fall g-racefully in festoons, adorned with a profusion 

 of frag^rant white flowers, not unfrequently concealing* the 

 tree upon which they have entwined themselves. 



The district of Graafl" Reinet was formed in 1786 under 

 the administration of Governor Van-der Graafl", whose name 

 it received with the adjunct of that of his lady. Nothing- 

 can exceed the neatness of the quaint little Dutch houses 5 

 and Avhilst the salubrity of the climate has no rival in 

 Southern Africa, the produce of the g-ardens and vineyards 

 may vie with those of Europe. Fruits and veg-etables of all 

 kinds gTow here in abundance and perfection. I have before 

 said that we entered the villag'e after dnrk ; on looking' out 

 of the window in the morning-, we saw the street car})eted 



