SOUTHERN AFRICA. CO 



low rang'e of liillocks;, alrendy noticed^ terminated at some 

 distance in several detached hills — some conical^ others table- 

 topped — the white slabs on the sides of these strong-ly con- 

 trastino- Avith the black charred bushes which o-rew amono-st 

 the crevices. A larg-e portion of the countr}^ had been set 

 on fire a few weeks before, in order to clear off the withered 

 g'rass^ and the bountiful thunder-clouds haA'ing- caused the 

 young' g'reen blades to make their appearance^ larg'e herds of 

 game had been attracted to the spot. At the g'org-e of these 

 hills was an extensive line of pit-falls, into one of which a 

 hartebeest^ whose leg' I had broken^ fell as I was riding' 

 him down — ni}' horse being- nearly eng'ulfed in a second, 

 at the same moment. During- the day I killed another 

 Impoofo, which actually measured nineteen hands t^^■o inches 

 at the shoulder, and was even more remarkably unwieldy 

 than any we had hitherto seen. 



Our road was now sometimes over a rocky pavement, at 

 others over g-round which threatened the destruction of the 

 wao-o'ons ; larg-e stones more than a foot in heio-ht, offerino- 

 sharp sides and projecting* points, were firmly fixed in the 

 ground, and added to careless driving-, threw the vehicles from 

 side to side with a violence that shook every spoke. About 4 

 o'clock we halted at the Mimori River, onl}' five miles from 

 Moseg-a. A chain of lakes to the left of our camp contained 

 a herd of wild buffaloes,* whose formidable heads, resem- 

 blhig- masses of rock, were protruded from the water amid 

 waving- sedg-es, the whole of their 1)odies being- immerg-ed. 

 I wounded one, which I attempted to ride down ; but the 

 sharp-pointed stones cutting- the shoeless feet of my horse 

 to pieces, I brought him back to the waggons dead lame. 



* Buhalus Caffer. Delineated in the Portraits of Game and Wild .Animals 

 of Southern Africa. 



