158 EXrEDITION INTO 



At daybreak the following* morning"^ we crossed an exten- 

 sive valley wliicli skirts the mountain rang-e, passing" the 

 ruins of several stone kraals^ which in former time served 

 to confine the cattle of numerous Bechuana tribes then living* 

 in peaceful possession of the country. These crumbling* me- 

 morials now afford evidence of the extent to which this lovely 

 spot was populated before the devastating* wars of Mosele- 

 katse laid it waste, and indicate also a refinement in the art 

 of building" that I had not met with before. Our g-uides 

 eagerly plucked several plants of tobacco that g"rew wild about 

 the enclosures, dr} ing" them for the manufacture of snuff. 

 Soon afterwards we entered a g'org*e of the mountains, and 

 beg*an to ascend. The ravag"es of elephants were here still 

 more conspicuous, and footsteps of the preceding* day were 

 numerous. We paused on the mountains to admire the 

 stupendous depth and formidable character of the ravines 

 and chasms, which have been scooped out by the mig*hty 

 torrents of water that roll down during* the rainy season, 

 with fury irresistible, uprooting* ancient trees, and hurling* 

 into the plain below hug-e masses of rock, which, once put 

 in motion, bound from ledg"e to ledg-e until they reach the 

 bottom of the valley. Nearly all the rivers in this part of 

 Africa take their source in the Cashan rang"e. It divides the 

 waters that flow to the eastward into the Mozambique Sea, 

 from those that run to the westward into the Atlantic Ocean; 

 and the country on both sides being" abundantly irrig*ated, 

 is far better calculated both for grazing* and cultivation than 

 any part of the district that we found the Matabili occupy- 

 ing*. The fear of Ding*aan, however, has led them to neglect 

 it, and to establish themselves in a more secure position. 

 A gigantic savage of a subordinate tribe of the Baquaina, a 

 conquered nation to the northward, here accidentally joined 

 us. He Avas a perfect ogre in dimensions, six feet four 

 inches high, and stout in proportion. From him we learned 



