SOUTHERN AFRICA. 243 



fidvancino' in the same direction as the caravan, I hastened 

 forward, and before dusk, found myself not a little revived 

 by a draug-ht of the clearest water from a serpentine river 

 flowhio- to the westward ; the banks of which were trimmed 

 with reeds and dwarf willows, while portions of its sandy 

 bed were imprinted with the heavy foot-steps of a troop of 

 lions. 



The mind becomes even more readily habituated to hard- 

 ship and suffering- than the body. Everything- around me 

 was vag-ue and conjectural, and wore an aspect calculated to 

 inspire despondency ; yet my heart was lig'ht and my spirit 

 buoyant j and, I no sooner became convinced that I was ac- 

 tually lost in the heart of a howling- wilderness, inhabited, if 

 at all, by barbarous and hostile tribes, than I felt myself fully 

 prepared to meet the emerg-ency. The setting- sun having- 

 g-iven me the bearing' of the table mountains, considerably to 

 the westward of south, it was evident that, without bein^ 

 aware of it, I had crossed the road, and ridden too far to the 

 eastward. In the hope of yet retrieving- my error, I hurried 

 down the river as fast as possible, but, night closing- in, I was 

 fain to prepare for a bivouac among- the bushes. Tlie stars 

 were completely concealed behind a cloudy sky and repeated 

 flashes of lig-htning- were accompanied by distant thunder. 

 Having- completed all my preparations, I was listening-, with 

 breathless attention, for the cracking- of a whip, or the sig-nal 

 g-uns, which I knew would be fired from the wag-g-ons, when, 

 to my inexpressible delig'ht, a joyous beacon-fire shone sud- 

 denly forth on the river. Upon consideration, I felt puzzled 

 to account for its appearance in a spot which I had so re- 

 cently passed, but, concluding- that the wag-g-ons had subse- 

 quently arrived there, I laid the flattering- unction to my soul, 

 and g-roped my way towards it. My disappointment and 

 disg-ust may better be imag-ined than described when, flitting- 

 round the unfriendly blaze, I discovered a g-ang- of Bushmen^ 



R 2 



