SOUTHERN AFRICA. 275 



ral other boors joining* the party whilst the preparations 

 were being- made^ I fortunately succeeded in hiring- a couple 

 of horses from them^ my own three being* completely 

 exhausted. 



Escorted by my 3'oung- Dutch friends, with two frisky 

 teams, which had been selected from their numerous well- 

 conditioned herds, I ag"ain set forth at two o'clock, to rejoin 

 my wrecked fellow-traveller, who, advancing- at a snail's pace, 

 was not a little rejoiced at my speed}^ retm-n. We encamped, 

 from necessity, about eig-ht miles south of the execrated hill, 

 upon which the Hottentots, with a desig-n of perpetuating 

 their chivalrous exploits, had conferred the appellation of 

 Bushna7i^s Kop. It again broug-ht us evil fortune. The 

 timidity of our little flock of sheep had increased in the ratio 

 of their reduction in numerical streng-th ; and during- this 

 iiig-ht, all efforts to keep them near the wag-g'ons proving- 

 abortive, they dashed for the last time into the wilderness, 

 and we saw them no more. Leavino- Frederick to hunt for 

 his truant charg-e, we pursued our journey at a merry pace in 

 the morning-, and after experiencing- much diiHculty in cross- 

 ing- the Calf river, the bottom of which is extremely muddy, 

 we reached the treh-hoor^s encampment. Like most of the 

 Cape colonists, our juvenile allies held Eng-lishmen and Eng-- 

 lish rifles in equal contempt ; and until I had shot two g^noos 

 tor their edification, at four hundred j^ards, were not to be 

 persuaded that a barrel under four feet in leng-th, or of smaller 

 calibre than their own clumsy roers, could be of the slightest 

 avail. The g-noo and spring--buck, althoug'h still abundant, 

 had become now so exceeding-ly wild from constant persecu- 

 tion, that during the rest of our journey I found it requisite 

 to display a red handkerchief on the muzzle of my rifle, in 

 order to inveigle the former within shot. This exhibition in- 

 variably produced the most violent excitement, and caused 

 the herd to charge past in single file, with mane erect and 



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