SOUTH AFRICAN SCENERY. 133 



thronged in this seemingly barren region, and while the 

 dull monotony of the scenery might have wearied us, 

 the splendor of the sport afforded an exciting relief. 



As we approached the Great Orange river, the country 

 assumed a less sterile aspect, and when we reached the 

 stream, the beauty of the scene compensated manifold for 

 the desolation through which we had passed. Only those 

 who have travelled through a desert, beneath a blazing 

 sun for weeks, and have been surprised by coming upon an 

 oasis of verdure can appreciate the luxurious feeling ve 

 experienced when we saw the crystal water, bordered with 

 groves of verdant foliage and gorgeous blossoms. The 

 breadth of the river was about three hundred yards. As 

 far as we could see, the banks were fringed with willows, 

 the branches of which, yielding to the music of the breeze, 

 now dipped in the stream and danced upon the ripples, 

 and then, threw themselves up, scattering showers of pearls 

 from each leafy tress. Behind, and among the willows, 

 we could see the golden blossoms of the mimosa, and the 

 deep green of the oleander. The most delicious perfume 

 filled the air. Numerous birds, of rainbow plumage and 

 fluttering melody, flitted among the foliage. The ground 

 was carpeted with emerald grass, decked with flowers of 

 every hue and enchanting fragrance. 



Riding ahead of our lumbering wagons, we reached the 

 shade of the groves about noon. I imagined myself 



12 



