niAr. viii. FLOCKS OF BEAUTIFUL ANTELOPES. 211 



the acquaintance of the esteemed clergyman of the Dutch 

 Eeformed Church, Mr. Murray, and his excellent family. 



During the remainder of the week we travelled through 

 the rocky passes of the Sneviwberg mountains, and over a suc- 

 cession of plains descending towards the boundary of the 

 colony. The roads during the first part of the journey were 

 unusually bad, lying along mountain gorges, and loose, broken, 

 rocky ground, often intersected by deep gullies or water- 

 courses, in one of which we passed a loaded waggon set fast 

 and broken. The weather was also exceedingly cold, with 

 occasional storms of thunder, lightning, and rain amongst the 

 mountains, which, though they appeared to us of consider- 

 able size and height, were only the peaks and summits of the 

 Sneuwberg as seen from the plains below. On the second 

 day we passed through a flight of locusts of considerable 

 extent, and so numerous, that, except in colour, they resem- 

 bled a thickly falling snow-storm. At first our horses were 

 much excited, and disposed to wheel about, but aftei-wards, 

 though uneasy, they were kept on their way. We succeeded 

 in obtaining provender at the few farm-houses which we 

 passed, and generally halted for the night where water was 

 to be obtained, cooking our evening meal by starlight on 

 the roadside, and sleeping in the waggon. Our plan was to 

 start by daylight, to halt during the heat of the day, and to 

 journey late in the evening. 



On the morning of the third day, having descended from 

 the mountain heights, we saw, as the morning mist cleared 

 away, vast herds of spring-boks, Antilope euchore, a species 

 of antelope, beautifully formed, and graceful in all its move- 

 ments. Besides these, there were herds of gnus, Antilope 

 gnu, feeding in the plains on either side of us ; with numbers 

 of tall birds, the Anthropoides Stanleyamis, or Caffre crane. 

 The gnus were not a quarter of a mile before us, and con- 

 tinued quietly grazing until we were within two or three hun- 



p 2 



