CHAP. IX. SITE OF VANDERKEMFS EARLY LABOURS. 237 



our journey, though not without regarding -with peculiar 

 interest, amongst many surroimding objects, the garden and 

 the trees, one of which was j)lanted by Vanderkemp. Our 

 driver pointed out to us the spot where the son of Mr. 

 Brownlee, the missionary of King William's Town, was killed 

 by the Caffres in the commencement of the late war, and he 

 added that he was himself one of the soldiers who carried 

 his body home. Much of the space over which we travelled 

 this day is to missionaries a sort of classic ground. Before 

 reaching Pirie we passed over the spot where Dr. Vanderkemp, 

 half a century ago, built his grass-roofed missionary hut, 

 kneeling down when he had cut the first bundle of grass to 

 thank God for a home in the wilderness. A little farther 

 along the Debe we crossed a couple of streams, at a spot 

 where the same pioneer of missionaries to Cafifreland had 

 dwelt for some time. 



The same afternoon we reached King William's Town, a 

 place of some importance, and the chief military post on the 

 frontier, pleasantly situated on the banks of the Buffalo 

 river. Most of the houses appeared to be recent erections : 

 a few in the military quarter were shaded by trees and 

 surrounded by gardens, the spots formerly cultivated by Mr. 

 Brownlee and Jan Tzatzoe. On reaching the house of the 

 former, which is situated near the Caffre village, in the 

 outskirts of the town, we were cordially welcomed by Mr. 

 Brownlee, a " tall, plain, Scottish man," as Pringle calls him, 

 venerable from years, virtues, and wrongs. He led us into 

 his neat, comfortable house, and introduced us to his family. 

 After traversing the desert it was quite refreshing to see on 

 the table of the room in which we sat a vase of newly 

 gathered flowers, comprising roses, balsams, petunias, and 

 verbenas, with others of native growth. 



In the evening I walked with Mr. Brownlee throusrh his 

 garden, where I was agreeably surprised to find, besides 



