U JONKER WKITES TO ME. [chap. in. 



excessively, making a temporary home of a pretty spot 

 and then going on without regret at leaving it. 



A heavy thunder-storm swept by us, the first we 

 had yet seen, and the harbinger of the rainy weather 

 that was to provision me, as far as water was con- 

 cerned, for my approaching journey. Deluges of rain 

 and peals of thunder passed down the Swakop, such as 

 only tropical countries can show. 



Jonker's answer reached me at Barmen ; it was 

 rambling and unsatisfactory, begging that I would 

 come to his town and discuss the matters. The letter, 

 instead of having been sent by a direct messenger, 

 had been passed from one person to another, so that 

 it had occupied a month in travelling from the blue 

 hills that bounded the horizon before me. I thought 

 this highly disrespectful, and hardly knew how to act, 

 when three days later brought intelligence of a 

 Hottentot raid of a more murderous and extensive 

 description than any that had taken place previously. 

 Eleven whole werfts had been swept away; the 

 Hottentots had passed within twenty nules of where I 

 was, and fugitives came from every side telling of their 

 misfortunes. Now this was too bad ; but I deter- 

 mined to have patience for a little time — a traveller 

 must learn patience — and I wrote Jonker another civil 

 letter. I took the ground of supposing that he had 

 not understood my last one, and I explained myself 

 over again. My intentions were simply these : if he 

 still intended to obstruct the way to Damara-land, in 

 spite of the long, the carefully worded and weU indited 

 letters that I had sent him, and which explained fairly 



