152 SERIOUSLY OBSTRUCTED BY THE THORNS, [chap. v. 



of the rock, and came with a great tumble among some 

 bushes ; the snake, too, came over after me, I can 

 hardly suppose in chase, because he did not foUow me 

 when we were at the bottom together ; but I ran after 

 him a long way, for I was not hurt, throwing stones at 

 the reptile. A Damara, who was some way behind, 

 was carrying my giui, and I had not even a stick. 



Resuming our search, we came to where the hiU was 

 so broken that I could not get on. Huge jagged 

 rough stones, many as big as a smaU house, were piled 

 up, and thrown about in all directions, with deep 

 fissures between them ; just the place for a man to fall 

 and break his legs. We found altogether two or three 

 small fountains, but no people. There were some giraffe- 

 spoors high on the hills. Gu'aflfes are wonderful climbers : 

 koodoos are the best ; but I think that giraffes come 

 next to them, even before the zebras. From the hill 

 we swept the country with our telescopes, and caught 

 the glimmer of distant water between the trees : there 

 was to be our next halt. The Damaras pointed north- 

 east, as the direction of Omanbonde, but said that it 

 stUl lay a great way off. We "marked" the vley as 

 well as we could, and took the waggon there, — three 

 hours' travel before breakfast. The water-shed was 

 now obviously to the eastward, the distant coimtry 

 di'opping down most perceptibly. I had been hoping 

 to see fewer thorn-trees, but here they were worse than 

 ever. My oxen would not face them : a single bush 

 threw the whole team into confusion : the oxen plunged 

 and tossed, and got their heads out of the yokes ; and 

 often the waggon-men could not get up to the fighting 



