310 TRAVEL DOWN THE SWAKOP. [chap. x. 



We passed raiDicIly through Otjimbingue, for there 

 was no grass there, and on the 21st of November 

 reached Tsohis. Now I felt safe ; happen what might, 

 I could reach the Bay in time to save the ship. The 

 oxen were very thin and weak, but there were plenty 

 of reeds in the Swakop for them to eat. As we moved 

 down the Tsobis Eiver, by the place where the first 

 gii'afi'e was shot, some natives warned us of the next 

 watering-holes at the mouth of the river, for the Ghou 

 Damup had poisoned the water to kill the buffaloes 

 that then were there. We had arrived at the Swakop 

 before we were aware of it ; the oxen rushed, as they 

 often do, wildly to the watering-holes, and though we 

 drove them away before any one had drunk enough 

 to hurt them seriously, yet one dog was very nearly 

 killed. He rolled about in agonies from the poison. 

 The oxen became stiU weaker, the change of food from 

 dry grass to reeds quite upset them, so that we had to 

 rest the following day. 



November 2Uh. — We could just move on through 

 the sand with hard struggling, and the next day we 

 arrived at a place where old Piet was encamped, and 

 were luxuriously treated with milk. We slept at 

 Annaas on the 27th, at Davieep on the 28th; there 

 was not a relic to be found of my poor horse and 

 mule that the lions had eaten there. We now 

 travelled principally by night. From Davieep we 

 arrived safely at Oosop, after rather a hazardous 

 joltiug which the waggon underwent in going down a 

 steep bank, and we were then only one day's journey 

 from the Bay. Andersson rode directly across the 



