Notes on a Journey im German South-West Africa. ONG, 
the country suddenly changes, but as we passed over this part by 
night I cannot say much about it, though it appeared to me that the 
part reached early next morning was similar to that traversed during 
the night. When daylight broke we found ourselves on a very brack 
clay soil, covered with a crisp layer of efflorescent salt, apparently 
alum. The hills round about were mostly low and conical, com- 
posed of blue shale, which rapidly falls to pieces on exposure to air. 
Closer examination of these hills showed that the shale was very 
pyritic, and also was much intersected by veins of dolerite. The 
vegetation was very scant, nothing but very hardy bushes and a 
coarse, woody grass, unfit for fodder, growing here. We reached 
the first grazing ground at a distance of 14 miles from the 
place where we crossed the river, and the first water at Huninodis, 
about 7 miles further on. At this place the water is obtained 
from wells in clay beds, at a depth of 9 to 12 feet. This water has 
a strong taste of alum. 
From here to Keetmanshoop we waededt over a level plateau dotted 
with dolerite hills, and lost sight of the shale formation almost com- 
pletely. The soil is more or less sandy, and at intervals single 
dolerite boulders make their appearance above the ground. We 
reached Keetmanshoop after a journey of ten days from Gibeon, 
the distance covered being 125 miles. The village lies on decom- 
posed basaltic rock, principally dolerite, traversed by veins of clay- 
slate. It is situated in a depression on the north-west side of a low 
range of dolerite hills. Through an opening between these hills 
there is a passage, or ‘‘ poort,” at the lowest point of this depression. 
On this side of the poort the Gwartmodder spring appears, the 
underground water of the north-west drainage area evidently being 
blocked by the impermeability of the rock composing this range of 
hills, and being forced to the surface here. Wells have been sunk 
in the veins of clay-slate above the spring, and water is found at the 
same level. 
[ had to remain at Keetmanshoop whilst my companion pro- 
ceeded southwards to the Orange River, and on his return we left 
here for Bethanien, which les about 85 miles north-west. We did 
not, however, go direct thither, but made a couple of deviations 
southwards, in order to visit some farms. The first of these was. 
Seeheim, on the Fish River, about 30 miles south-west of Keetman- 
shoop. For the first 23 miles the formation is the same as that. 
of Keetmanshoop. Hereabouts we came upon a perfect forest of 
Aloe dichotoma, some very large specimens among them. At 
Slangkop clay-slate and shale predominate. Slangkop is a high 
peak, the lower part being composed of shale and the upper part of 
