Notes on a Journey in German South-West Africa. dl 
first 26 miles of the journey, as far as Aussis, being along the 
Koinkiep River. The soil for the most part was either sandy, with 
substratum of limestone, or hard limestone conglomerate. To a 
considerable extent the country is very grassy, and affords excellent 
pasture for sheep and cattle. Along the river there are numerous 
Hottentot settlements, and the Hottentots appear to live a very easy 
and contented life, rearing sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. The 
absence of agriculture, as compared with similar Herero settlements 
in Damaraland, was very noticeable. 
At Aussis we again came upon granitic formation, which extends 
northwards to a little beyond Kujas, and westwards is traceable 
through the sand-belt to the coast. Kujas lies 25 miles from Aussis, 
and the journey thither took us through beautiful grassveld. Lime- 
stone was not entirely absent, but not of frequent occurrence here. 
Journeying northwards from Kujas the granite diminishes, and at 
a distance of 12 miles it has quite disappeared. The grassveld still 
continues, until we reach a sudden ascent of about 120 feet from 
the lowlying country along the river, up to a vast plateau, upon 
which Grootfontein lies. The surface rock at the top of this ascent 
is dolomite, which is traceable all along the way to Grootfontein, a 
distance of 42 miles from here. Where the dolomite is not so 
plentiful the sandstone again appears, with substratum of clay. 
Grass is scanty along this part, but sheep-bushes abound. The 
last 27 miles of the journey to Grootfontein is over hard and stony 
karoo, the only vegetation being sheep-bushes. Water is obtained 
by digging through the clay stratum into limestone beneath. At 
Grootfontein clay-slate predominates, but there is also much lime- 
stone. Water is there found in wells in the clay-slate. It contains 
much alum in solution. 
Sheep-rearing is the chief industry of the Bastards, who are the 
occupants of Grootfontein. This place lies about 4,200 feet above 
sea-level. It is 114 mules distant from Bethanien. The time 
occupied by our journey was seven days. 
From Grootfontein we visited Namseb, 14 miles further north. 
This is all good sheep country of karoo formation. A few miles 
west of Grootfontein we also visited a farm where there is an 
extremely strong spring issuing from limestone. This spring is 
sufficient for the irrigation of a large extent of good humus soil, 
overlying limestone conglomerate. ‘The farmer living here could 
show no results as yet, as he had been there not quite a year, during 
which he had had to build his house, open up the spring, and 
make a dam. 
From Grootfontein we returned to Kuyas, and from there started 
