A Breath from the Veldt n 



another is equally monotonous and uninteresting. The discomfort he will meet 

 with in the shape of dirt, thirst, bad food, and a sun that withers all it touches, 

 is not easily forgotten by any one who has once experienced it. These remarks, 

 however, are only intended to be taken as a hint by the " travelling gent " who 

 is neither sportsman nor naturalist ; for the latter learns in time to care little 

 for such things where Nature carries her own recompense. 



At Cape Town the Botanical Gardens are a dream of beauty and delight, 

 especially to the botanist. Here almost everything that can be grown in a 

 tropical climate flourishes exceedingly. The Museum and Library are also 

 excellent and well-managed institutions. But as these things have already been 

 dealt with by abler pens than mine, I recall them only as points of infinite 

 refreshment on my return from the interior. 



The traveller can pass a very pleasant fortnight in Cape Town if he is so 

 inclined. There are delightful drives and rides in the neighbourhood. The 

 Kloof Road, Hout Bay, Kalk Bay, Winberg, and the vineyards of wooded 

 Constantia are each and all charming objects for expeditions ; but to see them 

 in perfection they should be visited in early spring (November), when the 

 Arum lilies are coming out, and other wild-flowers in bloom. 



Here, too, is the finest deep-sea fishing in the world. The waters of Cape 

 Town Harbour, Simon's Bay, and Kalk Bay simply teem with fish of every 

 size and description, and the sportsman fond of the hand-line can have a real 

 treat by taking a boat for the day in any of these waters, at a cost of about ^i. 

 Let him also arm himself with that admirable little handbook, The Sportsman 

 in South Africa, and he will find there all the information he needs on this 

 subject. 



Judging from my own experience, I should say the climate in February 

 is too hot for the average Britisher. For days together the thermometer 

 ranges from ioo° to 104° in the shade, when sweating humanity is glad to 

 keep indoors from 1 1 a.m. to 4 p.m., refreshing itself as far as may be with 

 siestas and cold drinks. In fact, the African summer is not yet over, and so 

 long as it lasts work during those hours is practically suspended. The new- 

 comer, full of life and energy, may be disposed to laugh in his sleeve at the 

 lethargic indifference he cannot fail to notice in all around him ; but after a 

 few short weeks under the African sun, he too succumbs to the great fire-god 

 and orders his life accordingly ; he takes to himself the early morning hours 

 and the cool of the evening, and presently finds that enough for either business 

 or pleasure. 



