52 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



for several miles, we commenced descending through 

 the De Bruin's Poort, where the road winds, in a deep, 

 narrow, and rugged ravine, through dense ever-green 

 underwood, in its descent to the lower ground adjacent 

 to the banks of the Great Fish River. This poort, or 

 mountain pass, the terror of wagon-drivers, being at 

 all times perilous to wagons, was in the present in- 

 stance unusually dangerous and impassable, the recent 

 heavy rains having entirely washed away the loose soil 

 with which the colonists had been in the habit of cm- 

 banking the permanent shelves and ridges of adamant- 

 ine rock over which the wagons must necessarily pass, 

 while they had, at the same time, undermined an im- 

 mense number of large masses of rooks and stones which 

 had hitherto occupied positions on the banks above, and 

 which now lay scattered along the rocky way, present- 

 ing an apparently insurmountable barrier to our further 

 progress. 



As we were the first who had traveled this road since 

 the late inundations, it had not undergone the slightest 

 repair, which, to have done properly, would have re- 

 quired the labor of a week. Having halted the wag- 

 on, and descended into the ravine for an inspection, ac- 

 companied by Kleinboy, I at once pronounced it, in its 

 present state, to be impassable. Kleinboy, however, 

 well aware that he would not be called upon to pay for 

 damages, seemed to entertain a different opinion,' evi- 

 dently preferring to run all risks to encounteiring the 

 Herculean labors of rolling all these bowlders to one 

 side. Accordingly, having made up our minds to take 

 the pass, we reascended to the wagon, and having 

 rheimed or secured the two hind wheels by means of 

 the drag-chains, Kleinboy took his position on the box, 

 and the wagon commenced its perilous descent, I follow- 



