MARCH TO THX GREAT ORANGE RIVER. 119 



absconded on account of their cruel treatment of him. 

 The Boers had named him " Ruyter," probably after a 

 certain Dutch admiral, which name he still bears. 



In the afternoon 1 rode to one of the vleys, accompa- 

 nied by two of my men, bearing pickaxes and spades 

 and my bedding. We dug a shooting-hole on the usual 

 principle, about three feet deep and eight in diameter, 

 on the lee side of the largest vley. In this hole I used 

 to take my station every night — ^the jackals and hyse- 

 nas growling around me — and await the coming of the 

 dawn to get a sight of the game that came to drink. 

 In this manner I enjoyed excellent sport among the 

 wildebeests and quaggas until the I7th, when, through 

 want of water for my oxen, I was compelled to march 

 for the Great Orange River, which was the nearest 

 water, being distant upward of thirty miles. We in- 

 spanned in the afternoon, and, having performed a 

 march of twelve miles, holding a northeasterly course, 

 I outspanned for a couple of hours to allow my oxen 

 to graze ; after which I again inspanned, and trekked 

 about twelve miles further by moonlight, when we halt- 

 ed till the day dawned, making fast the horses and oxen. 

 The country here assumed a less sterile appearance 

 than that which I had occupied during the last five 

 weeks, being ornamented with a few ancient trees, 

 bearing a leaf resembling that of the willow, and call- 

 ed by the Dutch " clean wood j" there were also a few 

 dwarfish thorny trees of a species of mimosa. 



On the 18th we inspanned at the dawn of day, and 

 after a march of about four hours, through a wild and 

 uninhabited couqtry, we suddenly found ourselves on 

 the bank of the magnificent Orange River. This queen 

 of Airiean rivers forms a leading feature in the geogra- 

 phy of Southera Africa. Its length, I believe, is some- 



