228 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



their scientific names I am utterly ignorant. The 

 shoulders and upper ridges of the mountains through- 

 out all that country are profusely adorned with the 

 graceful sandal-wood tree, famed on account of the 

 delicious perfume of its timber. The leaf of this tree 

 emits at every season of the year a powerful and fra- 

 grant perfume, which is increased by bruising the leaves 

 in the hand. Its leaf is small, of a light silvery-gray 

 color, which is strongly contrasted by the dark and 

 dense ever-green foliage of the moopooroo-tree, which 

 also adorns the upper ridges of the mountain ranges. 

 This beautiful tree is interesting, as producing the 

 most delicious and serviceable fruit that I have met 

 with throughout those distant parts, the poorer natives 

 subsisting upon it for several months, during which it 

 continues in season. The moopooroo is of the size and 

 shape of a very large olive. It is at first green, but, 

 gradually ripening, like the Indian mango, it becomes 

 beautifully striped with yellow, and when perfectly ripe 

 its color is the deepest orange. The fruit is sweet and 

 mealy, similar to the date, and contains a small brown 

 seed. It covers the branches, and when ripe the gold- 

 en fi!uit beautifully contrasts with the dark green leaves 

 of the tree which bears it. Besides the moopooroo, a 

 great variety of fruits are met with throughout these 

 mountains and forests, all of which are known to, and 

 gathered by, the natives. I must, however, fojrego a 

 description of them, as it would swell these pages to 

 undue bounds. Throughout the densely-wooded dells 

 and hollows of the mountains the rosewood-tree occurs, 

 of considerable size and in great abundance. 



Throughout the night we were beset by a daring 

 troop of hyaenas, which, notwithstanding the vigilance 

 of my dogs, consumed a part of my buifalo trek-tow and 



