b 



294 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



to eat and drink and pester me, not bringing any arti- 

 cles of any value for barter, and asking absurdly high 

 prices. Accordingly, at an early hour, I ordered my 

 men to count my cattle and inspan, and in about an 

 hour we were on the move. Old Mahura was coming 

 down to drink coffee, and met us as we were going past 

 the town. He was evidently vexed at my sudden de- 

 parture. I presented him with some coffee, sugar, and 

 other articles equivalent in value to the kaross which 

 he had given me, and took leave of him. In the after- 

 noon we marched about six or seven miles nearer to 

 the Vaal, and halted in the hollow where nearly ten 

 months before I had coursed an old blue wildebeest 

 with dogs. 



Considerable delay was caused next day along the 

 line of march by young oxen, which could not be per- 

 suaded to trek, although flogged until their sides and 

 flanks were red with gore. About four hours after the 

 sun rose we reached the fount beside a few acres of 

 bush, where we outspanned. Our march was across 

 boundless open country. We saw a good deal of game, 

 blue and black wildebeest, blesbok, springbok, and a 

 fine troop of about thirty hartebeests. In the after- 

 noon I again marched, and at nightfall we encamped 

 on the bank of the fair Vaal River. It was consider- 

 ably swollen, heavy rains having lately fallen ; but, be- 

 ing upon the ebb, I deemed it well not to take the drift 

 until the morrow, when, having arranged two trek- 

 tows, we commenced crossing the Vaal, one wagon at 

 a time, with twenty oxen, and in about two hours my 

 three heavily-laden wagons were brought through in 

 safety. 



After two or three days' march we came in sight of 

 several Boer encampments on both sides of the Vet 



