300 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



deemed it dangerous to attempt to ferry over any thing 

 else, and we prudently resolved to aw^ait the ebbing of 

 the river, which continued to grow rapidly the whole 

 of the day. In the afternoon I was obliged to inspan 

 the wagon which I had brought through on the pre- 

 ceding day, and remove it to a more elevated locality; 

 and it was well that I did so, for before morning the 

 river was running strong and deep on the ground which 

 it had occupied. I entertained considerable apprehen- 

 sion fur my wagons on the opposite side of the river, 

 as they were now standing upon an island, and the 

 flood had already nearly reached to their wheels. 



The flood continued to increase steadily until the 

 next afternoon, when it seemed to have reached its 

 maximum, and about sundown it was evidently upon 

 the ebb. During the whole of to-day and yesterday 

 the flood presented an appearance of extreme grandeur ; 

 large blocks of wood and trunks of forest-trees were 

 constantly sweeping past us, tossed on the troubled 

 waters on their seaward course. In the course of the 

 afternoon the stout new cable by which the float was 

 worked, and which stretched across the river, each end 

 being secured to a rock-rifted trunk of a tree, burst 

 asunder, being unequal to resist the force of the swoll- 

 en river. 



On the 14th, with, much difficulty, we got over the 

 cable by which the raft was worked, and the Boers, by 

 way of experiment, loaded her up with a party of 

 Bechuana Caffres, and endeavored to cross the river. 

 There was a small boat attached to the float. When 

 they had got about half way across, the water rose 

 partially over the float, when a panic came over both 

 the Boers and Bechuanas, and a rush was made into 

 the little boat. A capsize was the consequence ; and 



