KLOOF AND KARROO. 



2l terrible hold. I have stood, after we had arrived 

 up country, for half-an-hour at a time pulling out 

 these loathsome pests from the skins of the poor 

 nags, each insect gorged and bloated with the blood 

 of its unfortunate victim, and yet scarcely seeming 

 to make any impression on their numbers. The 

 horses drained of their strength in this way lose 

 condition rapidly, and even die from the ravages 

 of these bloodthirsty tormentors. The Cape horse 

 is luckily a hardy and a willing animal, and although 

 we travelled to Graaff Reinet over frightfully rough 

 roads — if roads they can be called — at the rate of 

 forty miles a day, the more generous feeding and 

 treatment caused Sultan and Fairplay — as the old 

 nags were called — to improve considerably in con- 

 dition and in pace, even upon the journey, and 

 afterwards when we had purchased them, they 

 proved good and faithful servants on many a 

 long day's trek. We fed our horses as usual on 

 oat-hay forage, and gave them as much as they could 

 eat. This forage was dear at the time, and cost 

 one shilling and sixpence a small bundle, conse- 

 quently it formed a heavy item in our and our 

 Afrikander friend's bills, as we shared the expense 

 equally. 



We started at twelve o'clock. I remember the 

 day well, for one of those unpleasant hot north-west 

 winds, peculiar to the Cape at certain seasons, had 

 just begun to blow, and after we had travelled a 

 few miles we were enveloped in clouds of red dust, 

 which found its way into our eyes, hair, and ears, 

 and was most disagreeable. At the Cape it is the 

 custom to outspan or unharness every two hours or 

 thereabouts. The horses are then taken out and 



