A SECRET OF THE ORANGE RIVER. 175 



beautiful. There was a fair quantity of game 

 about ; Klaas shot some khpspringer antelopes 

 — hereabouts comparatively tame — up in the 

 mountains, and there were koodoos, steinboks, 

 and duykers in the bushes and kopjes. 



"After the parching and most harassing trek 

 across the desert, our encampment seemed a 

 terrestial paradise. The guinea-fowls called 



constantly with pleasant metallic voices from the 

 trees that margined the river, and furnished capital 

 banquets when required. Many fine francolins 

 abounded, and at evening, Namaqua partridges 

 came to the water to drink in literally astounding 

 numbers. We had to form a strong fence of thorns 

 around us, for leopards were numerous and very 

 daring, and there were still lions about in that 

 country. At night, as I lay in my waggon, 

 contentedly looking into the starry blue, studded 

 with a million points of fire, and mildly admiring 

 the glorious effulgence of the greater constellations, 

 I began to conjure up all sorts of dreams of the 

 future, of which the bases and foundations were 

 piles of diamonds, culled from Klaas's wondrous 

 valley. • 



" Having recruited from the desert journey, and 

 all, men and beasts, being in good heart and fettle, 

 we presently started away down the river for the 

 valley of diamonds. I had, besides Klaas, four other 

 men as drivers, voer-lopers and after-riders, and they 

 naturally enough were extremely curious to know 

 what on earth the ' Baas ' could want to trek down 

 the Orange River for — a country where no one came, 

 and of which no one had ever even heard. I had to 

 tell them that I was prospecting for a copper mine. 



