A MORNING AMBUSCADE ON WITTEBERG. 279 



the Cape Dutch — except the better famihes 

 immediately near Cape Town and its vicinity — have 

 some extraordinary superstitions. For instance, the 

 Boers of our neighbourhood at Naroekas were 

 perfectly convinced that there existed in the 

 mountains, near De Beer Vlei (about ten miles off), 

 a fabulous monster having the head of a rock-rabbit 

 and the body of a snake. After all, considering the 

 amount of superstition yet existing in remote parts 

 of England, the wild beliefs of these Dutch 

 Afrikanders, isolated as they have been from the 

 world for 230 years, are not to be wondered at. We 

 were not long in reaching Tobias's house, where we 

 deposited our loads. Then, taking our shot guns, 

 we had a turn for a couple of hours in the kloofs 

 around at the grey-wing partridges [Francolinus 

 afer), securing five-and-a-half brace. After this we 

 attacked and demolished, soon after seven o'clock 

 a.m., an excellent breakfast, and then, with Tobias, 

 spent an hour or two getting honey from a deposit in 

 the rocks near at hand. In the afternoon, we 

 returned home contentedly with horses well laden 

 with venison and honey. 



