432 KLOOF AND KARROO. 



Picturesque it certainly is, as I can testify. On 

 a hot African evening, as the sun goes down redly 

 upon the karroo, it is a curious and most interesting 

 spectacle to watch first the clouds of dust that herald 

 the approach of the parched and weary flocks. 

 Presently the troops of sheep and of snow-white 

 silky-fleeced Angora goats emerge from these clouds, 

 and, following their Kaffir herd-boys, trot to the 

 dam to lave their burning throats. Then they turn 

 away and file quietly into their respective kraals for 

 the night. But the custom is rightly doomed ; the 

 evils of overstocking, the destruction of pasturage, 

 the propagation of disease, and the decrease of 

 flocks, at length became so serious as to call for a 

 Government Commission. The fencing of runs was 

 then suggested, and during the last ten years 

 amazing progress has been made in this direction. 

 The predatory wild beasts, formerly so destructive 

 to the farmers' flocks, are rapidly disappearing, and 

 the leopard (only found in mountainous regions), 

 the jackal, occasional hyenas and wild dogs, and 

 the wild cats alone remain. These survivors are 

 being vigorously proceeded against by means of 

 poison and trapping, and will eventually disappear, 

 as have the lion and practically the hyena. Huge 

 farms, from 20,000 to 30,000 acres (and even more) 

 in extent, are now completely fenced, and the flocks 

 graze by day and night in peace and comfort. The 

 farmer can move them from one inclosure to another 

 at his pleasure, the veldt is allowed rest, and a 

 reserve is thus provided in time of drought. A 

 compulsory Scab Act recently passed, after years 

 of bigoted and factious opposition, provides another 

 invaluable safeguard for the flock-masters. 



