An Eight Days' Ramble in Gape Colony. 251 



tlie primitive granite : at our feet, the gurgling waters of the 

 stream were wandering away through the tangled vegetation 

 down to the level of the plain (or rather, a succession of bil- 

 lowy undulations covered with some sort of grass, and orna- 

 mented, here and there, with trees and bushes of many kinds), 

 which was spread out like a map before us, and bounded in 

 the distance by other hills again. The picture thus presented 

 to us must surely be, at all times, a lovely one ; and how much 

 more charming than usual when seen under the influence of 

 such glorious weather ! 



During the hour that we spent at this sweet spot, a large 

 black and white eagle was sailing about the summit of the 

 mountain, apparently to the great annoyance of • a pair of 

 hawks, who, every now and then, attacked the royal bird most 

 savagely, uttering harsh screams of anger as they approached 

 him ; and, although they did not succeed in driving him away 

 from the place, he had such a wholesome dislike to a combat 

 with them at close quarters, that, whenever they manifested 

 hostile symptoms, he invariably retreated. He was a large 

 specimen of Aquila Verreauxii, and his persecutors a pair of 

 rock kestrils (Tinniinculus riipicolus). From this place we 

 had a good view of the two large rocks, and of their rifted and 

 furrowed sides, in some places so high and perpendicular, as 

 to be apparently inaccessible even to the krantz-loving 

 baboons. 



After luncheon we descended to the rolling country I have 

 alluded to, and, eventually, returned to the Paarl by a ravine 

 that lies a little north of the peak. With the exception of the 

 three species of sun-birds that I have before mentioned, and 

 a covey of red-winged partridges (Francolinus Le Vaillantii), 

 which we flushed amongst the protea bushes, we saw no living 

 creature during the remainder of the walk; however, the 

 curious masses of rock which were scattered about everywhere, 

 and the variety of plants rendered the ramble sufficiently inter- 

 esting. We saw one fine specimen of the waggon-boem, or 

 Protea grandi flora, and a few of the beautiful silver trees 

 (Leucadendron argenteum), which are so abundant on Table 

 Mountain. In the ravine a small stream of water, almost hid- 

 den by the branches of the trees that grew on either side of it, 

 dashed furiously over the rocks, amidst piles of luxuriant ferns 

 of many kinds, on its way to the river below. * 



We enjoyed the most excellent dinner which Mynheer 

 Schmidt set before us, as we deserved to do after our long 

 ramble, and retired early to rest, resolved to start next morn- 

 ing for Wellington. 



* * * % %C 



We left the Paarl by the 9.47 train and reached Welling- 



