252 An Eight Days' Ramble in Cape Colony. 



ton, distant nine miles, at 10.14. Though a picturesque village 

 with some fine mountains in its vicinity, it is not equal to the 

 Paarl in beauty. The hills are further off ; the trees are not so 

 fine or so numerous ; and the site of the place is less romantic : 

 in short, the grouping of the scenic elements is not so striking, 

 and it is decidedly less attractive in its general features than its 

 older and more celebrated rival. 



We stayed but a short time at this place, and then left for 

 Darling Bridge, through the famous pass called Bain's Kloof, 

 in honour of the engineer who planned and constructed the 

 magnificent road across the Drakenstein Mountains. 



I question if there is a wilder drive in the whole of Cape 

 Colony than that through Bain's Kloof. It commences just 

 beyond Wellington, winds slowly upwards for about seven 

 miles, and then gradually descends again to Darling Bridge. 

 I do not know the distance between the two places, but I 

 should imagine it is at least twelve or fourteen miles. The 

 road is scarped out of the mountain-side, and, though broad 

 and safe, is very suggestive of danger in many parts, where 

 the rocky incline slopes suddenly down to the deep valley of 

 the river, which winds along in the very bottom of the enor- 

 mous ravine. As both the ascent and descent are sufficiently 

 gradual, the road is necessarily very winding in its course, 

 and a succession of wild and magnificent, though limited, views 

 are presented throughout. The solemn stillness of the tre- 

 mendous kloof is almost as remarkable as the strikingly barren 

 and desolate aspect of the rough mountain-sides, destitute of 

 trees or almost any other vegetation, excepting that charac- 

 teristic of the most stony wildernesses of the country. Proteas 

 of many species, and the everlasting Rhiuosterbosch (Elytro- 

 jpappus rliinocerotis) abound, and it would not be exaggera- 

 tion of much magnitude to say that these plants are the sole 

 representatives of the vegetable world in this gloomy pass. 

 For the first part of the drive the road is planted on the outer 

 side with young oak-trees, which promise in the future to add 

 much to the beauty of this magnificent highway. 



The valley of the river at Darling Bridge is a swamp, in 

 which are growing quantities of the strange-locking palmiet 

 (Prionium palmita), with its enormously thick, spongy stems. 

 Pools of water abound, like those in an Irish bog, and quite as 

 treacherous in appearance, though there did not seem to be 

 much actual difficulty in getting through them. On either 

 side of the narrow valley are high, grand mountains, very 

 rugged, and very picturesque, but bleak and savage-looking. 



The Darling Bridge, whence the place takes its name, was 

 carried away some time since, and it has not yet been repaired. 

 The hotel is the only house within sight, but its interior 



