PIE TERMARITZB URG. 3 



They accordingly each purchased a waggon and the 

 requisite number of oxen for the journey, and en- 

 gaged some native attendants. Before leaving 

 Maritzburg, W. E. Oates wrote home as follows : — 



May \\th, 1873. 



..." We only stayed a few days in Durban, 

 and came on here, as this is a much better place for 

 getting an outfit for the interior. It is 54 miles from 

 Durban and not a particularly interesting place. 

 There are hills all round, without much vegetation, 

 and covered with long coarse grass. It is much 

 cooler than it is at Durban, as it is 2000 feet above 

 the level of the sea. It is winter now, and rather 

 cool at night, but still very hot during the day. We 

 arrived here three weeks ago to-morrow, and to- 

 morrow we intend making a start up country. We 

 have each got a waggon and fourteen oxen, besides 

 five ponies between us, and three Kaffirs to each 

 waggon. We are going with a man called Gray, 

 who is going up to Lake N garni to trade. He is 

 quite a young fellow and has only been out here 

 four years. He knows the country through which 

 we are going, and says it is extremely healthy and 

 the native tribes all friendly. He has taken five 

 waggons, and left on the 1 1 th instant, but as his 

 waggons are heavily laden, we expect to overtake 

 him in a week. 1 



" Buckley and Gilchrist started with their waggon 



1 Mr. Gray died of fever at the above lake a few months after- 

 wards. 



