GIGANTIC BA OBAB- TREES. 1 4 5 



On March 2d, leaving the waggons by the river, 

 the party started for a few days' hunting in the bush, 

 taking with them a couple of pack-oxen. After 

 following the river for some distance nearly south, 

 they entered some very pretty country, characteristic 

 of the best South African scenery — rugged kopjes 

 and thick bush, the kopjes rising round on every 

 side and stretching far into the distance. Here, 

 crossing the river, they encamped their first night, 

 advancing the following morning in an easterly 

 direction several miles. In the course of this after- 

 noon (March 3d), some trees of unusual size were 

 noticed by some of the party whilst riding in pur- 

 suit of eland. " The first which arrested my atten- 

 tion," writes Frank Oates, who was one of this 

 number, " was so striking that I let the others go 

 on following the spoor, and reined in my horse. 

 The tree was perfectly gigantic in girth, thicken- 

 ing as it got higher, though of no great height. 

 It was swollen and bloated in a most extraordinary 

 manner, and is of the same kind as the ' indunas' 

 tree' — a baobab. Though still flourishing, it is a 

 mere shell, and, looking in at a hole in the side, I 

 saw that it was open to the sky at the top. Inside 

 was a good-sized chamber, strewed with minute bones 

 of rats or some small mammalia. No doubt genera- 

 tions of owls have long had their abode here ; one flew 

 out on our approach. We saw another tree after- 

 wards, probably as large, but I did not ride up to it." 



After this the same general direction was again 

 pursued till evening, when temporary huts were con- 



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