14 THE BRACK RIVER. 
stantly migrating from one place to another for the 
sake of water. Breda stated that a few days before 
our arrival, some of his people had shot a very fine 
lion. He informed us, that lions were generally to 
be heard in the neighbourhood of an evening, par- 
ticularly before rain or change of weather, when 
their rearing was most terrific ; stating that his dogs 
and fires were his principal defence against their 
attacks, but that when they were really hungry, nei- 
ther dogs nor anything else could prevent their de- 
predations on the flocks. He observed, that he 
must expect to suffer occasionally from their incur- 
sions, as he was living in the lions’ country, and the 
prey thus carried off he regarded as a tribute to the 
monarch of the forest. | | 
After remaining here two or three hours, during 
which the thermometer stood in the shade at 96°, 
we proceeded, in order to avail ourselves of the cool 
of the evening, and uitspanned about midnight at 
Rooye Porte, so called from the nature of the soil, a 
kind of red sand, and Porte signifying the door, or 
opening, to the immense plain on which we after- 
wards entered. The next day we arrived at the 
banks of the Brack River near Kaabi’s Kraal, where 
we found our stock of sheep considerably reduced, 
some having died from the excessive heat, and others 
being for the same reason unable to proceed. The 
dogs also had dropped off, one by one, seeking such 
shelter as was afforded by every straggling bush 
