NEW KLOOF. 93 



Towards evening of this day we reached the New 

 Kloof, and, commencing our track up its steep and 

 rugged sides, we were struck with admiration of the 

 bold and romantic scenery. Before we had reached 

 the summit of the mountain, the sombre shades of 

 evening had closed in upon the scene, contributing 

 to heighten the gloom of this wild and dreary pass. 

 This is one of the principal openings in the vast 

 chain of mountains which separate the interior from 

 the coast ; and being in a more direct line of com- 

 munication, is frequently preferred by the farmers 

 who reside in the northern districts, to either of the 

 stupendous passes of French Hoek, and Hottentot's 

 Holland Kloof, notwithstanding these can be tra- 

 versed with greater facility. 



On the opposite side of this pass we were obliged 

 to use the drag-chain : but notwithstanding this pre- 

 caution the waggon descended with such violence as 

 to snap it, and one of the wheels was broken : to add 

 to our disaster, on crossing the river at the foot of the 

 mountain, the waggon sunk in the sand, and it was 

 not without extreme difficulty that we succeeded in 

 extricating it from its awkward situation. Our 

 journey was continued long after midnight; but we 

 idtspanned towards morning, in order to allow our 

 oxen the necessary time to feed, which cannot be 

 done in safety during the night, as the neighbour- 

 hood is infested with hyaenas, and the cattle are apt 

 to stray. We remained the greater part of this day 



