AN ACCIDENT. 95 



River Kloof, an immense defile of steep and rugged 

 mountains reft into a thousand fantastic forms, while 

 the river, pursuing a serpentine direction, rushes 

 at times with terrific violence over the rocky frag- 

 ments that obstruct its course, being in some parts 

 widely expanded, and in others half concealed by 

 the vegetation on its banks. 



While crossing this river, the velocity with which 

 one of our waggons descended into the stream gave 

 the two fore- wheels so tremendous a shock that 

 they were dislodged from the other part of the 

 vehicle, and the oxen pursuing their way, drew 

 out the two wheels attached to the pole, leaving the 

 body of the waggon in the middle of the river, to 

 the consternation and discomfiture of those persons 

 within, one of whom was thrown into the water by 

 the sudden jerk. A considerable time elapsed before 

 we succeeded in getting out the waggon, after which 

 we were under the necessity of leaving it, and pro- 

 ceeding in search of assistance ; and such was the 

 miserable condition of the roads, that we had ad- 

 vanced but a short distance from the spot, before 

 another of our waggons sunk into a soft sandy soil. 

 After an ineffectual struggle for several hours in 

 attempting to extricate it, we were compelled to 

 remain in this situation until the following morning, 

 when with an extra span of oxen we managed to 

 draw it out, and reached the place of M. P. de Vos. 

 Here we were delayed several days, while the wag- 



