AFRICAN FAIR. 169 



village at this place, in conformity with the plans 

 laid down by the government. 



As soon as the ceremony was over, the boors' 

 wives and daughters were busily engaged in what 

 the English ladies call shopping ; the traders from 

 Graaff-Reinet having brought a fine assortment of 

 " Mooie Gooderen" for the " Jonge Juffrouws" 

 with an abundant supply of tea, coffee, and sugar, — 

 indispensable articles of comfort in a boor's family. 

 Great varieties of British manufactured goods were 

 displayed on stalls, presenting altogether very much 

 the appearance of a country fair in England, with- 

 out, however, its usual accompaniments of booths for 

 theatrical and other spectacles. Indeed, many of the 

 wild beasts that would have been exhibited in Eng- 

 land on such an occasion might here be seen in the 

 neighbouring plains in all their natural freedom ; 

 neither were there any demoralizing scenes of riot 

 or drunkenness, such as too frequently disgrace 

 similar assemblages in European countries. 



As day began to dawn, we were disturbed by the 

 farmers preparing for their departure to their respec- 

 tive dwellings, and by the time we had taken our 

 coffee, the whole camp was broken up, and, of the 

 numbers who the day before had enlivened the scene 

 with their presence, a few stragglers only remained. 

 The tents were struck, the waggons dispersed, the 

 valley being left nearly in the same state of tran- 

 quillity as we found it on the first night of our arri- 



