182 A HOT SPRING. 



have perched : — being thus stupified by the smoke 

 they become an easy prey. 



We expected to reach Cradock before night-fall, 

 but as the road was extremely dangerous to travel in 

 the dark, we resolved to remain at a short distance 

 from the bank of the river, and early on the follow- 

 ing morning resumed our journey. The path we took 

 led to a celebrated hot spring, said to be strongly 

 impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen gas and 

 lime, and to possess great efficacy in the cure of 

 many chronic diseases : very little care, however, 

 had been bestowed to preserve it for general use, 

 as it was nearly covered with bushes and rank vege- 

 tation. 



We had now to cross the Cradock ford of the 

 Fish River, and observed evident signs of its having 

 lately overflowed, as vast quantities of mud and slime 

 extending a considerable distance along its banks 

 were intermixed with trunks and branches of trees 

 that had been borne down by the current. Before we 

 ventured into the stream with our waggon, we sent 

 over one of the Hottentots on horseback, in order to 

 ascertain whether it had sufficiently subsided to admit 

 of our crossing. The banks being very steep, and 

 the driver having objected to rhem the, wheels, we 

 descended with great rapidity into the bed of the 

 river, where striking against some rocky projection 

 we narrowly escaped being overturned. After 

 having crossed the current, there was great diffi- 



