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CHAPTER XIII. 



Frightful Pass over the Cradock Mountain — Town of George — Forest 

 Scenery— Pacaltsdorp — Farmer and the Bosch-bok— Mossel Bay 

 — Detention— River overflowed— Village of Swellendam. 



A dense and heavy mist hung over the Cradock 

 Mountain on our approach, and as the rain soon 

 began to fall in heavy showers, our situation became 

 extremely unpleasant; the more so as the spot se- 

 lected for our bivouac at the foot of the mountain 

 was particularly exposed to the storm, which con- 

 tinued during the whole night. The next day being 

 Sunday, we observed it as a day of rest. During 

 the afternoon two waggons laden with grain began 

 to ascend the pass. As they passed our tent, I 

 inquired of the farmers to whom they belonged, if 

 they intended to venture over the mountain, observ- 

 ing that the road was exceedingly bad, and the 

 ascent extremely difficult for the oxen in conse- 

 quence of the violent rains that had recently fallen. 

 They replied, " Yah, Mynheer ! Ike shaal pre- 

 bere." Some hours afterwards, however, I heard 

 them cracking their ponderous whips, the sharp 

 sounds of which were re-echoed by the mountains. 

 I could discern at a distance that the waggons 

 remained stationary, and notwithstanding all their 



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