324 DANGEROUS PASS. 



efforts, the oxen were utterly unable to drag them 

 forward, nor was it until an advanced hour on the 

 following morning that these pertinacious Boors suc- 

 ceeded, by the assistance of another span of oxen, in 

 extricating their waggons from this difficult situa- 

 tion. 



About this time we commenced the ascent, and 

 accomplished it shortly after the farmers, whom we 

 found reposing on the summit, their oxen having 

 been completely exhausted by their morning's exer- 

 tion. They declared that they would never go over 

 that pass again, protesting that it was only fit for 

 baboons to climb up. We learned from them that 

 another waggon which passed them on the mountain, 

 having commenced its descent without observing 

 theirs, had narrowly escaped being precipitated over 

 the precipice, in consequence of the road being so 

 extremely narrow where the two waggons met. 



The view from the top of this eminence was alto- 

 gether as grand as the descent before us was terrific. 

 The wheels of our waggon were locked, and four 

 of the front oxen taken out, in order to render the 

 others more manageable. Notwithstanding this 

 precaution the ponderous vehicle, when once in mo- 

 tion, rushed down the steep and almost perpendicular 

 slope with fearful rapidity. I fully made up my mind 

 that we should not reach the foot of the mountain in 

 safety. In spite of my apprehensions, however, we 

 accomplished this perilous descent. After four hours 



