31 
gold fields, and offered to work their passage by making 
themselves generally useful if we would carry tkeir traps, 
as their nags were nearly done up ; but we declined, as 
the wagons bad quite enough on them, and I didn't want 
any more white men. Some native beaux passed our 
wagons on a courting expedition, dressed, according to 
their notions, in the height of fashion, with ostrich 
feathers, beads, and fancy skins, half running and half 
dancing to some monotonous kind of chant as they went 
along the road. The new dog Lion " has distinguished 
himself already, by gnawing nearly all the tent ropes 
in two during the night, having been tied up to one of the 
pegs ; but Woodroffe, with a sailor's neatness, soon spliced 
them together again. Had a great physicking of sick oxen, 
mixing up a pleasant compound of sulphur, resin, and 
nitre for their benefit, and dosed six of the wretched 
animals. Were glad of some fresh meat which we got at 
Greytown, and after an early dinner we moved on again, 
and camped for the night in the middle of the thorns," 
where we proposed to spend Sunday ISth. Sent back to 
see after an ox which had been left behind in the last trek, 
and found him dead, and the skin already taken away by 
some passing Cafires. As we now had plenty of wood for 
fires, Kemp made his first attempt at baking a batch of 
bread, but it turned out decidedly heavy, the baking 
pot " being difiicult to manage unless well used to it. 
After breakfast I took my gun out, and shot a large 
species of wild duck, and several small birds, for our 
intended collection. Our thermometer unfortunately came 
to grief in the jolting over a bad road yesterday, and we 
cannot replace it. It seems impossible to secure anything 
unless packed up in a box. A small troop of young girls 
and women came into our camp this morning, attended by 
an old hag ; they evidently were very curious to see our 
things, but yet very shy, and were decidedly alarmed 
