29 
daylight as a matter of course. Getting into more open 
country, I do not mean as to trees, for tliere are none, but 
the houses are more scattered and further apart. While 
breakfast was cooking, I walked out with a gun, and 
found some snipe and quail, and started two orebi, a 
beautiful but tiny species of antelope, which were lying 
in the long grass, but failed to shoot one. Woodroffe has 
brought his pointer, Bravo" by name, who seems a first- 
rate hand at partridges, quail, &c., and promises to be of 
great use. Pointers and other smooth-coated dogs are 
best suited for the climate. Another ox taken ill and died 
this morning. We were to camp on the Umvoti river, and 
hurried over the last mile or so to escape, or rather get 
encamped, before a thunderstorm, evidently brewing, 
should burst over us. We just got the oxen outspanned 
at dark, when down it came in torrents, and we could get 
no fire to cook by ; so the collared tongue, part of the 
contents of the hamper, that was to have been left for the 
lady at Madeira, came in very handy for dinner, with some 
bread and cheese and a glass of grog. We found a spirit 
lamp very useful in the wagons, enabling us to get a little 
hot water quickly, and often when we either had no time 
or were unable to make a fire. The oxen still give a good 
deal of trouble, the wild ones worrying and harrassing 
those that will work ; one ox in particular always breaks 
away if he gets the chance, and has given me many a 
gallop to bring him back, and when we get him into the 
yokes he often refuses to pull an ounce, whack him as 
much as you please. 
May 14:th. Next day we arrived at Greytown early, and 
after breakfast went into the place to try and get some 
Caffres to go on with us. Dubois got hold of an old chief 
sitting in the enclosure or fort, where a sort of assembly 
of Caffres is held every morning while the magistrate is 
sitting, and promised him a bottle of grog if he would 
