98 
to sleep on. Started early before breakfast at 6-40, and 
tlien stopped for a couple of hours; on again at 11-0; 
crossed tbe river, E. on foot, and camped for the night 
at 3-35. — A punishing day, and perhaps the worst bit of 
walking we had come across, for wishing to avoid the deep 
crossing of the Umtlatzi river for E.'s sake, as ^^Jack" 
was utterly unable to carry her through, and it was almost 
too deep for her to wade, we settled to cross the Oliphant 
twice ; and to-day as we were approaching the junction of 
the two rivers, we looked out for a good crossing, and 
getting over all right we went on, thinking we had done a 
very sharp thing, till we came upon a tract of nothing but 
huge boulders along the bank of the river, and apparently 
stretching away inland for a considerable distance; and 
E. was already very tired after a long day's walk ; but 
she manfully scrambled on over the rocks till at last we 
emerged into some open spaces with a little grass, where 
we at once camped, as E.'s clothes were still wringing wet 
from wading across the river. Fortunately we have not 
much farther to go, as her only pair of thick boots show 
signs of giving out, what with the water first and hot 
sun afterwards. Sara, the black girl, has been minus any 
boots for some time, and required much persuasion to wear 
sandals, preferring to go bare-footed ; but fearing her feet 
would ^^come through," I insisted on her wearing a pair 
the Caffres made for her. We all turned out this evening 
to hunt, as the men were short as usual, and Dubois 
luckily killed a waterbuck, which will give them one more 
meal at all events. 
Septemher 2nd. Off again before breakfast, and after 
scrambling over some more rocks that rose some 200 feet 
above the river we breakfasted, and having passed the 
mouth of the Umtlatzi we walked on till we came to a 
wide and consequently shallow crossing, and E. getting 
over all right we were again on our old side of the river, 
