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alarming manner. We reached Newcastle in the after- 
noon, where we camped for the night, and got our former 
friend Mrs. Johnson to bake us a batch of bread. Sent off 
our final budget of letters to England, as we expect to 
leave Natal by the following mail. — A lovely night, and 
much milder than before the rain. Next morning I tried 
to buy some fresh oxen, and at last succeeded in getting 
four, at the exorbitant price of £9 each, for they were not 
fat or large ; but oxen are getting daily dearer and scarcer. 
I sold one of my worst, and sent off four more by a Caffre 
to Dubois' farm, as he kindly offered to take care of them 
till they recovered, and were fit to sell again. Another 
heavy storm, after which we inspanned, and left Newcastle 
about mid- day. We have lately found our filters very 
useful, as the water in all the spruits " is now the colour 
of pea soup, and, from all accounts, remains so till next 
winter. We managed to buy a little fresh butter from a 
farm near the town, the first we had tasted since we started 
in the wagons from the old camp near the mountain pass. 
We camped near a Caffre kraal in the afternoon, and saw 
several of the men and women returning from a wedding, 
the men got up extensively in ostrich feathers and fancy 
skins, singing and dancing, and some of them very noisy 
and evidently drunk. 
October Ath. Could only make two treks to-day, as we 
were detained for some time by another heavy storm. We 
left our old road this afternoon, and took the one that leads 
us by Ladysmith instead of Grreytown ; the former we found 
by experience to be far the better one of the two, less hilly 
and more attended to ; in fact, some parts of it were as 
hard and smooth as if it had been paved with asphalt, 
over which the oxen bowled in fine style. 
October btJi. Sunday. My birthday. A lie in bed, as 
usual on Sunday, which is grateful and comforting after 
turning out between 5 and 6 every morning. We have 
