116 
just reached tlie commencement of tlie Biggarsberg range 
of hills. There is little or no game to be seen, and, in 
fact, the rifles may be put by, as the shooting is all over. 
Our three old hens are still uneaten, though we often want 
meat, and they reward us with a regular supply of fresh 
eggs for breakfast. Made a short trek in the eveningv 
after dinner. Next morning on again as usual, and, there 
being a good moon, made our three treks. One day much 
like another, and nothing to think of but pushing on as fast 
as possible. I was much annoyed to-day to find that a 
destructive little grub, called the blackjack, had got into 
my heads and skins, and had eaten some of them very 
badly; and now Dubois calmly informs us he knew it 
would be the case, as it is with all skins unless dipped in 
a preparation of aloes and arsenic. I thought he might 
have told us of the danger before. I found that arsenical 
soap was no use, as I had washed them with a strong 
solution of it some time back. It now rains nearly every 
day on and off, but after the showers the sun comes out 
warm and bright. We find it dij0B.cult to get a good fire, 
as our substitute for fuel is of little use when wet. 
October %th. Reached Ladysmith in the afternoon — a 
small straggling town on the Clip river, and remarkable, 
as far as I could see, for nothing but its number of 
churches, which was far beyond the requirements of the 
inhabitants ; but I suppose, as in other places, there were 
different ideas of the right mode of worshipping. Dubois 
went about trying to hire a span of oxen to help us over 
the rest of our journey, but, as usual, failed to get any. 
On the road to-day I at last managed to shoot a pair of 
Caffre cranes, by creeping up an empty gully and sending 
a man round to drive them over my head. We skinned 
them carefully, and stowed them away in the front chest — 
beautiful birds, of a French grey colour, and very elegant 
in their movements. Dubois declared they were tame ones, 
