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1812. HALF-WAY SPRING. — RHINOCEROS PASS. gi 
rocky mountains. Concluding that we had now accomphshed the 
half of our journey to GraafFreynet, I announced this circumstance to 
my Hottentots ; and distinguished the spot on my map, by the name 
of Half-way Spring. It was concealed in a thicket of tall reeds 
inhabited by numbers of little birds*, whose chirping and singing 
greatly enlivened the spot. The water was remarkably pure, and free 
from all calcareous or ochraceous deposition. As the thicket of reeds 
was large and might possibly be the concealment of some lion, we 
took the precaution of sending in the dogs first, to ascertain whether 
we might safely venture to approach the spring. 
A great quantity of these reeds was cut down for the purpose of 
making a shelter for the people, as the appearance of the sky bade 
us prepare for a rainy night. In the mean time I climbed up the 
rocks which form the eastern side of the pass, to take the bearings of 
our last station and of the Bushman Table-mountain ; but the 
compass was much affected by the ferruginous quality of the stone. 
Here on a large crag I scratched, with a piece of rock, the initials 
of my name. 
14:th. After leaving this station, we travelled over a plain 
nearly nine miles across, and surrounded by mountains. At the 
southern extremity, we passed through an opening between them, 
where our * friendly river ' once more presented itself, and took its 
course through the same opening. This, as I afterwards learned, was 
known to the boors by the name of Rhenoster Poort (Rhinoceros 
Pass), and here we had a sight, in the highest degree pleasing to us 
all ; that of the track of a waggon. On examining the bushes stones 
and grass, over which it had passed, we ascertained that it must have 
been two years since that time, and that its direction was to the 
south-east. 
In every circumstance connected with the track of animals, and 
consequently of waggons, the Hottentots and Bushmen, as well as all 
* The Roode-bekje (Redbeak) or Loxia astrild, of Linnaeus. — The Koorn-meeter 
(Corn-eater) Fringilla arcuata of Gmelin. — And a small species of Reed-sparrow, {Mo- 
tacillae [Currucce] sp. 
N 2 
