1812. THE MEESTER'S MISFORTUNES. - KLEINE TAFELBERG. 1X7 
shelter of a roof. Presently, I heard the meester start up, and, with 
furious rattling, begin dragging his bed, with the frame which sup- 
ported it, from one side of the room to the other. He cried out, 
in a mixed tone of lamentation and surprize, that the rain was 
running down upon him in a stream, from the groot gat in het dak ; 
and truly enough ; for on looking upwards, I saw, what I had not 
noticed before, a ' great hole in the roof,' just above the place 
whence he had so long been issuing his fumigations, and his anecdotes 
of Malacca, Batavia, and Moccha. When I saw this, I began to 
regret that the storm had not commenced an hour or two sooner. 
Yet it would have been ungenerous, not to have condoled with him 
for having to sleep in a wet bed ; as he had given himself the 
trouble of telling his adventures, purely from a wish to amuse me. 
20th. These misfortunes consumed the greater part of the night ; 
and the next morning was little better suited to cheer us. The rain 
had never ceased since it first began, and there was little appearance 
of our having any sunshine during the day. The clouds hung so 
low that the surrounding mountains were hidden from our sight ; and 
the ground was every where deluged with streams of rain water, 
supplied by the torrents, which were seen at a distance rushing down 
the foot of the mountains. 
Our breakfast consisted of coffee, the usual beverage at this 
meal ; after which I was compelled by the mm, to remain in the house 
more than three hours ; the good lady of the house at the same time, 
and the meester, assuring me that they had known it to rain there with 
little intermission for a fortnight, before they had any return of fair 
weather ; and that a four or five days' rain was not unusual. But 
fortunately this was not the case at present ; and as soon as it cleared 
up, I walked out to take a view of the place, while my men were 
packing the oxen. The clouds had risen above the mountains, and 
now gave me an opportunity of making a sketch of the house, and of a 
hill which was very remarkable on account of its great resemblance 
to the Table Mountain at Cape Town. * The colonists have dis- 
* A view of Kleine Tafelberg and Vermeulen's dwelling, is given in the engraving at 
the head of the sixth chapter. The distant mountains on the right, are a part of Sneeuwberg. 
