174 PRAYER-MEETING. — FROST. — FRIENDLY BOORS. 30 April, 
to my friends both in England and at the Cape, from whom I had 
not for a great length of time received any intelligence. 
In the afternoon the house was crowded with neighbours, who 
arrived in their waggons, some from a considerable distance, and 
none without having come a journey of several hours. Coffee and 
other refreshments were handed round : and in the evening, was 
held, what is called, an oeffning (or, meeting ; as distinguished from 
the regular church-service) ; which consisted in alternately reading 
and expounding parts of the New Testament, in extemporaneous 
prayers, and in singing psalms. 
May 1st. Early this morning, the ground was whitened with^ 
frost. That this was the first which had occurred this season, was 
indisputably proved by the circumstance of all the capsicums in the 
garden, and which on the preceding day were standing in a flourish- 
ing state, being now destroyed by it. 
In this family, I found the same friendly disposition, which I 
have recorded as having been experienced at the houses of many other 
colonists. One of the family, having discovered that some articles 
which I had deemed mere luxuries, but which were thought by them 
to be absolute necessaries, were not among my travelling stores, 
insisted upon adding them to my baggage, although I was fearful of 
encreasing its weight or bulk by taking with me any thing which 
could be dispensed with. 
Among the visitors, was the brother of the Van der Merwe, at 
whose house I had stopped on my way over the Snow Mountains. 
He kindly undertook to convey me part of the way towards Her- 
holdt's, as far as his son-in-law's, who, he engaged, would assist me 
in proceeding farther. 
Before ten o'clock the whole party began to disperse. Mr. Kicherer 
returned to Graaffreynet ; while, at the same time, I took my leave 
of the family, and departed in an opposite direction, with Van der 
Merwe, in his horse-waggon. 
As soon as we arrived at the cottage of his son-in-law, whose 
name was Hendrik Lubbe, we found a dinner ready prepared. After 
