1812. 
A FALL OF SNOW. 
235 
from the waggons, to which they had been made fast during the 
night, and turned to graze without any one to watch them. Stuur- 
man, thinking I should be less angry at their neglecting the sheep 
than the oxen, had fabricated his story with that view : yet so far 
he was correct, that the sheep had also gone astray. But the greatest 
cause of vexation was, the discovering at our first setting out, that 
I had those with me, on whose word no dependence could be placed, 
and who were capable of deceiving their master, on the most trifling 
necessity. 
My object in sending Speelman to Taaibosch, was to fetch the 
bullet-mould belonging to the gun which had been lent me by Cupido 
in the place of my great rifle ; and to demand from his wife the 
sheep which was due for the gunpowder. But neither of these 
objects were obtained, as the woman was not at home, and old 
Daniel, who was left in charge of the place, refused to give 
them up. 
When the oxen came home, it was too late to commence a 
day's journey, as the rest of the people did not return till the even- 
ing, and after a fatiguing and, on their part, fruitless search. 
The weather of this day, might seem extraordinary in the 
twenty-ninth degree of latitude : the mercury in the thermometer, 
did not rise above 36 ; and, during the whole day, there was a 
light fall of snow attended with a chilling wind. This was the 
only time I have seen snow northward of the Gariep. It entirely 
whitened the m-ound, and remained unmelted till the next mornino-. 
This appearance was so unusual to an eye accustomed to Africa, 
that I viewed it as an interesting sight ; but probably some un- 
perceived association of ideas induced me to think so, as the weather 
was, to bodily feeling, so extremely cold, that it was found painful 
and scarcely to be endured without the assistance of a watch-coat, 
and the fur coverlet, the value of which latter as a warm covering, 
had been well proved during my return from Sneeuwberg, and was 
now considered as an indispensable article of a traveller's baggage. 
To him who may enter on a similar expedition, I would recommend 
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