248 
THE FOOTSTEPS OF A CAMELOPARDALIS. 
16 June, 
and were varied with frequent clumps of the Karro-thorn. It was 
remarkable that, although most of the shrubs in these countries are 
food for various wild animals, neither the tarchonanthus, nor any of 
the species of Rhus, exhibited marks of having been browsed upon ; 
a sufficient proof, that they are either unwholesome, or unpleasant 
to their palate. 
Those who have acquired a taste for zoological information, 
will readily comprehend in what manner the footmarks of an animal 
could be interesting, or afford any particular gratification such as 
I experienced in this day's journey, when they are told that we 
now first distinguished the track of the tallest of all the quadrupeds 
in the world ; of one which, from the time of the Romans until the 
middle of the last century, was so little known to the nations of 
Europe, as to have been at length considered by most people as a 
fabulous creature ; one not existing on the globe. No person who 
has read, even the popular books of natural history, could, I think, 
behold for the first time, the ground over which he is walking, 
imprinted with the recent footsteps of a camelopardalis, without 
feeling some strange and peculiar interest at the sight. The animal 
itself was not observed, but our attention was now awakened by the 
expectation of soon getting a full view of this extraordinary creature ; 
and the hope of being the first of the party to see it, kept all my men 
on the look-out the whole day. 
Having travelled till sunset without meeting with any water, and 
being assured by Muchunka that the next spring was too far to be 
reached before night, we halted at a spot where a clump of acacias * 
offered us a convenient shelter. Our cattle were made fast to the 
stems, and carefully watched to prevent their breaking loose ; for, as 
they were unable here to quench their thirst, they would otherwise 
* In all the preceding part of the journey, the karro-ihorn, having been the pre- 
dominant species of the genus, has been most frequently noticed by the name of acacia ; 
and whenever this vv^ord may in future occur without special distinction, it is to be under- 
stood as intending the Acacia Capensis, already described in the first volume, at pages 1 95 
and 196, or a species so closely resembling it, as not to be distinguished but by the botanist. 
