50 TRAVELS IN 
or land-mark, a little too near to that of his neighbour, the 
¥eld wagt-meester, or peace-officer of the division, is called in, 
bj the latter, to pace the distance, for which he gets three 
dollars. If the Feldwagt-meester should happen to regulate 
his pace to the satisfaction of both parties, the affair is settled ; 
but as this is not always the case, the next step is for the dis- 
contented party to apply for a commission, consisting of the 
Landrost, two members of the Council, the Secretary of the 
district, and a Messenger. These gentlemen share fifteen 
dollars a day as long as they are out upon the commission to 
determine how far a man ought to walk in an hour. 
The dangerous and difficult roads in every part of the 
colony, but particularly the kloefs or passes of the mountains, 
and the still more perilous fords of the rivers, shew how very 
little sense is entertained by the peasantry of public benefits or 
public conveniences. Each gets over a difficulty as well as 
he can, and no more is thought about it till it again occurs. 
An instance appeared of this in crossing the Breede river op- 
posite to Brandt Valley, which is done by means of a small 
flat-bottomed tub, about six feet by three. In this machine 
foot passengers hawl themselves over by a rope fixed to two 
posts, one on each side of the river. "When a horse is to 
cross, the saddle is taken off, the rider gets into the tub^ and 
drags the animal after him. But when a waggon is to be 
transported, it must first be unladen, and the baggage car- 
ried over in the vessel : the carriage is then made fast by one 
end to this floating machine, and the other is buoyed up by 
a cask, and in this manner it is dragged over. Thus is half 
a day consumed in passing a small river of thirty or forty 
