26 
TRAVELS IN 
vale, which opened a passage through the second great chain 
of mountains. It is called the Hex river's kloef, and is about 
four miles in length. The ascent is much less than that of 
lloode Sand kloef, the fall of the river that meanders through 
it being not more than 200 feet. The mountains on each side 
of this pass were wild and naked, but the kloef itself abounded 
with large fruitescent plants. Basking in the sun, on the 
banks of the river, were a troop of four or five hundred large 
black baboons, apparently of the species of Cynocephalus, 
which quitted their place with seeming reluctance, grumbling 
and howling as they scrambled up the sides of the naked 
rocks. 
The head of the kloef opened out into a narrow valley to 
which there was no descent. It is about tv/o miles in width 
and fifteen in length ; and the third branch of mountains, on 
the northern side, were covered half way down from their 
summits with snow ; yet the orange-trees at their feet were 
loaded with large ripe fruit. Four families, the only inhabit- 
ants of this deep valley, constitute a little world of their own ; 
their wants might be as bounded as their horizon, for the ferti- 
lity of the ground furnishes them with almost every necessary 
of life. They have plenty of cattle, and also all the different 
sorts of game that are met with on the other side of the moun- 
tains. We saw here some large partridges with red wings, 
much preferable to the common Cape partridge, and a quadru- 
ped called the Berghaas or mountain hare. It was the Dipus 
Cafer of Linnceus, by some called the Cape Gerboa. Like the 
kangaroo of Botany Bay it has the hind legs about thrice the 
length of the fore ones. When pursued, it always takes to the 
