SOUTHERN AFRICA. 293 
feet. Should these two articles, at any future period, be 
considered as worthy attention in a commercial point of 
view, the division of Olifant's river is the most favorable 
situation for encouraging their culture, and for procuring 
their products in the most considerable quantities. 
None of the larger kind of game, except the Koodoo, are 
now to be met with near OHfant's river, though the animal, 
whose name it bears, in all probability, once abounded there. 
The river otter is plentiful, as are also two or three species of 
wild-cat, one of which appeared to be that described by na- 
turalists under the name of Caracal. The body was of a 
deep chcsnut brown, and the points of the ears tipped with 
brushes of long black hairs ; a second species, or rather 
variety, was of a cinereous blue color; and a third, clouded 
black and white. Here also is abundance of that species of 
viverra called the Ratel. Its choice food is honey, and 
nature has endowed it with a hide so very thick, that the 
sting of a bee is unable to penetrate through it. No animal 
is perhaps more tenacious of life than the ratel. A dog with 
great dii!^culty succeeds in worrying it to death ; and it is a 
species of amusement for the farmers to run knives through 
different parts of the body, without being able, for a length 
of time, to deprive it of existence. 
Turning off to the southward from the Olifant's river, and 
passing round a high detached mountain called the Kamnaa- 
sieberg, we crossed a range of hills, and descended into Lange 
Kloof, or the Long Pass. This is a narrow valley, in fv.w 
places exceeding a mile in width, hemmed in between a high 
