SOUTHERN AFRICA. 325 
rested on the plains that stretch along the sea coast. The 
united streamlets of water among these hills compose a sheet 
of considerable extent, called the Verlooren valley, or the For- 
lorn lake. It had some resemblance to the Knysna, near 
Plettenberg's bay, but was totally devoid of the appendages 
that beautify the latter. Instead of green knolls, skirted and 
capped by forest trees, the Forlorn lake was surrounded by 
barren mountains of sand, crowned with masses of naked rock. 
The margin of the lake, however, was belted with good 
ground, and seemed to be tolerably well inhabited. 
It was three long days' journeys before the hills of sand 
were left behind, and a new sort of country, still sandy, pre- 
sented itself along the banks of the Olifanf, or Elephant's 
river, which, like the Berg, is one of the few rivers in the 
colony that is never entirely dried up. It receives a constant 
supply from the numerous rills that descend from the great 
northern chain of mountains, along the feet of which it flows,, 
till their discontinuance in a connected range, between the 
thirty-first and thirty-second degree of latitude. Here they 
branch out into a number of rugged hills and detached 
masses, till at length they mingle with the Karroo plains. 
After the breaking up of the chain of mountains, the Ele- 
phant's river turns off to the westward, and falls into the sea, 
in latitude 31}° north. The mouth of this river is contracted, 
rocky, and shallow, and seldom safe to be entered by boats. 
Within, it is navigable near thirty miles up the country,, 
which is, however, wild, and almost uninhabited, owing to- 
the scarcity of fresh water. 
