jo6 TRAVELS I 
ftroyed by the hand of time. Iq this place I 
found, without any difficulty, two kinds of 
antelope, the gooii and the fpring-bock. 
The filence of the night never appeared to 
nie more majefiic than here. The roaring 
of the iion refounded around us at certain 
intervals ^ but the converfations of thefe fe- 
rocious animals could not frighten us, nor 
interrupt our repofe, after having been ac- 
cuftomed to rheoi, and to live in the midft 
of them for more than twelve months. We, 
however, did not negle£l our ufual precau- 
tions. I was increafiDg my coUedtion every 
day, more and more ; and 1 enriched it here 
with a magnificent bird entirely unknown to 
ornithologifts : my people called it uyt-lager^ 
or the mock -bird. As foon as it perceived 
any of us, or one of our animals, more of 
the fame fpecies inftantly appeared in fcores^ 
and perching upon the branches neareft to 
us, raifing themfelves perpendicularly on 
their feet, and balancing their bodies from 
one fide to another, they ftunned us by re- 
peating in a very precipitate manner thefc 
fyllableSj gra, ga, ga^ ga, Thefe poor animals 
feemed to hurry to their own deftruftion ; for 
we killed as many of them as we chofe. 
This 
