368 T R A V E L S I N 
through a commodious defile, where there was 
not a fmgle tree to incommode us* 
Here, however, we perceived to our forrow, 
that we could proceed no farther along the 
river's fide, or even along the wood that bor- 
dered ir, on account of the roads, which 
were fo bad as to be abfolutely impaffabie for 
waggons. 
The 27th, quitting the river till we could 
find fome more convenient route by which to 
return to it, we proceeded fouth for four hours 
before it was in our power to verge to the 
weft, and in that direction travelled fix leagues 
through execrable roads. Being obliged every 
Inftant to alight from my waggon and get up 
again, I defpau'ed of rejoining the river, and 
was momentarily on the point of abandoning 
my defigri. At length, on the evening of the 
28th, we arrived, with great labour, at the fite 
of an old kraal, which appeared to have been 
long abandoned, and where we pitched our 
camp. 
The fituation was fo pleafant, that I could 
not refift the temptation of making a ftay there. 
A few paces from our camp was a little wood, 
through which ran a gentle ftream, that af- 
forded 
