452 T R A V E L S I N 
As there was no route inore commodious ^oY 
my waggons than th^t of the Elephants- Ri- 
ver, I fent them and the greater part of my 
caravan before me, with diredions to take the 
fame road as we had come, and to wait for 
me on its banks. Purpofing to traverfe the 
country, and reach the river by a different 
way, I took with me fix of my Hottentots 
and a few dogs, and ent&red among the moun- 
tains. 
We carried nothing with us but powder 
and fhot, refolving to fleep in the open air, 
and to live on the fruits of the chace* 
The firfl: night, we took up our abode on 
the ridge of the mountains where had for- 
merly been fituated one of the kraals of Klaas 
Bafter. We here fuffered extremely from the 
xold. Long accuftomed as we had been to 
the heat of the plaiuj the cool temperature of 
thefe heights had the greater effedt upon us ; 
and the w^orft of our fituation was, we could 
procure no wood to make a fire. Fortunately, 
however, cattle having a long time been kept in 
the fpot, we found an abundance of their dried 
dung and the gentle warmth afforded by this 
fort of fuel mitigated the rigour of the cold. 
Another misfortune was, that, carrying np 
6 provifion. 
