176 TRAVELS IN 
whom were four handfome daughters, carhe^ 
with the ufual falutes, to invite me to pafs thd 
night under his roof ; and I could not refufci 
However, In my next day's journey^ to fave 
both my time arid my powdeir^ I firmly re-i^ 
jeded every foficitation of this kind, and 
pitched my tent for the firft time ; but as there 
had been a heavy fall of rain, and as, if it con-* 
tinued, I might be flopped by the overflowing 
of the Berg-rivier, I haftened to encamp the 
fecond day on its banks, and the day following 
I happily left It behind me. 
This river, which has its niouth in St. He- 
len's Bay, but according to Kolben much 
higher up, bounds, on the eaft and north, the 
diftrid called Swart-Land (black-country), 
though the foil is far from being of that colour ; 
Qn the contrary, It Is fandy, and yet produces 
grain of all forts except oats, which grow no 
V\rhere in the colonies, and in place of which 
barley is fubftltuted for horfes. In Swart-Land, 
thefe animals have no other food with their 
barley but chopped ilraw. In fummer, there- 
fore, when grafs is fcarce, on account of the 
rivers and ftreams being dried up, the planters 
are obliged to remove their cattle to diftridts 
left 
