FEB.] JOURNEY TO BETHELSDORP. 35 
affected, that they leaned against the. wall and wept, 
' saying, How shall we get on the way now ? 
15th. When on the eve of departing, at six, P.M. 
we discovered that two additional oxen we had pur- 
chased in the morning had strayed : two of our Hotten- 
tots were dispatched in search of them to the boors 
from whom we purchased them, from whence they 
were brought back about eight o'clock, when we pro- 
ceeded on our journey, after taking leave of the hos- 
pitable family. At eleven, P.M. the wind began to 
blow very hard, and by midnight increased to a vio- 
lent storm, which made me feel for Mr. and Mrs. 
Milne, who were to sail for the Isle of France on 
the preceding day. This storm made us halt upon 
the highway, and wait till it should be day. I spent a 
waking, uncomfortable night; but the Hottentots, in 
their sheep-skins, slept as sound as if in the best 
chamber on a bed of down. 
16th. At five in the morning we were again in 
motion towards Hottentot Holland Kloff, a steep and 
difficult pass over mountains. We were three hours be- 
fore both waggons were brought to the summit. At first 
we hoped that each yoke of oxen would be able to 
drag their own waggon to the top, but in tliis we were 
disappointed, for after ascending but a small part of 
it, both waggons made a dead halt; an inch farther, 
with all the assistance we could give them, they would 
not move. On putting our twenty-four oxen to each 
waggon they dragged them to the top with consider- 
F 2 
