132 
JOURNEY TO ALBANY. [1S13. 
these posts, the CafFres are continually making de- 
predations upon the colonists, and carrying off their 
cattle. 
The government having kindly offered one or two 
places in that district for new missionary stations, I 
resolved to inspect it with the view of selecting suitable 
situations. While I remained at Bethelsdorp, I 
obtained much information respecting it from Co- 
lonel Vickers, civil and mihtary commandant of 
the interior districts, to whom I had been kindly 
recommended by letters from his excellency Sir John 
Cradock, the governor, and H. Alexander, Esq. colo- 
nial secretary. 
Having remained about three weeks at Bethelsdorp, 
I determined to take my departure on a journey to 
Albany on the ninth of April 1813, accompanied by 
my worthy friends Messrs. Read and Ulbricht, mis- 
sionaries ; the former designing to travel with me to all 
the stations, the latter only to Albany. Most of the 
inhabitants of Bethelsdorp came out to witness our 
departure, and bid us farewell. We had two waggons 
of our own, and four belonging to the people of 
Bethelsdorp, who were to accompany us as friends for 
a few days. Our own oxen and a third waggon were 
to join us at Graaf Reynet, where we expected to 
arrive in about a fortnight. Upwards of a hundred 
people followed us from the settlement for some time, 
but as we advanced on our journey, they gradually 
left us, and returned home. 
