216 
JOURNEY ACROSS THE 
[1813. 
tree, with a long pin stuck into it. On this they lie 
flat, suspending their clothes on a stick, and driving 
thenfiselves forward by their feet, as a person swim- 
ming. A third crossed on a real horse; for a con- 
siderable time nothing was seen above water but their 
heads. 
7th. In the morning we found, from fresh footsteps 
which we saw, that a lion had approached very near 
us during the night, without doing any harm. At sun- 
rise we proceeded along the banks of the river, tra- 
velling over stones of all sizes until ten, A.M. when 
we halted. On our way we observed the fresh foot- 
steps of an uncommonly large lion, such as our new 
friends told us abound in this quarter. One of our 
people found three large ostrich eggs in time for din- 
ner, one of which nearly dined four of us, and tasted 
remarkably well. 
At eleven, A.M. I was informed that three wag- 
gons were come in sight on the other side of the river 
to meet us, but the stream seemed to present a for- 
midable obstacle to our union. Thermometer, at 
noon, 84. 
There is a bush abounding here, significantly named 
Stop-a-while, Its branches are full of thorns, exactly 
the shape of a fishing hook ; so that if they catch hold 
of your clothes as you pass, you must stop a while, 
sometimes a long while, before you get clear of them^ 
as I frequently experienced afterwards. In clearing one 
