AUG.] 
CONTINENT OF AFRICA. 
381 
made under the thick spreading boughs of what is 
called the White-hole tree, of which the Matchappees 
make their spoons. Hottentots and others frequently 
sleep on the top of this tree, as on the roof of a house, 
to escape the lions during the night. On such an occa- 
sion a Hottentot, while asleep on one of them, fell down 
upon a lion that happened to be asleep under the same 
tree. The lion was so alarmed by the suddenness of 
the stroke, that he fled far enough to permit the Hot- 
tentot to regain his situation on the top of the tree, but 
it is very probable he slept no more that night. No 
natives were seen this day ; all was a silent, forsaken 
wilderness. Thermometer at sun-rise 44: noon 84: 
midnight 64. 
25th. In the morning, day light discovered that our 
situation was very pleasant, surrounded with hills at 
various distances, with a fine view of the river. Being 
now far from the sea in every direction, there was none 
of that moisture in the air which the sea communi- 
cates, but a peculiar dryness, so that my ink was almost 
instantly dried up in the pen, and however wet the 
pencil I used for my sketches in water colours, it 
was almost dry before it could touch the paper. We 
removed at two, P.M. when we were obliged to 
leave the river, in order to get round some hills which 
it approached. The way became more difficult, not 
only on account of its unevenness, but also from the 
number of stones, or pieces of marble, which were 
thickly scattered about. We had likewise about six 
times to cross the sandy bed of a river, with steep 
