446* 
NAMACQUA LAND. [1813. 
the dogs for water, were painful to hear, and it was more 
painful to reflect how much more fatigued and thirsty 
they must be before any relief could be obtained. 
The Hottentots in such a case say, " Shut your eyes 
and ears, and press forward till you get out of such a 
country as this that is, do not from pity to the 
oxen halt, for that would only increase their misery, 
by detaining them longer from water. The sand with 
which the country is covered is red. 
At nine, P.M. we passed some Bushmen who were 
sitting round a fire at the foot of a hill. A Namacqua, 
whom Mr. Albrecht had sent forward with his horse 
and oxen, he found loitering with the Bushmen instead 
of hastening forward to water, to save the life of his 
horse, which could not endure thirst so long as an ox 
This lazy man said that he could not go farther till 
he had had a sleep ; so we left him, but drove on the 
oxen and horse. At midnight the cold was piercing 
and the sand deep, especially while traveUing over 
heights. Travelled S.W. by W. 
25th. A little before sun-rise our loose oxen in- 
stantly set off at full speed towards a corner among 
hills. They had smelled water, but though there cer- 
tainly was water in the corner to which they had 
hastened, yet there was none above ground, and they 
felt disappointed. They stood snuffing in the air in 
every direction for the space of a minute, after which 
they again set off full speed in another direction, and 
were not disappointed, for they came to what is called 
