OCT.] JOURNEY IN THE COLONY. 485 
be owing to the nature of the air, or good living 
and the want of exercise? In general they sleep 
much, and do little, in consequence of having so many 
slaves and Hottentots to serve them. In addition to 
a good night's rest, they sleep during the heat of the 
day, so that in fact they are dead except mornings and 
evenings. The value of nothing is so little known as 
that of time. 
The day was warm, but a cooling breeze springing 
up in the afternoon, encouraged us to proceed, at five 
o'clock. The country through which we travelled was 
more generally cultivated than any other part of Africa 
we had seen. 
We expected to reach a salt lake, at the side of 
which is a spring of good water-; but though we went 
forward till one o'clock in the morning; there was no 
appearance of it, which disposed us to stop at a pool 
where there was good grass. We killed a snake on 
the road, which by its hissing discovered itself to us in 
the dark, so that what it used for defence caused its 
death. 
31st. Day light discovered that we were in the 
midst of corn-fields, but we were glad our cattle had 
not gone into any of them. As it was necessary to de- 
part from such a place as fast as possible, we left it at 
seven in the morning, and reached the salt lakes at half 
past eight o'clock, where we halted to spend the day„ 
We found good water within a few yards of the lake. 
