Marcii.J wild BUSHMAN COUNTRY. 49 
desert ; so that, while the zebra is consulting his 
own comfort, he is providing for that of otl ers. 
At ten o'clock at night we halted near Read's 
Ford, on the side of the Great Orange River. 
In the morning of the 11th, after examining the 
river, we were glad to find it low enough to allov/ 
us to cross, and that some Griquas had arrived to 
assist us in passing over ; but our oxen having 
gone to a distance in search of grass, we were 
obliged to delay crossing till they were found. 
Knowing the uncertainty of the waters remaining 
low, we regretted every minute of our stay, 
especially when the Griquas told us of a waggon 
which had lately been detained two months, by 
the rising of the river. However, the oxen were 
found, and we were ready to cross by nine a.m. 
My waggon entered the river first, and we were 
exactly eight minutes in reaching the opposite 
side, without a single interruption. It must 
therefore be a full quarter of a mile broad in this 
place. The oxen in each tvaggon were led by 
a Griqua, our own leaders being unacquainted 
with the ford. All had safely arrived on the 
Griqua side by ten o'clock. It being Saturday, 
we resolved to halt on the side of the river until 
Monday. 
I was awoke at sunrise, by the Griquas singing 
a hymn under the mimosa tree, after Mdiich one 
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