16 
JOURNEY FROM 
[1826'. 
ciate such an assemblage of the most beautiful 
objects in nature, who have met with them as we 
have in the midst of a desert. 
We departed at two p. m,, crossed the river at 
six, and in an hour and half more it became so 
dark that we were obliged to halt short of the 
place we had intended to reach. Here we found 
plenty of fire-wood to prevent the approach of 
lions, said to be very numerous on the Gamka. 
The fresh footsteps of two we had traced on the 
road for several miles. 
We went forward at five in the morning ; in a 
little time we lost the right path and got entangled 
among trees, rocks, deep sand, small cliffs, and 
numerous branches of the river. The waggon 
made hair-breadth escapes of being nearly over- 
turned at least six or eight times. After strug- 
gling for about half an hour, we got out of this 
labyrinth. Waggons had evidently gone that way 
before, but why they had done so it was difficult 
to conjecture. 
Passing a cliff" we observed a projecting rock 
with a flat surface ; on this lay what appeared a 
cart-load of dung carelessly tumbled down. My 
Hottentot informed me it was a hawk's nest, and 
pointed out the entrance to it at the bottom which 
hung over the cliff". At half past six a. m. we 
