Feb.] cape TOWN TO BEAUFORT 15 
those animals abounding on its sides. In conse- 
quence, no doubt, of great rains having fallen 
higher up the country, the Gamka had, a few 
hours before our arrival, risen from a small brook 
to a broad and rapid stream, perhaps thirty-five 
yards across. 
In the morning of the eleventh, I took a ramble 
along its banks. The beauty of innumerable 
mimosas in blossom was charming, and their fra- 
grance delightful. The ground which was not occu- 
pied by these river-ornaments exhibited a surface 
strewed with broken slate ; and the soil appeared 
to be a mixture of sand and clay, sending forth 
here and there small tufts of feathered grass, and 
low brown sickly bushes. Many lizards were 
running about in various directions. A wide- 
spreading mimosa, standing by itself a little way 
off, attracted my attention by the liveliness of its 
green foliage and the number of the flowers with 
which it was studded, and which glittered in the 
sun like so many newly-coined guineas. It con- 
sisted of seventeen long shoots proceeding from 
one ancient stump ; the circumference of the 
ground which it shaded measured sixty-six steps ; 
our cattle were feeding around, coveys of phea- 
sants were flying over it, butterflies of great 
beauty were extracting their food from its honeyed 
treasures, and lizards of various hues were en- 
joying its shade. Those persons only can appre- 
