SOUTHERN AFRICA. 385 
A little beyond this hill they came to the Magaaga fontdn or 
the Spring of the Iron Mountain, the name of which induced 
some of the party to ascend the heights and examine the 
rocks and stones on the surface, taking with them a pocket 
compass. The masses of rock were composed generally of a 
ponderous stone, which evidently abounded with iron ; and 
they found that the compass was very materially affected. 
By placing the needle on some of the iron-stones it appeared 
Gompletely to have lost its polarity, pointing differently on 
different stones, sometimes in an opposite direction, vibrat- 
ing at one time with great violence, and again whirling en- 
tirely round ; from which they concluded that the mountain 
contained native iron, or other substances that were impreg- 
nated with magnetic matter. It does not appear, however, 
that they discovered any specimens which could be considered 
as containing iron in its native state. 
After chasing in these mountains, and in the passes through 
which their route led them, a variety of the larger kind of 
^ game, as hartebeests, spriiigboks, and ostriches, the tra- 
vellers came in the dusk ofvthe evening to the banks of a lake 
called the Koussie, whose extent was several thousand feet in 
circumference. A belt of tall reeds surrounded its margin, 
in several parts of which were growing veiy beautiful knots 
of the Karroo mimosa. Near the brink of the Avater they 
observed a number of holes that had been made by the Bos- 
jesmans, with a view to entrap the wild beasts of the desert 
coming thither to quench their thirst ; and in one of them 
they found a dead steenbok, which had apparently fallen in 
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