August."] 
PASSAGE OF THE RIVER. 
289 
The Society possessing a Missionary station at 
Konnah, a little beyond the river on the other 
side, under the care of two Christian Hottentots 
from Lattakoo, David and Kruisman, we deter- 
mined to cross the river, and visit it in the after- 
noon, which was no trifling undertaking. I had 
to cross on our old feeble horse. About a dozen 
Bushmen entered first ; but being short men, the 
water in the middle reached nearly to their 
shoulders, which made me almost afraid of 
making the attempt, till I recollected that they 
were men of low stature. A strong Hottentot 
led my horse by the reins, and Kruisman marched 
before him with a long stick to sound the depth. 
For fifty yards the water came up to the saddle, 
which obliged me to rest my legs on the horse's 
neck ; but in about twenty minutes we got 
safely to the other side, when we visited a Co- 
ranna kraal, situated at the head of the bank 
behind some trees. The banks are from thirty to 
sixty feet high. From the Coranna kraal we went 
to Konnah, which lies about two miles and a half 
to the westward of the river, and is now entirely 
occupied by Bushmen. Till lately the Corannas, 
who occupy both sides of the river, resided 
there also ; but a disease seizing the cattle, and 
carrying off" many of their oxen, sheep, and goats, 
communicated also to several of the people, who 
had eaten of the animals that died. Supposing 
there was something infectious in the ground about 
VOL. II. u 
