93 ~ ' JOURNAL OF A 
qiiette, lay down in the same room on tbc floor. The furniture of 
this dark chamber was in unison with general appearances. On 
a broken chair lay a quantity of butcher's meat, in reserve for to- 
morrow's dinner, -when Mr. Sibran expected his wife and family 
to return from a journey of pleasure to Capetown. But fatigue 
and no choice, made us make the best of it, and we rested tolerably 
well. Mean-while, our good-humoured host did all in his powder to 
amuse us, by relating the history of his whole life, and requesting 
Brother Lemmerz to examine one of his daughters in reading. A- 
mono- his serv^ants Avas an Englishman from Hull. 
9th. After paying cheaply for our fare, we set out before sun-rise, 
to pass the kloof in the cool of the morning. The ascent from the 
east is rough, but not steep. The wildness of the scenery can 
scarcely be surpassed. Rocks of every shape, weather-beaten and 
worn, pointed and jagged, start on all sides, to a great height, one 
ridge towering above the other. They are the haunts of hosts of 
l)aboons; but some waggons having just come up, these timid crea- 
tures had probably been frightened by the cracking of whips, 
and fled into their lurking-places ; for though the morning is the 
proper time for them to make their appearance, not one was to be 
seen. 
The prospect from the summit of the kloof, over the fertile 
grounds of Hottentots-Holland, and towards Simons' andTable-bay, 
is delightful. 
We continued our route, till we arrived at Mr. Dirk Cloete's 
charming place beyond Stellenbosch, wdiere we dined with the fa- 
mily, and rested about six hours. After sun-set we proceeded, ho- 
ping to arrive at some place of shelter towards midnight, or even 
perhaps to reach Groenekloof between one and two in the morn- 
ing, before the moon should set. The coolness of the evening re- 
freshed both men and horses, and we travelled pleasantly till mid- 
night, when Solomon observed, that he had lost the track, and 
feared we were taking a wrong direction. Fires, occasioned by the 
burning of the bushes on the sides of the hills, illumined the horizon 
