VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA. 239 
During the riigbt, three elephants had entered the officer's garden, 
at the bottom of the eminence on which the farm was situated, 
and demolished nearly all the produce. They had pushed down the 
gate and a fig-tree near it, trampled upon several beds of onions and 
cabbages, eaten what they hked, and marched off through the fence, 
towards a pool of water. Captain Terry, who commanded here, 
walked with Mr. Melville and me through the garden and fig- 
orchard, where we measured the diameter of their round foot-marks. 
I hey were of three different sizes, of fourteen, ten, and eight inches 
in diameter, the latter probably of a calf. Having breakfasted with 
the captain, we set out and took the road to the Ados Drift, on Sun- 
day's river. By the w^ay, we saw abundant traces of recent works of 
elephants, trees pushed down or pulled up by the roots, and near the 
road a great (Quantity of fresh dung, as likewise a large thora-tree, 
with a stem nearly a foot in diameter, standing topsy-turvy, on its 
crown, wdth only one large root, at the top, all the smaller being 
devoured, as Avell as the more tender parts of the bush and the 
leaves. 
At noon we reached some hovels near the drift, where we found 
a slave, a Hottentot woman, and a few children, got some milk 
and butter, and a miserable dinner. Our few biscuits were spoiled 
by a poisonous lizard, which had crept into the basket, and were 
given to the hungry- dogs. Near the place lay the horns of a large 
koodoo, with the tips cut off to make tobacco-pipes. I had hoped 
to have gained an opportunity of examining the steep banks of the 
river, but now saw with concern that I could not possibly reach the 
limestone-rocks on the opposite shore. They have many extra- 
neous fossils imbedded in them. We found the ford very practi- 
cable, and in the evening, sought shelter from drizzling rain, behind 
a bush of speckboom, where we got a good night's rest in the 
waggon. 
20tli. We set off early, got a little refreshment at Sandfonteyn 
and reached Uitenhagen about noon, where we were cordially re- 
