592 JOURNAL OF A 
In about an hour, we reached the toll-house, at the foot of the 
Ilaue lioek, over which we had a pleasant walk of about three 
English miles, the morning being remarkably fine. We halted at 
Mr. Urie's farm. While dinner was preparing, we walked with 
our landlord into his grounds. He had laid out a large garden 
and vineyard, and was now planting wood, and making other im- 
provements, by which, if he succeeds, his place will become a little 
paradise, in the midst of a wilderness. 
The Great Haue Hoek presents itself here, with many small 
peaks. Its rocks are the habitations of babooiis, which, indeed, 
occupy the summits of all the neighbouring hills. Mr. Urie en- 
tertained us with an account of a combat he had lately beheld, 
on the waste, ail joining his gardens, between a large herd of ba- 
boons from the Ilaue Hoek, and a party fiom the opposite range. 
It was maintained on both sides with great fury, and with horrid 
yells and barkings, when, suddenly, a stop was put to it, by an 
unfortunate jackal running in among them. The poor animal 
was seized by one party and thrown towards the other, then back 
again. His cries, added to those of the combatants, filled the air 
with the most discordant sounds, till the death of the intruder 
seemed to give the signal for a general retreat. 
Hearing that the ford of the Palmite Revier was impassable, 
we drove to the bridge. At the toll-house we found a miserable 
night's lodging, rose early on the 
14th, and passed over the bridge, which is of wood, and the 
only bridge in all South Africa. It rests upon stone piers, 
thought snfliciently strong to resist the force of the stream, which 
gomttimes, in the rainy season, becomes extremely rapid and 
fierce, but was now nearly hid among palmite-piarits and low 
buishes, growing in its bed. To prevent the wood-work from be- 
ing washed oft the piers in great floods, the timbers are fa.sttriR'd 
to them by strong chains, on the side of the water's descei^t. The 
bridge is furnished with railings, and on the floor-planks, the 
thick spungy stalks of the palmite-plant are laid in abundance. 
