343 JOURNAL OF A 
the fann. Many speckbooms, olive, and milk-bushes, are inter- 
mixed with the rhinoceros bushes, in wild confusion. The coast 
is not high, but rocky, with a broken beach and sand. A 
strong westerly wind caused a considerable swell and surf, which, 
'after dismounting on the beach, kept us at a respectful distance, 
from the advancing surges. On their retreat, we discovered a fine 
hard sand, but durst not venture to walk upon its smooth surface. 
An innumerable quantity of large muscles cover the coast every- 
where, mixed here and there with the beautiful sea-ear and other 
shells, peculiar to these regions, but all in a broken state. The 
shells are brought by cart-loads to the farms, and burnt in kilns, 
as lime for mortar. The rocks are a dark-grey shistus, with nar- 
row veins of quartz. 
Finding it too troublesome to lead the horses more than about 
an English mile over the rough shells and pebbles, we returned 
to Gaensekraal. The sandy road exhibited the fresh track of a 
wolf. This bushy coast is infested by wolves and leopards, which 
commit many depredations in the neighbouring farms. 
While we rested at the house, I wrote a letter to Mr. Dashwood, 
to explain a mistake respecting a strange Hottentot in his ser- 
vice, who pretended to belong to Groenekloof. This fellow having 
been guilty of pilfering, in his flight, passing through Groene- 
kloof, left the stolen property on the roof of a cottage, which 
caused the inhabitant to be suspected by Mr. Dashwood, as be- 
ing in league with the thief, though quite ignorant of the transac- 
tion. Mr. Dashwood expressed himself perfectly satisfied with 
the explanation given, and I felt anxious to remove the unplea- 
sant impression made by misrepresentation, purposely employed 
by a known enemy to the Mission, in the mind of a man, who al- 
ways had been well-disposed towards it, 
Gaensekraal is a good farm; the buildings are superior to many in 
the country, and the grounds extensive, but bare of trees. The 
little wood, which formerly adorned the premises, was cut down, 
under an idea, that it harboured birds, particularly a kind of star- 
