FOURTH JOURNEY. 107 
belong to Colonel Gordon. Soon after I received a letter from ^779^ 
him, and we proceeded to the Rhinoceros Fountain. The 
river was frequented by a variety of Water-fowl, which af- 
forded us excellent fport ; among thefe we found great num- 
bers of Flamingoes, of two fpecies, one much fmaller than 
the other. We ftayed here two days, and made excurfions 
along the Ihore, where we faw ftrata of the moft beautiful rocks 
I ever beheld, fome of them as white as fnow, and others 
veined with red and other colours, this we took for a fpecies of 
quartz. Here we faw feveral huts made of the ribs of Whales, 
and others of Elephants bones ; but we perceived that they 
had not been inhabited for many years. 
Colonel Gordon's companion, and the two Van Renans, 
being informed of a herd of Elephants which were feen to the 
northward, left us on the feventh, while we direded our courfe 
to the mouth of the river, where was a large lake of water 
which communicated with the fea. Here we expected to 
catch fome fifli, but we found none that were larger than a 
fprat. In the afternoon we fhot fome wild Ducks and returned 
to the waggon. In the evening our companions returned, 
finding the Elephants were gone. 
From this place we directed our courfe north, through a 
fandy country. We travelled the whole day, and at night 
were informed by our guide, that we were not half way to the 
firft water, and that, as it was extremely dark, he would not 
venture to conduct or diredl us through the fandy downs which 
lay along the fhore, and extended many miles to the eaftward. 
