F O U R T H J O U R N E Y. I2i 
return. Among: tliefe Hottentots was our p^uide Pedro, who ^ ^779- 
. beptembcr. 
had left us a few days before ; there were alfo two captahis, ' — 
one of whom had a cane, dated feventeen hundred and five, 
and his name engraved on the top of it, Vulcan ; and the 
other had one with the name, Jephtah. 
In the morning I difpatched a Hottentot to Hermannias 
Engelbright, deliring him to fend us a fupply of frefh cattle, 
in order to enable us to afcend a fteep hill which lay in our 
next day's journey. 
On our firft arrival amongft our hofpitable friends, we were 
quite invigorated, and delighted with the appearance of every 
thing around us. We had exchanged a country untrodden by 
human feet, or only inhabited by the moft wretched of favages, 
for the fociety of friends and generous hoih, and after a jour- 
ney of fix weeks, through dry and fultry defarts, found our- 
felves in a land adorned with flowers of the moft beautiful 
colours. The contraft was truly exhilirating, though it was 
not unexpeded. Moft of the plants in this part of the coun- 
try were well known to me, fuch as Ixias, Gladiolus, Gerani- 
ums, and a great variety of Orchifes, which are produced in 
the marfties. We agreed to remain here a few days, during 
which I loft my companion, Colonel Gordon, who intended to 
dired his courfe to the eaftv/ard in fearch of a nation, called 
Briquas, of the Caffre tribe. My intention was to proceed to 
the northward, to crofs the Orange River, and to vilit tlie 
Great Nimiqua Land. During my ftay at this place, I made* 
R 
