FOURTH JOURNEY. 
days more. In our way we had heavy fliowers of rahi, ac- 
companied with diuncler and hghtning ; and I was necefHirily 
detained at the Windhoek by the inclemency of the weather. 
I did not, however, remain ina£live in this fituation, but added 
confiderably to my collection of plants, as I was fortunate 
enoup-h to find feveral beautiful everp^reens in flower. There 
is one of this tribe in particular which grows to the height of 
tibout twenty feet, the fruit of which the peafants ufe as 
an ingredient for poifoning the Hyenas. The procefs in pre- 
paring this pernicious vegetable is very fimple. They firft 
dry the fruit, and then grind it into a powder, which they 
rub over a piece of fleili, and throw it into places which arc 
infefted by thefe fierce animals. Upon eating the flefli, the 
Hyenas are fo immediately poifoned as generally to be found 
at a very little diftance from the place where it was thrown. 
This fruit is conveyed through the whole country for this 
purpofe. 
The land in this part of the country is fruitful, and produ- 
ces Corn and excellent Fruit ; but the fouth-eaft winds, which 
blow from the mountains in the manner they do at the Cape, 
frequently proves as pernicious to the rifing grain as they do 
at that place. 
On the fixth of December I parted with my hofpitable 
friend, Niuve Houds, and was convoyed by his two fons 
dirough the Elephants River, which I expected to find im- 
paffable. The water was fo deep that it came up to our 
faddles. The fame day we arrived at the Heer Lodfeiment. 
