132 
TRAVELS IN 
by a bar of fand, which occafionally breaks down as the mafs 
of water in the river becomes too heavy for the mound of fand 
to fupport it ; and the firft fouth-eaft wind again blocks it up, 
carrying at the fame time a quantity of fait water into the river. 
Clofe to the landing-place, however, there is a copious fpring 
of excellent water at the extremity of a narrow flip of ground, 
hemmed in between a ridge of fand-hills on one fide, and by a 
fudden rife of the country on the other. This flip is about four 
thoufand feet long by five hundred in width. It is compofed 
of excellent foil, has a gentle flope to the fliore of the bay, and 
is the prettiefl: fituation for a fmall fifliing village that could 
poflfibly be imagined. 
Zwart-kop's bay, indeed, feems to hold out very confiderable 
advantages in the fifliing trade. The bay fwarms with the 
black whale, and abounds with every fort of excellent fifli that 
frequent the coafl: of Southern Africa ; and the fait pan would 
furnifti an inconfumable quantity of flirong bay fait ready pre- 
pared for ufe. More folid advantages might fliill be derived to 
the trading part of the nation, and to the Eafl:-India Company 
in particular, were an eftablifliment formed at this place for the 
preparation of faked beef and fifli. The bad quality of the 
Cape beef has been accounted for in the preceding Chapter. 
The cattle in this part of the country, from the Snowy moun- 
tains to the fea-coaft, are generally in good condition ; and the 
beef that is killed here takes fait and keeps jufl: as well as in 
Europe. If the butchers at the Cape can afford to contrad; for 
fupplying the army with beef at two-pence a-pound, after hav- 
ing brought the cattle five, fix, and feven hundred miles at their 
own 
