SOUTHERN AFRICA. 45 
tloned that of Mr. Patrick, affiftant-furgeon to the 8th Light 
Dragoons, whofe horfe being unable to ftem the ftream, was 
carried down the river, and the rider perifhed. 
The country affords tolerable good paflurage, and will yield 
one moderate crop of grain in the feafon without manure. It 
is thinly inhabited, confifting principally of grazing farms which 
belong to perfons who hold eftates upon the Cape fide of the 
mountains. The firft houfe that occurred in our route was 
near ten miles beyond the kloof, which, by lofmg our* way in 
the dark acrofs the wide heath, we did not reach before mid- 
night. 
The 9th of March was the hottefl and moft oppreflive day 1 
ever experienced in Southern Africa. I had no thermometer 
with me, but I afterwards learnt that, during the whole day 
nearly, the temperature in Cape Town was 104° of Fahren- 
heits's Scale. In the whole of this day's march, of about twenty 
miles, we were not able to procure a drop of water for the 
horfes, except once juft after ftarting, nor even any fhade from 
the fcorching rays of the fun j for trees of any defcriptioa in 
this part of the coufitry are as rare as Dodtor Johnfon found 
them to be, of as great an age as himfelf, in Scotland. The 
horfe on which I was mounted was fo much overcome by the 
heat, that it literally dropped down under me, and was unable 
to carry me any farther. 
Wearied and exhaufted we reached, at length, the hovel of 
a fhoemaker, near which we found a few puddles of muddy 
G 2 water. 
