96 TRAVELS IN 
not, however, Bosjefmens, but three runaway flaves, and three 
Hottentots, one of the latter of which was a girl about twelve 
years of age. This party had lived for fome time upon the 
defert entirely on animal food, which they had procured by 
lurking near the ufual halting-places of butchers and farmers, 
and driving off in the night-time a few fheep. Tired of fuch a 
mode of life, they were very glad to efcape from it by entering 
into the lift of our attendants. 
On the feventeenth we proceeded about twenty-four miles 
over a rifing country, finely marked by hill and dale, but alto- 
gether barren, except that here and there were ftraggling over 
the furface a few fpecies of the mefembryanthemum, or fig 
marygold, among which were large patches of the curious and 
elegant ice-plant. At night the thermometer was down to the 
freezing point, and the following morning it had defcended to 
30°. The Black Mountains, about fifteen miles to the fouth- 
ward, had loft that part of their character to which perhaps 
they owed their name, and were covered with deep fnow.^ 
The nights had been fo intenfely cold and piercing, fince we 
entered upon the defert, that our horfes, being accuftomed to 
the ftable, immediately grew fick and low-fpirited, and two of 
them this day fell under the feverity of the weather. A third 
had a very narrow efcape. AVe loft feveral of our oxen j but 
thefe died rather for want of food than from the coldnefs of 
the nights. 
On the eighteenth we croffed the Dwyka, or Rhinoceros 
river, and encamped on its banks. The bed of the river was a 
fine- 
