ii8 TRAVELS IN 
now would be one of the greateft calamities that could befal the 
country. The fame reafons that prevent them from breeding 
hogs operate againft their keeping poultry: thefe would require 
grain, and this labor. Of wild fowl, fuch as ducks and geefe, 
may be procured in moft parts of the country almoft any 
quantity, at the expence of a little powder and fhot. The larger 
kinds of game, however, are generally the objects of the Dutch 
farmers. They have a fufficient degree of penetration to calcu- 
late that the fame quantity of powder required to kill a duck 
will bring down an antelope. Of this deer, that fpecies men- 
tioned in a former Chapter under the name of the fpring-bok, 
is met with on the plains of Camdeboo in numbers that are 
almoft incredible. A thorough-bred fportfman will kill from 
twenty to thirty every time he goes out. This, however, the 
farmer does by a kind of poaching. He lies concealed among 
the thickets near the fprings or pools of water, to which the 
whole herd, towards the clofe of the day, repair to quench 
their thirft, and by firing among them his enormous piece 
loaded with feveral bullets, he brings down three or four at a 
fhot. Oftriches we faw in great plenty, and often refrefhed 
our whole company with the fpoils of their nefts. 
On the twelfth, in the courfe of twenty miles, we faw two 
farm-houfes, one of which was deferted from a fcarcity of wa- 
ter ; and the following day we alfo pafTed two houfes. Hav- 
ing crofled the Sunday river nine times fmce our departure from 
GraafF Reynet, and every time in great danger of overturning 
the waggons, we now quitted it altogether, and encamped on 
the arid plain at a diftance from any water. This part of the 
diftria 
