326 
TRAVELS IN 
at the fame time calls to life fuch multitudes of deftrudlive ver- 
min, which otherwife would have remained dormant in the 
ground, that on the whole a dry feafon is perhaps the beft. 
From the Bavian's river into Bruyntjes Hoogte is a day's 
journey, and through this to the entrance of Camdeboo 
another, and three from hence to Graaff Reynet, at which vil- 
lage we arrived on the twenty-fourth, on one of the warmeft 
days that we had yet experienced in the whole country. The 
thermometer, when expofed to the wind in the fhade, rofe to 
io8°: whilft in the houfe it was cool and pleafant at 82°. It 
was one of thofe hot winds, fuch as we had once before expe- 
rienced on the banks of the Great Fifh river. They happen 
moft frequently upon the Karroo plains, where they are fome- 
times attended with tournados that are really dreadful. Wag- 
gons are overturned, men and horfes thrown down, and the 
fhrubs torn out of the ground. The duft and fand are whirled 
into the air in columns of feveral hundred feet in height, which, 
at a diftance, look like the water-fpouts feen fometimes at fea ; 
and with thofe they are equally, if poffible, avoided, — all that 
falls in their way being fnatched up in their vortex. Some- 
times duft and fmall pebbles are hurled into the air with the 
noife and violence of a fky-rocket. Rain and thunder gene- 
rally fucceed thofe heated winds, and gradually bring about a 
decreafe of temperature to the common ftandard, which, in the 
fummer feafon at GraafF Reynet, appears to be about 80° to 84° 
in the middle of the day. The mornings and the evenings are 
generally cool and pleafant. 
