266 
DISTANT BARKING OF DOGS. 
23, 2i July, 
his intention to make the ascent of the Roggeveld mountain on the 
morrow, or the day after. 
It was late in the afternoon before the oxen were put to the 
waggons : our company now separated into three divisions, and we 
took leave of each other for a short time. As in a few days' journey 
further, we were about to quit the inhabited part of the colony, and 
the missionaries had some friends in this quarter, with whom they 
wished to pass a week or two before taking a final departure from 
the land of Christendom, it was agreed to suspend our journey for 
that time. During this period, I proposed to take up my station at 
the Veldcornefs, to whom government-orders to provide voorsjyans at 
the Roggeveld-berg, had been previously despatched. 
None of my people were acquainted with the situation of his 
place, which lay out of our road at a considerable distance eastward. 
But Hottentots, in general, possess the valuable faculty of easily 
finding their way over the country ; therefore, a few slight instruc- 
tions, from a schaap-wagter (shepherd) whom we met with, were 
considered sufficient to enable us to take the proper direction to the 
Fieldcornet's. 
At half-past four o'clock we drove away from the Wmd-heuvel 
fitation. The country was nearly levels abounding in thorn trees, but 
deficient in water. On the road no new object of natural history was 
observable. We had been told that the place might be reached by 
sunset; yet the darkness of night came on, and no appearance of 
a human habitation having been seen all the way, Philip began to 
fear he had mistaken the tract ; yet, as there was no moon to guide 
us, we continued travelling on the same course. 
The barking of dogs at a distance, gave us hopes that we were 
approaching the house, and a light being seen in the same direction, 
put all our fears to rest. But on coming up to it, this proved to be 
only a boor with his waggon at outspan, under some large trees of 
Karro-thorns, by the side of the dry bed of a rivulet. AV e learnt 
that we were still in the right road, and that the Veldcornet's was 
at the distance of a quarter of an hour's travelling further. Not 
having taken the precaution to fill our water-cask, we were 
