1811. 
ARRIVAL AT THE GARIEP. 
315 
between trees, and over hillocks of loose whitish sand deposited by 
former inundations of the stream, we caught sight of the fires of our 
Hottentots ; who had arrived here, sometime before us, with the 
sheep and loose oxen. The grove, in which they had taken up their 
quarters, illuminated all around them, and the busy cheerful look 
of all the people, seemed like some enchanted scene, or magic 
change. Every circumstance united to create pleasing sensations. 
All dangers and difficulties thus far happily surmounted ; arrived at 
length at the long-looked-for stream, incomparably the largest in 
Southern Africa without the tropic ; and our road forward to 
Klaarwater, pleasant and unobstructed ; all contributed to produce a 
feeling of ease and security, in which, till now, w^e dared not indulge. 
16th. Daylight the next morning exhibited to our view, the 
nature of our station, surrounded by thickets, and large trees of 
Acacia. Close to the trees, stood a tall scaffolding made of poles 
ten feet high, on the top of which was constructed a platform of 
sticks. This had formerly been erected by a hunting party, for the 
purpose of drying upon it the flesh of their game, out of the reach of 
dogs and wild beasts. These marks of human labor, appeared to 
me the more interesting, after traversing so great an extent of 
country, in which no vestige of art had been seen ; for not a trace 
of the kraals and huts of the Bushmen was observable from our 
road, as they had been cautiously placed in the most secluded spots, 
for the purpose of keeping, as much as possible, their situation un- 
known to all but themselves. Travellers may often pass quite through 
their country, without seeing a human being : yet it would be 
erroneous to suppose, therefore, that it was uninhabited ; for there 
are few springs of water, in the vicinity of which a Bushman Kraal 
may not be found. 
Being now arrived within that distance from Klaarwater to 
which these Hottentots extend their huntings, our people began to 
feel themselves at home ; and, in less than two hours, several 
temporary huts, or rather tents, constructed in the genuine Hot- 
tentot style, with poles bent semicircularly, and covered with mats, 
gave to the spot the appearance of a Kraal. Although our station 
was on the very bank of the river, nothing was to be seen of the 
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