534 
ANOTHER DISAPPOINTMENT. 
9—14 Feb. 
fidelity no reliance was to be placed; remarking that they once 
threatened to shoot him for interfering with their practices. As 
soon as one had exhausted his argument, another began with a fresh 
one ; and it seemed as if they thought it a duty to say any thing that 
could discourage me. All which served only to convince me that, 
if they really felt, and believed, their own reasoning, they were the 
most timid of mortals. 
All this jumble of advice was quite lost upon me, who, consi- 
dering that 1 had overcome the greatest difficulty by mustering a 
sufficient party, was too strongly bent on proceeding, to be thus 
frightened out of my determination. They were, however, perfectly 
right in one of their predictions ; and, in foretelling that I should 
get no men at Klaarwater, they, on all such occasions, showed 
a prescience which was unfortunately correct. 
iOth. The next day, I learnt from my own men, that all, 
excepting Hans and Hendrik, had withdrawn their agreement to go 
with us. Manell, who had volunteered for this second expedition, 
now came to say that his wife would not consent to his going 
away. 
llth. The last reports respecting Africaander, proved to be 
wholly a fabrication ; and appear to have been generally disbelieved, 
as two waggons, we now heard, set out on a journey directly after- 
wards, taking the same road that we should have done. A son- 
in-law of that man, told Gert that his father was still stationed on 
the Gariep ; and not any where near the Briquas, as it had been 
rumoured. 
Being thus once more deserted, it was clearly to be perceived, 
that at this village my object would never be attained ; and I there- 
fore resolved, without previously making my intention known to any 
one, to go myself to the village of the Kloof, where I had some expecta- 
tion that Captain Berends might be induced to second my request. 
But the very rainy weather of the two preceding days prevented 
our taking any steps for that purpose. 
Having received a message that Klaas Berends would set out 
this day for the Roggeveld, I hastily wrote a letter to my friend 
