JOURNEY I. 273 
s ant iI 0 lli, " es ) gardens, vineyards, and corn fields: this 
country lies about thirty-five miles Eaft from the Cape 
Town. i 
6tIl > We afcencle d the mountains by an exceedingly 
lteep rugged path, which the peafants call Hottentot 
Holland Kloof w, and after much labour and fatip-ue 
gained their fummit, when we entered a fpacious plain 
interfperfed with an infinite number of large fragments 
of rocks, vifibly decayed by the force of the S.E. wind, 
which blow's here during the fummer with very great 
force. Some of thefe rocks appeared like the ruins of 
church-fteepl'es, and were worn fo thin with wind and 
rain, that the fofter parts of them were perforated in 
many places. They are formed of the cos quadrum of 
Linnaeus. The foil about them is a black earth inter- 
mixed with a pure white fand, probably proceeding from 
the decay of the rocks. Thefe mountains abound with 
a great number of curious plants, and are, I believe, 
the richeft mountains in Africa for a botanift. We 
then pafied the Palmet Rivier, fo called by the peafants 
from a plants; which almoft covers the water; the leaves 
of which greatly refemble that of the ananas or pine- 
apple, but their flowers are like thofe of a reed. At night 
we crofted a fmall river, called Boter Rivier; and tooklip 
our lodging at a mean cottage, where the Dutchmen and 
Hottentots live almoft promifcuoufly together, their beds 
confifting only of fheep’s fkins. The next morning an 
(h) Kloof, is a narrow paffage over the lower part of a chain of mountains, 
©r fometimes a narrow paflage between mountains. 
(c) Schoenus ferratus. 
Vol. LX VI. N n 
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