JOURNEY II. 277 
level for many miles, and covered over with low fhrubs 
of various forts. At night we came to a farmer’s houfe, 
where we remained two days, ranging the adjacent fields, 
in which we found many curious plants, and fhot feveral 
animals, as fteenbocken, hares, partridges. 
2 2d, Still, in the fame direction, we travelled over a 
deep, fandy country with great fatigue; when, towards 
the evening, we arrived at Saldana Bay. Here we lodged 
with a farmer on the Eaft fide of the bay; but being de- 
lirous of croffmg to a houfe inhabited by fome of the 
company’s fervants, who during the fummer feafon flioot 
feals for oil, on the 23d we made a fignal for them to lend 
their boat; which they immediately anfwered, and 
brought us over the bay, which is about two miles in 
breadth, where we were hofpitably entertained by the 
mafter. I obferved, that the direction of this bay is laid 
down wrong in all the maps that I have feen, except that 
of the Abbe de la caille; they have given it a right Eaft 
direction, whereas it has nearly a South direftion, almoft 
parallel to the fea coaft, and, I fuppofe, almoft twenty miles 
in length. The entrance of the bay is difficult, having fe- 
veral fmall illands in it, and the adjacent country being 
little better than a fandy defart, and the water brackifh 
it is, I think, improper for fhipping. It lies about fifty 
miles N.N.W. from the Cape Town. We found here 
great variety of curious plants ; and in particular, a large 
bulbous root, growing on dry precipices, which the Dutch: 
call vergift-boll, poifon bulb; the juice of which, they fay, 
the Hottentots ufe as an ingredient to poifon their arrow's. 
We 
