JOURNEY II. 283 
out the leaft appearance of vegetation; and upon the 
whole, has a moft melancholy effect on the mind. We 
faw lome herds of the fpring-bocks, a fpecies of antelope, 
as obferved before, which were fo flay, that we could not 
come within muflcet-lhot of them. 
2 1 ft, We delcended by a very fteep path into ano- 
ther fmall country, called Warm Bocke Veld, encom- 
pafted alfo on all tides with horrid mountains, but not 
nearly fo barren. Here we had fome four wine and fruit ; 
we were alfo delighted to fee the luxuriance of the mea- 
dows, the grafs reaching to our horfes bellies, enriched 
with great variety of ixia, gladioli and irides, moft of 
which were in flower at the Cape in the month of Au- 
guft. 
2 2d, We had a high chain of mountains to pafs before 
we arrived at Rood Land, where we expedted to meet 
our waggons. Upon inquiring about the road thither of 
the women, with whom we had lodged the preceding 
night, the men being all from home, fo that we could 
not procure a guide; they informed us, there was only 
one pafs, called Moftart’s Hoek, which was very danger- 
ous ; and that, without a guide, we fliould run the rifle of 
loftng our lives, having a rapid river feveral times tocrols, 
the fords of which, by the late rains, had been rendered 
more dangerous than ufual. We were a little intimidated 
by this information ; but fortifying ourfelves with refolu- 
tion we proceeded, and in an hour arrived at the firft 
precipice, where we looked down with horror on the river j 
which formed feveral cataradts inconceivably wild and 
O o 2 romantic. 
