306 Mr. masson’s Botanical travels. 
25th, At noon we proceeded on our journey, the road 
continuing Hill very bad ; and in palling along we faw 
the prints of the lion’s feet in feveral places. At night 
we came to Olyfant’s Rivier, where we found a Dutch 
habitation; there we relied feveral days, being treated 
with great hofpitality. This country abounds with 
game. They have two kinds of partridges, which are 
exceedingly plentiful and eafy to fhoot; and a perfon 
cannot walk ten paces without railing a brace of quails. 
Their hares are of an extraordinary fize, but differ 
little otherwife in character from thofe of Europe. We 
hunted every day, and by the alfiffance of the peafant’s 
Ion, who was an excellent marklman, never failed to come 
home loaden. The fteril appearance of this country ex- 
ceeds all imagination : wherever one calls his eyes, he lees 
nothing but naked hills, without a blade of grafs, only 
fmall fucculent plants. The foil is a red binding loam, 
intermixed with a kind of rotten Jchiflus or Rate. Next 
morning we traverfed the adjacent hills, and were fur- 
prized to find all the plants entirely new to us. They 
were the greatell part of the fucculent kind; viz. mejem - 
bryanthemu?n , euphorbia , and Jlapelia , of which we 
found many new fpecies. The pealant told us, that in 
winter the hills were painted with all kind of colours; 
and faid, it grieved him often, that no perfon of know- 
ledge in botany had ever had an opportunity of feeing his 
country in the flowery feafon. We expreffed great lur- 
prize at feeing fuch large flocks of fiieep as he was pol- 
feffed of fubfifl in fuch a defart; on which he obferved, 
7 that 
