3io Mr. masson’s Botanical Travels. 
Boom, of which the Hottentots make quivers to hold 
their arrows ; it being of a foft fibrous confidence, which 
they can ealily cut out, leaving only the bark, which is 
hard and durable. Thefe trees were about twelve feet 
high, with a (trait fmooth trunk, about ten inches or a 
foot diameter and five or fix feet in length, which divided 
into two branches; and thole were again fub-divided into 
two more branches, which terminated in a bunch of thick 
fucculent leaves furrounding the (tern, fpear-lliaped, en- 
tire, without (pines, and hanging down like the leaves of 
dracaena draco. We did not fee it in (lower, but by the 
above characters took it for a new fpecies, and called it 
aloe dichotoma . We gained the top of the mountain, 
and entered into Bockland, which is extended along the 
fummit for many miles. It is pretty level, but very 
rocky. We enjoyed a pure cool air, it being feveral 
degrees colder here than in the Carro. Bockland lies 
nearly in a Northern direction from the Gape, and at 
the diltance of about 220 miles. It was called Bockland on 
account of the amazing quantity of fpring bucks which 
were formerly found there; but fince this country has 
been inhabited by Europeans, it hasceafed to be the fettled 
relidence ; at lealf , the number of thofe which conftantly 
remain in it is very inconfiderable. It generally happens, 
however, once in leven or eight years, that flocks of many 
hundred thoufands come out of the interior parts of 
Africa, fpreading over the whole country, and not leav- 
ing a blade of grafs or a fhrub. The peafants are then 
obliged to guard their corn fields night and day, other- 
wife thofe animals would caufe a famine wherever they 
paired. 
