THE ELEPHANT OF AFRICA. 
127 
duringan exploratory excursion with some engineer 
officers, which gives a good idea of the natural 
haunts and habits of this species. 
“ I rode with them next day into the Ceded 
Territory ; and while they ascended the Winter- 
berg, I constructed, with the aid of the Hottentot 
soldiers, a sort of booth or shieling for our shelter 
at night, on the skirts of a wood, in a lovely ver- 
dant glen at the foot of the mountain, all alive 
with the amusing garrulity of monkeys and paro- 
quets. The aspect of the Winterberg from this 
spot was very grand, with its coronet of rocks, 
its frowning front, and its steep grassy skirts, 
feathered over with a straggling forest partly 
scathed by fire. As lions were numerous in the 
vicinity, we took care to have a blazing watch- 
fire, and a couple of sentinels were placed for our 
protection during the night. We received, how- 
ever, no disturbance, and spent a very pleasant 
evening in our ‘ greenwood bower ; ’ the spot, in 
jocular commemoration of one of the party, being 
thenceforth denominated Fox’s Kraal or Shieling. 
“ Next day, we followed the course of the 
Koonap over green sloping hills, till the increas- 
ing ruggedness of the ravines, and the prevalence 
of jungle, compelled us to pursue a Caffer path, 
now kept open only by the passage of wild 
animals along the river margin. The general 
character of the scenery I have already described. 
