Chap. II. 
THE KALAHAKI DESEET. 
47 
Mr. Oswell would be as determined as himself to get through 
the Desert.” 
Before narrating the incidents of this journey, I may give 
some account of the great Kalahari Desert, in order that the 
reader may understand in some degree the nature of the diffi¬ 
culties we had to encounter. 
The space from the Orange Eiver in the south, lat. 29°, to 
Lake Kgami in the north, and from about 24° east long, to near 
the west coast, has been called a desert simply because it con¬ 
tains no running water, and very little water in wells. It is by 
no means destitute of vegetation and inhabitants, for it is covered 
with grass and a great variety of creeping plants; besides which 
there are large patches of bushes and even trees. It is remark¬ 
ably flat, but intersected in diflerent parts by the beds of ancient 
rivers; and prodigious herds of certain antelopes, which require 
little or no water, roam over the trackless plains. The inha¬ 
bitants, Bushmen and Bakalahari, prey on the game and on the 
countless rodentia and small species of the feline race which sub¬ 
sist on these. In general the soil is light-coloured soft sand, 
nearly pure silica. The beds of the ancient rivers contain much 
alluvial soil; and as that is baked hard by the burning sun, rain¬ 
water stands in pools in some of them for several months in the 
year. 
The quantity of grass which grows on this remarkable region 
is astonishing, even to those who are familiar with India. It 
usually rises in tufts with bare spaces between, or the intervals 
are occupied by creeping plants, which, having theh roots buried 
far beneath the soil, feel little the effects of the scorching sun. 
The number of these which have tuberous roots is very great; 
and their structure is intended to supply nutriment and moisture 
when during the long droughts they can be obtained nowhere 
else. Here we have an example of a plant, not generally tuber¬ 
bearing, becoming so under circumstances where that appendage 
is necessary to act as a reservoir for preserving its life; and the 
same thing occurs in Angola to a species of grape-bearing vine, 
which is so furnished for the same purpose. The plant to which 
I at present refer is one of the cucurbitaceae which bears a 
small scarlet-coloured eatable cucumber. Another plant, named 
Leroshiia, is a blessing to the inhabitants of the Desert. We 
