FOURTH JOURNEY. 
105 
bited defart, wliere neither man nor beaft was vlfible, where U79- 
^ , Auguft. 
there was a great fcarclty of water, and hardly a blade of grafs i-—-v--. 
for the fnpport of our cattle. Notwithflanding thefe difcou- 
ragements, we refolved to proceed as far as we poilibly could; 
and it was agreed that one of us lliould fet out a few days 
before the other, and that we fliould endeavour, if poffible, to 
meet at the mouth of the Great River. Colonel Gordon ac¬ 
cordingly parted from us, and proceeded on his intended 
journey, entirely without a guide, as the natives at that time 
refufed to accompany us. The next day, after much perfua- 
fion, I prevailed on one, who was rather more fpirited than 
the reft, to attend me, for which I recompenfed him with 
fome beads and tobacco ; we were alfo accompanied by a bro¬ 
ther of my companion, Jacobus Van Renan, who had been to 
the eaftward to Ihoot Elephants. 
On the firft of Auguft, we departed from this place, and 
were fupplied with a team of frefti oxen for two days. The 
day after our departure we continued our journey about ten 
miles to the weftern extremity of the mountain, where we had 
a view of the Atlantic at the diftance of about forty miles. 
Here I collected feveral plants, fuch as Ixias, Gladiolus, &c» 
We defcended the mountain with much difnculty, as it was 
both fteep and rugged ; and towards the evening, of the 
fecond, we arrived at a fountain of brackifti water. The foil 
in this part of the country confifts of a fandy clay. 
p 
