II2 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
/779* Brothers; and in this defolate repion there was no one who 
Auguft. , . . ° . 
■—--—J could difpute any denomination by which we chofe to diftin- 
guifh whatever we met with. To the northward we difcovered 
a large valley about three miles diftant, but found there was 
no v/ater. This Colonel Gordon called Benting’s Valley. We 
were obliged to Ray here all night, as our cattle was fo much 
fatigued that it was impoffible to proceed farther ; our guide 
informed us that we were then about eight miles from the 
liver. 
Early in the morning,' Colonel Gordon, Jacobus Van Renan 
and I, left the waggons and proceeded on our journey. In our 
way we found an Oftrich neft, containing thirty-four frelh 
eggs, which proved excellent food. We faw feveral Zebras, 
Quachas, and Elks. At ten in the forenoon we arrived at the^ 
river, which appeared at once to be a new creation to us. After 
having palled nine days in eroding an arid and fultry defart, 
where no living animal was to be feen, and during which our 
cattle had but twice tailed the luxury of a drop of water. 
We here unfaddled our horfes and refrefhed ourfelves by the 
lide of the river, under the diade of a Willow, which hung 
over its banks ; and afterwards made an excurfion along the 
river to the eaftward, hoping that we lliould find fome appear¬ 
ance of our loll companion, who had been feven days abfent 
from the waggons. We obferved feveral old uninhabited huts, 
where were numbers of Baboons bones, with thofe of various 
other wild beafts. About a thoufand yards from the banks of 
the river, the country is extremely barren, and to the eaftward 
very mountainous. On thefe eminences there is fcarcely any 
