FOURTH J O U R N E Y. 
iqi 
days more. In our way we liad heavy fliowers of rain, ac¬ 
companied with thunder and lightning; and I was necelTarlly 
detained at the Windhoek by the inclemency of the weather. 
I did not, however, remain inactive in this fituation, but added 
conliderably to my colleflion of plants, as I was fortunate 
enough to find feveral beautiful evergreens in flower. There 
is one of this tribe in particular which grows to the height of 
about twenty feet, the fruit of which the peafants ufe as 
an ingredient for poifoning the Hyenas. The procefs in pre¬ 
paring this pernicious vegetable is very hmple. They firfl: 
dry the fruit, and then grind it into a powder, which they 
rub over a piece of flelli, and throw it into places which are 
infefted by thefe fierce animals. Upon eating the flefli, the 
Hyenas are fo immediately poiloned as generally to be found 
at a very little diftance from the place where it was thrown. 
This fruit is conveyed through the whole country for this 
purpofe. 
The land in this part of the country is fruitful, and produ¬ 
ces Corn and excellent Fruit ; but the fouth-eaft winds, which 
blow from the mountains in the manner they do at the Cape, 
frequently proves as pernicious to the rifing grain as they do 
at that place. 
On the fixth of December I parted with my hofpitahle 
friend, Nluve Houds, and was convoyed by his two fons 
through the Elephants River, which I expedfed to find im- 
palTable. The water was fo deep that it came up to our 
fadclles. The fame day we arrived at the Fleer Lodfeiment, 
