192 
SPORT AND WAR. 
CHAP. XXI. 
the same night. This day we also crossed the Caledon 
branch of the Orange River. The Prince put up at a 
house taken for the purpose, while Currie and myself 
were entertained by Mr. Coleman. During the night 
we had great bargaining with a Dutchman named 
Pienaar for a favourite shooting horse, which was pre¬ 
sented to the Prince the next day. It was a grey, 
4 trippler ’—one of those rare horses of the Cape which 
amble along and carry you as if you were sitting in a 
chair. 
On the 21st and 22nd we camped out, and had a 
very jolly time of it. A small marquee was generally 
pitched for us to dine in, and afterwards formed a 
sleeping-place for some of the party. Sir George Grey 
and Sir John Cowell had a tent each, the Prince always 
sleeping in his little travelling-wagon, which he shared 
with a midshipman comrade. There vas always a 
general camp-fire; but Currie and myself invariably 
had our own, and it was the general resort after dinner. 
During these two days we passed through a good deal 
of game, and single wildebeasts (gnus) were killed by 
different huntsmen, besides numbers of smaller ante¬ 
lopes, also bustards, koorans and partridges, &c. 
On August 23 the cavalcade—or 6 trek,’ as it should 
more properly be called (as combining wagons)— 
reached Bloom Fontein, the capitsl of the Orange Free 
State. A royal salute was fired from the old fort, which 
