VIEWS OF YOUNG TRAVELLERS.

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generally have to learn much by experience, and that sometimes dear bought, the mode of conveyance being so entirely different from that of Europe. The first thing, the wagon, in his estimation, is an awkward, heavy vehicle; and though he never in his life was in a wheelwright's shop, he pronounces it clumsy, and capable of immense improvement; but, like all his predecessors, eventually confesses that its size, and mechanism, are inimitably adapted to the ravines and rocky ascents over which it must pass. Accustomed to horse, though not railroad speed, he is wearied out of patience with the slow and measured paces of the oxen, going at two and a half miles an hour, and only seven or eight hours each day. The untractable disposition of some, and the apparently awkward harness of ten or twelve oxen before the wagon, produce something like disgust. I remember one newly arrived, a tailor by trade, remarking, as he looked on a graceful African team, "How barbarous the people must be not to be able to harness their oxen better; any one would improve it." He has not done it yet. He then finds fault with the people, and thinks himself very patient, because he does not scold them hard, or disband them altogether. The people not understanding his broken language, and he knowing but little of theirs, preclude him from having things done as he would. His oxen stray; one man is tardy, another lazy, and a third runs away, and probably relieves him of a trifle of his heavy load, which had brought him to a halt in the bed of a river, or on the side of a bleak mountain. He pronounces, or is ready to pronounce, African servants as lazy, disobedient, dishonest, and, in fact, libels them and those under whom they have been instructed. Mr. Kitchingman and myself were spared many of these hard lessons, having been located with kind and hospitable farmers, some months before commencing our journey; but we had our trials, though not like some of our predecessors, in the gipsy life of an African traveller. We obtained men to drive the wagons, and men to lead the team of oxen, for each team requires a driver and a leader; and as it is necessary, for contingencies, to have a number of loose or spare oxen, and sometimes sheep for slaughter, and occa sionally a horse, an individual or two are required to bring them up in the rear. Servants being very scarce at the time we travelled, it was with great difficulty we procured a loose cattle driver; one we obtained, but, on getting a portion of his reward in advance, he decamped. Mr. K. and I undertook to do the work ourselves, and from the

extreme heat of the season, (November,) it was necessary to travel most during the night. We took the work alternately, for Mrs. Kitchingman being in a very delicate state of health, and near a period of maternal solicitude, it was necessary that one should constantly attend to support her, under the almost constant jolting of the wagon, without springs, on a rough and stony road. The task of driving the loose cattle was not an easy one, for frequently the oxen would take one course, the sheep another, and the horses a third. It required no little perseverance, as well as courage, when sometimes the hyena would approach with his unearthly howl, and set the poor timid sheep to their heels; and the missionary, dreading the loss of his mutton, in his haste, gets his legs lacerated by one bush, and his face scratched by another, now tumbles prostrate over an ant hill, and then headlong into the large hole of a wild boar. He frequently arrives at the halting place long after the wagons, when the keen eye of the native wagon driver surveys the cattle, and announces to the breathless and thirsty missionary, that he has lost some of his charge. He sits down by the fire, which is always behind a bush, if such is to be found, tells his exploits, looks at his wounds, and so ends his day's labours with a sound sleep.

Next morning he gets up early to seek the strayed, and if it happen to be a sheep, he is almost sure to find only the bones, the hyena having made a repast on the rest. Once our little flock of sheep was reduced to one, and one sheep will not easily travel alone, but soon becomes very tame, so as to walk about like one of the dogs; indeed, ours became so very sociable, that we loved it, and tried hard to spare its life. It generally travelled with a long leather thong tied round its neck, with which it was fastened during the night. However, having fasted long from animal food, being unable to procure game, sentence was passed, and the pet sheep was to die next morning; but it so happened that the near approach of a hyena frightened away the sheep, and being dark, the country bushy and mountainous, pursuit was out of the question. Early next morning Mr. K. and I followed the track, which showed us that the hyena had pursued it to the mountains, to which such animals instinctively resort. After a long and wearisome search, we discovered our lost sheep near the top of the rugged elevation. It had still, as the natives express it, de schrik in de lyfe, (the terror in the body,) and fled at our approach; sometimes when we, after great labour, got within a step of the thong, away it bound.

LEAVE BYSONDERMEID.

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ed, till it ascended cliffs beyond our reach. It was most mortifying to us to leave such a feast to the panthers, but not having a gun with us, and seeing some foot-marks of these dangerous animals, we slowly returned to the wagons, where all were anticipating a mutton chop, and the only compliment paid to our exertions was, that we had managed very badly.

We had troubles of another kind, and such as we did not expect in so dry and thirsty a land. Rain had fallen some time previous in the neighbourhood of Kamies Berg: the loose soil, abounding in limy particles, had become so saturated, that frequently, as the oxen and wagons went along the road, they would suddenly sink into a mire, from which they were extricated with difficulty, being obliged to unload the wagons and drag them out backwards. Öne river was so swollen and rapid, that Mrs. K. preferred being carried over to going in the wagon. Being rather more robust than Mr. K., this duty devolved on me, and it was not an easy one, as the stones in the river were as slippery as butter, and the whole party standing on the bank, all in a titter, expecting every moment that we should both have a plunge, which, though not unattended with danger, excited the risible faculties in no ordinary degree.

It was at Bysondermeid that I saw, for the first time, what might strictly be called a real native congregation, consisting of the aborigines of the country; and I shall never forget what were my emotions when listening to Mr. Schmelen, in his energetic style, addressing the attentive throng, and observing what attention they paid to the broken Dutch of the missionary recruits. This was to be the scene of Mr. Kitchingman's labours, while Mr. Schmelen was to proceed to the interior of Great Namaqua-land, where he had before laboured.

I remained nearly a month with Mr. Schmelen at Bysondermeid. His long experience afforded me much useful information. My oxen being somewhat rested, I bade farewell to my companions in travel, Mr. and Mrs. Kitchingman, now greatly endeared, and proceeded with a guide through a comparative trackless desert. Having travelled nearly the whole night through deep sand, the oxen began to lie down in the yoke from fatigue, obliging us to halt before reaching water. The next day we pursued our course, and on arriving at the place where we had hoped to find water, we were disappointed. As it appeared evident that if we continued the same route we must perish from thirst, at

the suggestion of my guide we turned northward, over a dreary, trackless, sandy waste, without one green blade of grass, and scarcely a bush on which the wearied eye could rest. Becoming dark, the oxen unable to proceed, ourselves exhausted with dreadful thirst and fatigue, we stretched our wearied limbs on sand still warm from the noon-tide heat, being the hot season of the year. Thirst aroused us at an early hour; and finding the oxen incapable of moving the wagon one inch, we took a spade, and, with the oxen, proceeded to a hollow in a neighbouring mountain. Here we laboured for a long time, digging an immense hole in the sand, whence we obtained a scanty supply, exactly resembling the old bilge-water of a ship, but which was drunk with an avidity which no pen can describe. Hours were occupied in incessant labour to obtain a sufficiency for the oxen, which, by the time all had partaken, were ready for a second draught; while some, from the depth of the hole and the loose sand, got scarcely any. We filled the small vessels which we had brought, and returned to the wagon over a plain glowing with a meridian sun; the sand being so hot, it was distressingly painful to walk. The oxen ran frantic, till they came to a place indurated, with little sand. Here they stood together, to cool their burning hoofs in the shade of their own bodies; those on the outside always trying to get into the centre. In the evening, when about to yoke them in order to proceed on our journey, we found that most of the oxen had run off towards Bysondermeid. An attendant, who was despatched in search of them, returned at midnight with the sad tidings that he was compelled by thirst, and terror of meeting with lions, to abandon his pursuit.

oven.

No time was to be lost, and I instantly sent off the remaining oxen with two men, to take them to the next fountain, and then proceed to solicit assistance from Mr. Bartlett, at Pella. Three days I remained with my wagondriver on this burning plain, with scarcely a breath of wind; and what there was felt as if coming from the mouth of an We had only tufts of dry grass to make a small fire, or rather flame; and little was needful, for we had scarcely any food to prepare. We saw no human being, although we had an extensive prospect; not a single antilope or beast of prey made its appearance; but in the dead of the night we sometimes heard the distant roar of the lion on the mountain, where we had to go twice a day for our nauseous but grateful beverage. At last, when we were beginning to fear that the men had either perished or wandered, Mr. Bartlett

arrived on horseback, with two men having a quantity of mutton tied to their saddles. I cannot conceive of an epicure gazing on a table groaning under the weight of viands, with half the delight that I did on the mutton, which, though killed only the preceding evening, required no keeping to make it tender. Oxen had been sent for, which were to arrive in two days. This time was spent in mutually refreshing intercourse; but Mr. B., although inured to Namaqua heat, remarked, that what we experienced was enough to set the grass on fire.

Fresh oxen, accustomed to deep sand, soon brought us to Pella. Here I remained a few days, and was greatly invigorated in body and mind by the truly Christian kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett, as well as by the friendly attentions of the heathen converts. When about to depart, Magerman, the native teacher of Warm Bath, arrived with oxen, for the purpose of conveying me thither. Hence, a contention, if such it may be called, ensued, my destination being Africaner's kraal, where they were awaiting my arrival, having been apprised of my coming by Mr. Ebner, who had returned there about six weeks previous. At last Magerman consented to take me to the other side of the river; and the good man, hoping to gain his point, conducted me to a ford, opposite which a village of his people lay, who he expected would take me by force. The wagon and its contents were swam over piecemeal, on a fragile raft of dry willow logs, about six feet long, and from four to six inches in diameter, fastened together with the inner bark of the mimosas, which stud the banks of the river, which is at this place 500 yards wide, rocky, with a rapid current. The rafts are carried a great distance down by the stream, taken to pieces every time of crossing, each man swimming back with a log.

When, after some days' labour, all was conveyed to the opposite shore, the last raft was prepared for me, on which I was requested to place myself, and hold fast. I confess, though a swimmer, I did not like the voyage, independently of not wishing to give them the trouble of another laborious crossing. I withdrew along the woody bank, and plunged into the river, leaving my clothes to be conveyed over. soon as they saw me approaching the middle of the current, terrified lest evil should befall me, some of the most expert swimmers plunged in, and laboured hard to overtake me, but in vain; and when I reached the northern band, an in

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