Towards three o'clock the scene changed. The pure cool morning air of God's heaven swept through the polluted atmosphere, and swept away the horrible effluvia and deadly malaria of bad drains, filthy slaughterhouses, and other plague-hatching spots. Not a sound was heard, and so calm and peaceful seemed the surrounding neighbourhood that I could not believe I

the Devil seemed to have set up his kingdom, reigning supreme over all. I saw so much brute passion, vice, and downright brutal wickedness, in that one place, on that and several other occasions, that I am tempted to ask in this wise, what is to be done? The people are entirely out of the reach of all existing agencies of reformation, save the prison. Our teachers, our clergymen, our city missionaries, like the priest and the Levite of old, merely contemplate them or pass by on the other side. Wholesome literature is unknown to them, and if it were not, three-fourths of them can barely read or write. The condition of this wretched scum is more unsatisfactory than it was a century ago. The last twenty years have been years of great progress, but these outcasts from "society" have made no corresponding advance in their condition. They have been neither mentally nor morally improved in the slightest degree. How much longer shall these things be?

This affair created a pause in the proceedings, which was broken by a couple of red-was near the place, where, an hour before, haired, long-bodied, short-legged women; who, without any previous words of strife, so far as I knew, stood up and began pulling each other's hair. Some of the bystanders presently interfered and caught hold of the combatants. "We'll see fair play," cried the friends of each vixen, who now tried her utmost to accomplish what her supporters particularly urged upon her, namely, to "go in and win." After "going in" and attempting "to win," during a disgusting struggle of a quarter of an hour, the more villanous looking of the two was declared victor, and the other having fainted, was allowed to lie on the floor. It would have been madness in a stranger to have attempted to restore her to consciousness, after seeing the brutal kick bestowed upon her by the husband of her rival-an immensely powerful man-and the no less brutal indifference with which this act was viewed by the majority. I nevertheless, as if by accident, contrived to throw some cold ale on her face, and stooping down pretended to wipe it off, whereas I was, in reality, bathing her forehead. In a few minutes she revived. wretches were so hardened that, after calling upon the waiting woman to fill their quart cups, they immediately commenced singing, laughing, EIGHT years ago I was at Simons Bay, Cape and shouting as though nothing had occurred of Good Hope, when a friend, who was, like to interrupt the harmony of the evening. Ca- myself, a civil engineer, received instruction rousing, quarrelling, and singing, continued to visit the lighthouse then newly erected at until twelve o'clock, when the landlord, a Cape Point. His mission was to ascertain, bloated fellow wearing a vast amount of among other matters, how the lighthouseshowy jewellery, intimated that we must all keeper could best be supplied with water. I "bundle out;" and those who, from intoxi- was glad of the chance to stand at the tip of cation or other cause were unable to move, Africa, a spot almost unknown to white men. were "bundled" out by him and his assis- Brown told me he had been there once before, tants in the most unceremonious manner. and knew the road. "Oh, dear yes; I was not to 'flurry' myself about that; he knew the road perfectly well."

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The

So long as there was anything to be seen in the street, I determined to remain there, and until past two o'clock I was witness of scenes of indescribable confusion and disorder. The end of it was that a gipsy was carried to the hospital in a dying state from stabs inflicted by his "butty," who was allowed to escape. Where were the police?" A single constable appeared on the scene twice, but as no murder had then been committed, he did not deem it his duty to disperse the noisy assemblage. The first time he came, a terrible fight was going on, and I spoke to him, asking why he did not interfere, and offering to aid him in any way I could. His cool reply as he walked away was, "O let 'em fight it out!" Fighting, swearing, yelling, blasphemy, are nightly practices here; murder and manslaughter are not unknown; and night, peaceful night, especially on Mondays and Saturdays, is made hideous by a concourse of vile and awful sounds.

THE CAPE OF STORMS.

We had a choice, he said, of two routes. The first was the so-called "hard road" winding round the mountain which rises abruptly behind the single street of Simons Town, confining the town to a space never more than three hundred feet wide between itself and the sea. The road over this mountain had been cut with great labour, often through solid rock; but once made, it appears to have been left to make its own way in the world. The other route is doubtless the original path of the natives to the strip of land which terminates in Cape Point. It is apparently a natural ledge, running for ten miles along a nearly perpendicular precipice, whose base is in the sea, and whose summit is often hidden in the clouds. We agreed to go by this route, as being the shorter by many miles, and leave the choice of a way home to the chapter of accidents. The ledge

route from Simon's Bay was estimated at thirty-four miles, the other at forty-two, to the place where we should have to leave our horses and take to our hands and feet. This, too, was the distance on the supposition that we never lost our way for a minute, but went straight to our goal.

Although I had "turned in" betimes, it seemed that I had hardly closed my eyes before I was aroused by the nigger of the establishment, who, attired simply in his lower garment, stood at my bedside with the usual early morning cup of coffee. It was still dark, but by the time I had got my face out of the towel it was broad daylight, so rapidly does light follow upon the heels of darkness in those parts of the world. I joined my friend, and we proceeded to the stables. Brown had his own horse, and I was to trust myself to a hired anima! which bore a good name in the town. My bespoken horse was, however, not forthcoming. In his stead was a rough underfed animal, who, as I stood looking at him, turned his head, eyed me for a while, and then heaved a deep sigh.

Pompey" (the engaged horse)" he go lame in de night, massa; he not can put him fut to de groun' dis mornin', massa, and de baas say he no let gent'm'n like massa ride hoss wat lame, so de baas hab sen' massa his own hunting hoss. I'se berry, berry sorry, &c., &c."

The truth was, no doubt, that the master had let "Pompey" twice over, and preferred, as the more valuable horse, to send him on the shorter journey.

men and sails, with perhaps materials for rigging up a tent to guard them from the fierce midday sun, were landed on this rock, and the boat then pulled back to the ship, leaving the men in anything but their glory, for, although only two or three hundred feet from the shore, the rock was surrounded by water at all states of the tide. Thus the men upon Sober Island worked all day within talking distance of the grog shops, could see the landsman put down his penny, and get his tumbler of wine, or the more potent "Cape smoke," while not a drop of anything but luke-warm water could be got at by a Sober Islander.

Before us, and on our right, was the vast extent of waters called "False Bay;" for Simons Bay, the naval station of the west coast, is only a very small bay in a large one. Across these broader waters we could see the immense ranges of mountains, which, with the table land between them, form the southern end of the Cape Colony. The nearest height stood out boldly, deep blue, backed up by range after range topping one another, lessening in depth of colour as they receded, till the last was of a neutral tint so delicate as scarcely to be distinguishable from a bank of fleecy clouds.

We now tightened girths, and entered upon the ledge. It began at about four feet wide, and continued for a mile or two, narrowing so gradually that the traveller does not perceive the change until at last it becomes too narrow for a horse to turn in. Then it throws off disWe mounted, and set off at balf-past three on guise, and puts the wayfarer upon his mettle. as glorious a morning as can cheer the heart, For nine weary miles had we to follow each even in South Africa. The sun had not yet other, up and down, along this terrible path, risen high enough to touch us as we rode along which now was hardly ever more than two feet the ascending path by the sea, but the tops of wide, covered here and there with broken bits the highest peaks shone with golden radiance of sharp granite rock. In places it was broken against the deep blue sky. After going about away, probably by a falling boulder from above, two miles at a smart canter, we stopped to look so that for two or three feet there could not round, and breathe the horses before entering have been more than nine inches of solid footupon the ten mile ledge. Below us, on our left, hold. Now and then a fallen bush lay right lay Simons Town. In front of the town, close across the track. Over this the horses would in shore, were several ships, three of them men-go gingerly, trying each step with their fore of-war engaged in the suppression of the slave feet before trusting their whole weight on it; trade. Beyond was the vast extent of quick- for on our left was a nearly sheer precipice, sands, over which all traffic has to pass going and many hundreds of feet below the sea broke between Cape Town and Simons Bay. Every in thunder against the iron-bound coast, with a one is obliged to get over these sands as quickly roar so deafening as fairly to oblige us to shout as he can, for they are shifting. That which to- to one another any necessary warning. On the day is firm ground, may to-morrow be a soft right above us was the continuation of the jelly-like mass, shaking and rocking for many cliff, broken here and there into "Kloofs" or yards round at each footstep. The post-cart, a ravines, so embedded in vegetation of all sorts strong two-wheeled dray with a white canvas-such as mimosa, gladiolus, geraniums, arum, awning over it, having a pole instead of shafts, and carrying passengers as well as mails, has here six horses in pairs attached to it. They are urged to their utmost speed till the dangerous ground is passed over. We looked down also on that small island or rock in the bay, now partly taken as the foundations of a patent slip," bearing the name of "Sober Island." It was formerly used by the captains of ships for repairing and drying sails, or other work that could not conveniently be done on board. The

and other plants known only to botanists-that the watercourse itself was hid from view. In all cases but one these watercourses had made tunnels under our path to reach the sea, so that we often rode without knowing it, over so many "devil's bridges.'

I had at starting held my reins pretty short, and attempted to keep some sort of check upon my horse, but this annoyed him so much that when we came to a more than usually ticklish place he would abruptly stop and shake his

head, as if in deprecation of my interference tiger. This tiger is particularly fond of young with his judgment. So I found it necessary to baboon, but it must be very young to suit his slack out the reins and leave him perfect liberty tooth. To get it he will lie in wait for days to do as it seemed good to him. That day's together on the mountains, and often succeeds experience raised my estimate of the Cape horse. in snatching a youngster almost out of its I was wont to look on him as a rough uncouth mother's arms. The distracted mother with drudge, generally vicious, much given to buck-piercing shrieks then lays her case before the jumping and biting, who would take his rider council of her people, who, if the tiger has not any distance up to thirty miles at a shuffling made his escape, fall on him in a body and canter without breaking into a walk for a invariably succeed in killing him. The battle minute; or pound away for an hour full gallop field is recognised by bones and pieces of skin after a buck, and when the game had been of both tiger and baboon; not more, for the brought down either by rifle or dogs, carry his survivors of this forlorn hope make a clean rider, plus the dead buck, back to the place sweep of everything digestible, devouring not from which he started often many hours before. only their enemy, but also those of their own For such work as this, he is paid with a small kindred whom the tiger has killed in the sheaf of oats, roughly cut up by being drawn conflict. I remember being roused one night across a sickle blade fixed in a tree or wall-ear, at a place some way inland, by the most uncorn, and straw together, and then "knee- earthly shrieks, mingled with the roar of a large haltered" and turned loose to get his own living animal in rage and pain, the noise coming from as best he can. I am speaking of the up a mountain at the back of the house. It was country, not of the comparatively delicate town explained to me next morning that what I had horse. In spite of this coarse treatment, he heard was the tumult usually produced on thrives. And here I had the opportunity of occasions of monkey stealing, and that probably seeing his inborn instinct in the traversing of the tiger had been caught red-handed and resuch dangerous passes as this one, of which the ceived lynch law. very remembrance sends a cold shiver along my spinal marrow to this day. The careful manner in which he eyed every obstacle hanging across the path, appearing to estimate whether it left room to pass without touching; the dainty way in which he felt his ground where the path was in part hidden by grass or shrubs; and above all the deliberate pains he took to get his fore legs well planted in a firm place on the other side of a break in the path before making the gentle spring which cleared it, was equal in its way to the best efforts of reason.

In one case, as before said, a torrent had torn away the track, leaving a break in the ledge about thirty feet across, and as many deep. Here we were obliged to dismount, and leading our horses, managed in some way to scramble down and up again, clinging on to shrubs and tufts of grass. How the horses found foothold I cannot explain. On regaining the ledge we had to walk some distance before there was a spot broad enough to let us remount, and not till then did I fully appreciate the fearful nature of this pass. I have often walked along a high wall of an unfinished building only fourteen inches broad, but that is a safe lounge in comparison to this terrible track. From the wall one does not at all events look down on those huge white-crested waves dashing them selves into breakers below, and roaring to devour the traveller if once upon that nine-mile passage he make a false step, or turn faint or

giddy.

The peculiar barking cry of the Cape baboon frequently hailed us as we passed along, but these animals do not care to show themselves if they can avoid it. They are, if left alone, timid and harmless creatures, but when wounded and at bay, know how to use their hands and teeth. They will even combine on emergencies against a common enemy, as in the case of the Cape

Half-way in mid air, between us and the sea, were large flights of sea gulls. There were specimens of nearly all the varieties I had hitherto seen, the exceptions being the large albatross and the Cape pigeon, both of which I have caught from shipboard, but have never seen from off land. Where these two birds build their nests and rear their young is a mystery; I never heard that the egg of either could be shown in evidence that a nest had been discovered. The utter solitude of this region, which not half-a-dozen persons pass during the year, as well as the perfect inaccessibility of all parts of the cliff except this ledge, seems to recommend it to the sea birds as their breeding place.

At length, and with a feeling of relief, I noticed that the ledge was gradually widening, and suddenly, as we rounded the sharp angle of the last rock, there was stretched before me one of those great flats of table-land peculiar to the Cape. It is a plain of sand, dotted with granite boulders of great height, and generally of one unbroken piece of stone throughout. The vegetation varies. In dry places grows the sugar bush, with its large handsome flower, which, when shaken, will deposit in your hand a table-spoonful of sweet liquid, very grateful to the parched tongue. Also the wait-a-bit bush, so called from its bearing barbed thorns, which, should they catch in dress or flesh, will detain the traveller a bit before he can get free from them. Then there is the bitter aloe, never absent from South African scenery; and, lastly, the Hottentot fig, a ground creeper, with thick fleshy leaves, triangular in section. It bears a pretty yellow flower and fresh acid fruit. This plant is supposed to possess medicinal virtues, in which I am a firm believer. Like the aloe it preserves its life throughout the year, and thrives on after every other green thing has

soon up, but seemed rooted to the ground, and shook with terror. It was some time before, by dint of patting and coaxing, I got leave from him to mount again.

been scorched up by the sun, thrives on although growing in fine white sand, without a drop of moisture for nine months, or often longer. On low places, on the other hand, where the sand is still moist from last season's We soon convinced ourselves that by followrain, one finds upon these plains the most gor-ing the footsteps we were on the right track, geous shrubs and flowers. Besides the sweet so went on at a steady ten-mile-an-hour pace. scented geranium, fuchsia, clematis, jasmine, passion flower, lilies, and hyacinths of all sizes and colours, there are many sorts of heath, ferns, and other delightful families of plants. Another feature in the landscape is made by the immense black round-headed cones, built in the most solid manner, the outside shell being about half an inch thick, composed of a sort of watertight cement. The inhabitants are a colony of rather large black ants, who have subways supposed to extend for many hundreds of yards round, by which they approach and leave their head quarters, so that no ant is ever seen close to his hill.

It was about nine o'clock, and the heat was telling strongly on the riders, but more on the horses. There was not a cloud in the sky, which, round about the sun, was of a bright copper colour, gradually shaded off into the intense cobalt blue of the southern hemisphere. We were attacked by swarms of vile little creatures--not so big as our English gnat-called "sand flies," who can inflict a sharp sting on the face or any other exposed part. They seem to take peculiar pleasure in geting into the eyes and ears or up the nose, and bad I been so inclined, I could, by simply opening my mouth, have caught a fair mouthful. We had to ride for about seven miles across The horses, too, had their tormentor in the this flat, before we joined the bullock-waggon shape of a large grey fly, something like a track which leads to Mr. M.'s farm, and there hornet, which, after drinking its fill, leaves beceases. After a short halt, in which we took a hind a wound whence the blood trickles in a few bites at our sandwiches and heartily wished streamlet. We disturbed during the day a good for some water to qualify our wine, we lighted deal of game, as partridge, quail, doves, and up pipes to discourage thirst and started again. the like, and many bright plumaged songless As for the last three hours we had been obliged birds peculiar to South Africa. Amongst others to go at a walking pace, we now tried a smart a stately secretary bird stalked solemnly out gallop. After riding for about an hour, during of our path, as if he were well aware of his which we must have covered twelve miles, legal status, and of the law which protects my guide, philosopher, and friend, who had for his feathered carcase from being made " some time been looking about him for what he body" of by the penalty of twenty pounds could not see, pulled up, and announced that he sterling. He is snake and reptile destroyer to had lost the way. His chief landmark was a the colony, living, in fact, upon venomous creabush on the top of a large rock, but the bush tures, hence, to prevent extermination, the subhad been blown down, or we had overlooked it. stantial fine imposed on his destroyer. A small There was nothing for it but to try back, green-grey bird, the Cape canary, is the only and after a long search for "spoor" (footprints one that has any pretension to a continuous or hoof-marks of former travellers), we hit upon song, which is much like that of our yellow something which, though half obliterated by cage canary, without the disagreeable high ear the blown sand, looked like marks of a naked piercing notes. foot. This track we resolved to follow, and set off again at full gallop to make up for lost time.

In an instant I found myself flying straight through the air, as though shot from a gun. In the act of coming to earth, I saw my horse apparently standing on his head, with his back towards me. Presently, and before I had time to creep out of the way, he lost balance and fell with a dull thud, broad on the flat of his back within a few inches of where I was lying. The Cape mole, a little animal about the size of our rabbit has a knack of burrowing about six inches under the top of the ground, and here and there, when meeting with a particularly rich spot he works it till it is cleared out, thus leaving a hole often three or four feet deep, with the surface soil still covering it. This, after a time, becomes sunbaked, hard and brittle, yielding easily when trodden. Over such a hole my grey had the ill luck to plant his fore feet, and breaking through the crust, plumped in nearly up to his shoulders. I picked myself up and shook myself, the horse also was

a

I was not sorry to see in the distance the reed roof of the house belonging to Mr. M.'s sheep farm, for we were there to get a draught of water, now ardently longed for by ourselves and horses; and, if the farmer were at home, should, no doubt, be asked to rest in the shade for half an hour." But on nearing the shantyfor it was little more-our only welcome was a break out of half a dozen gaunt Caffir curs or half-wild dogs, somewhat resembling the Scotch deer hound, who ran forward to meet us with their peculiar howl (the Cape dogs cannot bark), showing their rows of white teeth, and only to be kept from our legs by a liberal use of the rhinoceros-hide whip. These dogs can be safely left in charge of a house when, as in the present case, the master is absent, and woe betide the ill-starred pedestrian, especially if he be a "gent'lum of colour," who ventures to approach its vicinity. Grumbling at our illluck, we rode on to the pool and allowed our half-baked horses a moderate draught. A few minutes' rest and we were off again on the last stage of our journey.

Our course after leaving the farm was due south by the compass, and at last we had the pleasure of seeing the lighthouse ahead. About three quarters of a mile before reaching it, the ascending plain came to an end at the high rock on the peak of which the lighthouse is perched. Here then we had to leave the horses, kneehaltered and turned loose. This knee-haltering consists in tying the soft untanned leather strap of the halter in scientific manner just above the knee, so that it cannot slip over, but is not tight enough to impede circulation. Length enough of strap is given to allow the horse to feed off the ground, but should he attempt to go at anything beyond a walk, the effect is either to pull the head down to the knee, or the knee up to the head. Both positions making a quick pace impossible, the owner can regain his animal without much trouble. But I have seen a cute old stager deliberately lift his knee-haltered foreleg off the ground, high enough to enable him to carry his head in the position for running, and so "make tracks" from his enraged pursuer on three legs, at a good seven miles an hour. These halters and straps always form part of the gear of the travelling horse in the Cape Colony, whether for riding or driving, as does in Australia the picket rope.

The pull up the steep rock was hot work, there being no path but such as had been made by water torrents, and furrows worn by the constructors of the lighthouse when they dragged up their materials. But this they did chiefly by hoisting the heavy iron plates from one ledge to the one above by ropes and pulleys. Owing to this difficulty and the absence of all roads, the expense of conveying these materials from Simons Bay-a distance of forty-two miles -considerably exceeded the whole cost of bringing them from the manufactory in England to the sea port, and thence by ship to the Cape.

A team of from sixteen to twenty-four oxen is required to drag, through the heavy yielding sand, a load that a couple of dray horses would easily convey along an English road.

round is studded with sunken rocks, sharp as needles, around which the sea boils and lashes itself into a white foam. Woe to the ship and men who are carried into this archipelago of reefs. None live to tell the misadventure.

Standing on this platform one may by an effort of fancy draw a line from himself due south, which forms the boundary between two of the largest oceans in the world, the Atlantic on the right, the Indian on the left. And one may dream that the two mighty powers having chosen this spot as their battle field, are here constantly engaged in struggle for supremacy, sometimes with more sometimes with less fury, but never in the calmest weather ceasing from the strife. The huge waves came rolling along the east and west sides, meeting in front where we stood (and for miles away along our imaginary line) with a concussion like a thunder clap, sending a body of water up into the air, which during a gale is carried as far as the lantern of the lighthouse, coating the glass with an incrustation of salt.

Looking immediately below, where the surge, owing to the protection of the reefs, was comparatively quiet, I saw what seemed to me to be moving masses of discoloured water, each patch several acres in extent. I could hardly believe that these coloured patches were fish. But masses of fish they were, attracted hither by the million to feed within the reefs. The Cape waters I well knew produce fish in incredible numbers and variety. I had often seen, amongst others, a hideous monster, in appearance something between a shark and a jack, weighing from twelve to twenty pounds, sold in the market at Cape Town for threepence; but till now, of the actual prodigality of marine life on these coasts I had formed no adequate idea.

Brown's mission proved rather a difficult one. There was no good water in the neighbourhood. The two alternatives were, to bring it fifteen miles in barrels about once a montha plan that involved the labour of getting the barrels up the rock by rope slings, and pulleys; or to form tanks and collect the rain-water falling The lighthouse keeper was out on the rock on the roof and plateau during the three wet watching our toilsome ascent through a long months, for use during the remaining nine. ship's glass. A strong pull, a final breathless Both methods were bad, one from its cost, the desperate struggle, and we stand, hot, heaving, other from the uncertainties of the wet season: panting, and perspiring, at the southernmost in one year there would be, perhaps, rain point of Africa; the actual "Cape of Storms" enough to fill the tanks ten times over; in the enchanted ground. For is it not the very next year, perhaps, not enough to moisten the home, castle-keep, of the dread Flying Dutch- ground. I do not know how the problem has man? No longer a solitary storm-lashed rock been solved. "far from humanity's reach," the meddling British engineer has annexed it, and supplies it with elliptic lenses, argand lamps, plate-glass, and colza-oil.

The lighthouse is built on a small plateau at the summit of the rock, partly natural, chiefly levelled by art. There may be perhaps thirty feet of level space in front of the house, and then abruptly, plumb, without a foot of incline, the rock, many hundreds of feet deep, drops into the sea. The water for a mile or two

The keeper, who was an old man-of-war's man, asked, I remember, for two boons. Firstly, he wanted a flag-staff and a code of ship's signals. When asked of what use they would be, he answered, "Well, you see, sir, if so be a wessel hugs too close in, I'd up signals and tell her to sheer furder off." But seeing that, if a ship were near enough to make out signals, she would be already close into the reefs, and perhaps be tempted into further danger by her desire to make out what the