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
rain, one finds upon these plains the most
gorgeous shrubs and flowers. Besides the sweet
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.

We had to ride for about seven miles across
this flat, before we joined the bullock-waggon
track which leads to Mr. M.'s farm, and there
ceases. After a short halt, in which we took a
few bites at our sandwiches and heartily wished
for some water to qualify our wine, we lighted
up pipes to discourage thirst and started again.
As for the last three hours we had been obliged
to go at a walking pace, we now tried a smart
gallop. After riding for about an hour, during
which we must have covered twelve miles,
my guide, philosopher, and friend, who had for
some time been looking about him for what he
could not see, pulled up, and announced that he
had lost the way. His chief landmark was a
bush on the top of a large rock, but the bush
had been blown down, or we had overlooked it.
There was nothing for it but to try back,
and after a long search for "spoor" (footprints
or hoof-marks of former travellers), we hit upon
something which, though half obliterated by
the blown sand, looked like marks of a naked
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
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.

We soon convinced ourselves that by following
the footsteps we were on the right track,
so went on at a steady ten-mile-an-hour pace.
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 getting into
the eyes and ears or up the nose, and had I
been so inclined, I could, by simply opening
my mouth, have caught a fair mouthful.
The horses, too, had their tormentor in the
shape of a large grey fly, something like a
hornet, which, after drinking its fill, leaves
behind a wound whence the blood trickles in a
streamlet. We disturbed during the day a good
deal of game, as partridge, quail, doves, and
the like, and many bright plumaged songless
birds peculiar to South Africa. Amongst others
a stately secretary bird stalked solemnly out
of our path, as if he were well aware of his
legal status, and of the law which protects
his feathered carcase from being made "a
body" of by the penalty of twenty pounds
sterling. He is snake and reptile destroyer to
the colony, living, in fact, upon venomous
creatures, hence, to prevent extermination, the
substantial fine imposed on his destroyer. A small
green-grey bird, the Cape canary, is the only
one that has any pretension to a continuous
song, which is much like that of our yellow
cage canary, without the disagreeable high
ear-piercing notes.

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 shanty –
for 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
ill-luck, 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.