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and held his head forcibly down, while with my right hand, and by the aid of a stick that I picked up, I scraped away the soil on one side of the pit so that it became in a degree an inclined plane; with my feet I also so far leveled the wall that it formed a kind of platform. This matter being arranged, I laid myself on my back on the edge of the pit and pulled stoutly at the bridle. The horse understood me, for with a violent jerk of his body he sprang on to the platform, and next to the inclined plane, where for a moment he nearly lost his equilibrium, but at last successfully cleared the abyss.

The poor brute was so sensible of the danger he had escaped that, on finding himself on firm ground, he uttered a wild, half-suppressed neighing, or rather scream, and continued to tremble violently for several minutes. On examining him, I found he had sustained no farther injury than the loss of a few inches of skin and a quantity of hair. As

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GAME-PITS-ENDURANCE OF THE NATIVES.

for myself, I escaped with a violent twist of the neck, which inconvenienced me slightly for a few days.

Almost all the tribes of Southern Africa avail themselves of pitfalls (often on a most gigantic scale) for the capture of game. These traps, or rather these lines of pitfalls, are either constructed in the shape of very obtuse triangles, open at the base and gradually tapering to a point, where a single, double, or treble row of pits are dug, into which the game is driven by shouts or yells, or they are formed in the shape of a crescent-often miles in extent-usually shutting out a valley or defile, with pits at every fifty or a hundred paces apart, artfully concealed with grass, sand, &c., the intervening spaces being planted and filled up with stout palisades, closely interwoven with boughs and branches of thorn-trees.

The Hill-Damaras are remarkable for the perseverance and industry they exhibit in the construction of game-pits. From want of proper tools, the trees have first to be burnt down and then carried on men's shoulders to their destination, and when we add to this that the task is frequently executed in the most arid districts-the haunts of the gemsbok, the eland, the koodoo, and other tenants of the wilds, who are capable of existing more or less without water for long periods-it is easy to imagine the labor and fatigue of the process.

On counting over the different articles of my baggage, I found that at least nine or ten oxen would be required to carry them, in addition to those necessary for myself and men to ride upon. Almost all my cattle were young, and only half broken-in, and there was scarcely time for further training. To save all trouble, I felt inclined to push on with the old wagon; but, for more than one reason, the idea was quickly abandoned. I worked night and day, but was much harassed. Through carelessness, the hyænas were allowed to devour the skins intended for pack "riems" and divers minor articles. The men were lazy, stubborn, and ill-humor

SERVANT PUNISHED-PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. 363

ed, and I was kept constantly on the rack by their annoyances. One day I was obliged to resort to the very unusual measure of flogging Onesimus, who by this time thought himself too civilized to need correction. Indeed, they were all more or less of this opinion, and wanted their dismissal. Having always been kind and considerate toward my men— too much so, perhaps I felt disgusted at their ingratitude, and exclaimed, rather passionately, "Yes; go, cowards! go and tell your friends that you have left your master in the desert to the mercy of wild beasts and savage men; go and exult. Your conduct shall not prevent me from persevering in my plans." On more mature consideration, however, they thought better of it, and again returned to their duty with a good will.

After many delays and the most strenuous exertions, every thing was at length in readiness for a start. Before setting off, I wrote to some of my friends at the Cape, and also a letter or two to Europe, intrusting them to Eyebrecht, who returned forthwith to Walfisch Bay.

ress.

At noon of the 14th of June we assembled our oxen and began to pack; but, though we labored till our heads turned giddy and our arms were paralyzed, we made but slow progNo sooner had we finished arranging the burden of one ox than another threw off his pack. It is utterly impossible for those who have never had ocular demonstration of this kind of work with half-wild cattle to understand the difficulty, and imagine the ludicrous scenes that take place. I have already given a faint sketch of the process of training oxen, from which the reader may glean some notion of the obstacles to be surmounted, bearing in mind, at the same time, that instead of a single ox we had ten to load, besides those on which we were mounted, and which were not the most manageable.

At last we were off; but the day was then so far advanced that we were unable to accomplish more than seven or eight

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TIRED OUT-LAUGHED AT BY A JACKAL.

miles before we found it necessary to make a halt and bivouac for the night. We were so thoroughly knocked up with the severe labor of the day, that after having hastily removed the packs from the vicious beasts, we literally dropped to sleep where we stood, not one of the party giving a thought as to food, fire, water, or covering, of each and all of which we stood greatly in need.

On returning to consciousness the following morning, the first object that met my half-sleepy gaze was a jackal, busily engaged examining our baggage. Having no gun within reach, I threw a handful of sand at the impudent fellow, on which he saluted me with a mocking laugh, and slowly retreated. But had I then been aware of the full extent of his mischievous propensities, he should certainly not have escaped so easy. The brute had, indeed, devoured one of the "riems" with which we secured the packs on the oxen. Nothing could possibly have been more unfortunate; the thong was, at that time, worth its weight in gold. We had ten oxen to pack, and only nine "riems!" Here, then, was a fine opportunity for a man to exert his ingenuity. It was totally out of the question to divide any of the remaining straps, for they were short and narrow enough already, and they must be of a certain length and solidity in order to serve the purpose effectually. At length, however, and after much searching, patching, and splicing, a very indifferent substitute was produced, and we were again en route, though not before I had, for the fiftieth time, vowed dire vengeance against the whole race of jackals.

This day (May 15th) we proceeded alternately in the bed and on the borders of the Otjombindè River. The soil consisted of fine white sand, reflecting a light dazzling and painful to the eyes, while it was soft and yielding to the feet. The grass was still green and very plentiful, and the vegetation, in general, was rank. We passed several vleys containing small quantities of muddy water, alive with loathsome

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reptiles; and, in some places, the wallowing of elephants and rhinoceroses had converted it into a substance not unlike a mass of well-kneaded dough, heaving with insect life, and tinted and variegated by the stains of larger animals. Yet we drank, or rather gulped it with avidity!

We encountered also a vast number of "sand-wells," varying from one to three fathoms in depth, with an average diameter at the top of twenty feet. The construction of these pits indicated great perseverance and skill, and had evidently been formed by a pastoral people possessed of large herds of cattle. No European would have ever dreamed of looking for water in such localities, since it usually lay ten feet below the surface of the ground, which gave no indication whatever of its presence. Not having been used or kept in repair for many a long year, several were partially filled with sand, but the greater portions were still in tolerable order. They contained no standing water, but plenty of moisture; and, by inserting a reed-the plan adopted by the Bushmen when the liquid will not flow-enough to quench a person's thirst was generally obtained. Elephants had been at work in many, but were clearly disappointed.

About sunset we came to a large vley where a troop of elephants had evidently only a short time previously been enjoying themselves. This circumstance put my men on the qui vive; and my Griqua interpreter, who was one of the most chicken-hearted of beings, took good care to magnify the danger of encountering these animals at night. He declared that it was absolutely necessary to come to a halt; but this did not suit my purpose at all. I assured my men that elephants, if left unmolested, were very timid and civil beasts, and that, no doubt, if we met them and only gave them room to pass, they would in all probability treat us with equal courtesy. This having in some degree quieted their apprehensions, we proceeded till about nine o'clock, when we unloaded the tired oxen and camped for the night.