ARRIVAL AT THE LOCATION.

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and hair-breadth escapes-the breaking down of two wagons, and the partial damage of others—we got through the last poort, of the glen, and found ourselves on the summit of an elevated ridge, commanding a view of the extremity of the valley. "And now, mynheer," said the Dutch-African field-cornet who commanded our escort, "daar leg uwe veld, "-" there lies your country." Looking in the direction where he pointed, we beheld extending to the northward, a beautiful vale, about six or seven miles in length, and varying from one to two in breadth. It appeared like a verdant basin, or cul de sac, surrounded on all sides by an amphitheatre of steep and sterile mountains, rising in the background into sharp cuneiform ridges of very considerable elevation; their summits being at this season covered with snow, and estimated to be about 5000 feet above the level of the sea. The lower declivities were sprinkled over, though somewhat scantily, with grass and bushes. But the bottom of the valley, through which the infant river meandered, presented a warm, pleasant, and secluded aspect; spreading itself into verdant meadows, sheltered and embellished, without being encumbered, with groves of mimosa trees, among which we observed in the distance herds of wild animals-antelopes and quaggas--pasturing in undisturbed quietude.

"Sae that's the lot o' our inheritance, then ?" quoth one of the party, a Scottish agriculturist. "Aweel, now that we've really got till't, I maun say the place looks no sae mickle amiss, and suit our purpose no that ill, provided thae haughs turn out to be gude deep land for the pleugh, and we can but contrive to find a decent road out o' this queer hieland glen into the lowlands-like ony other Christian country."

may

Descending into the middle of the valley, we unyoked the wagons, and pitched our tents in a grove of mimosa trees on the margin of the river; and the next day our armed escort, with the train of shattered vehicles, set out on their return homeward, leaving us in our wild domain to our own courage and resources.

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CHAPTER III.

Survey of the Location-Name of Glen-Lynden given to it— Visit from the Deputy Landdrost of the District-A Sabbath in the Wilderness-Nocturnal Alarms from LionsExtract from the Author's Diary-Guard of HottentotsClearing of Ground-Planting of Gardens and OrchardsTemporary Huts and Furniture-Purchase of Live StockAuthor's Various Occupations-Medical Practice— Instruction of the Natives-Intercourse with the Dutch-African Colonists.

OUR wearisome travels by sea and land were at length terminated; and it was remarked that exactly six months, to a day, had elapsed from the departure of the party from Scotland to their arrival at their destined home. With the exception of myself and two or three other individuals, all the party had embarked at Leith for London on the 29th of December, 1819; and we reached our African location on the 29th of June, 1820. For six long months we had been pilgrims and sojourners-without any other home since we left London than the crowded cabin at sea and the narrow tent on shore. Now we had reached the 'Promised Land,' which was to be the place of our rest; and it may be conceived with what feelings of lively interest most of us assembled the following morning to sally forth on an exploratory excursion to the upper extremity and lateral recesses of the valley. Leaving a sufficient guard to protect our little camp, we proceeded on foot, well armed, to inspect our new domain, having as yet no horses, nor any other live stock whatever, except a watch dog, which one of the party had purchased by the way. We found the valley sprinkled over, as has been already noticed, except at the extremities of its subsidiary cleughs, with fine clumps and groves of mimosa trees, interspersed with open grassy pastures; while the river, a gurgling mountain-brook, meandered placidly through the meadows. Ever and anon, as we advanced up the trackless vale, some of the wild animals, which were then

SURVEY OF THE LOCATION.

35

its only inhabitants, came in view, giving animation to the sequestered landscape. A troop or two of quaggas, appeared trotting away, with the gait of the wild-ass, over the lower declivities of the hills; the hartebeest (antilope caama) and the duiker (antilope mergens) bounded gracefully from among the groves and thickets; while the rietbok (antilope eleotragus) and the wild hog (riet-vark) rushed from their secret lairs among the reeds and sedge that occasionally fringed the stream. Having inspected the whole extent of our territory, we fixed upon a spot about three miles above our camp for the temporary settlement of the party, until such time as it should be considered safe for the several families to occupy separately their respective farms. This spot (which on a division of the lands fell into my father's allotment, and is now called Clifton) appeared to be the most central position, and likewise the best adapted for immediate cultivation. Here, therefore, we resolved to erect our temporary hamlet *.

The same day Captain Harding, the deputy-landdrost of Cradock (our district magistrate), accompanied by a land-surveyor, arrived to locate, or formally install us in our lands, and to point out their boundaries. This service being completed the following morning, this officer again left us with his attendants, after strongly advising me to take careful precautions to avoid being surprised by our wild neighbours the Bushmen and Caffers. He considered our position a very exposed one at that period; and, upon his suggestion, we resolved to place a nightly watch, in order to guard our camp from any sudden attack that might be attempted by marauders of those tribes.

The next day, July 2nd, was our first Sunday on our own grounds. Feeling deeply the importance of maintaining the suitable observance of this day of sacred rest, it was unanimously resolved that we should strictly abstain from all secular employ

The name of Glen-Lynden, which was then given by some of us to the location, has been subsequently extended by the Government to the valley, river, and field-cornetcy, formerly denominated Baviaans Rivier. I have therefore generally used this Scottish appellation, which has now superseded the Dutch one, and become the permanent and official name.

ment not sanctioned by absolute necessity; and at the same time commence such a system of religious services as might be with propriety maintained in the absence of a clergyman or minister. The whole party were accordingly assembled after breakfast, under a venerable acacia tree, on the margin of the little stream which murmured around our camp. The river appeared shaded here and there by the graceful willow of Babylon, which grows abundantly along the banks of many of the African streams, and which, with the other peculiar features of the scenery, vividly reminded us of the pathetic lament of the Hebrew exiles:-" By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat; yea we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof."

It was, indeed, an affecting sight to look round on our little band of Scottish emigrants, thus congregated for the first time to worship God in the wild glen allotted for their future home and the heritage of their offspring. There sat old, with his silvery locks, the patriarch of the party, with his Bible on his knee, a picture of the high-principled, grave Scottish husbandman; his respectable family seated round him. There was the widow with her meek, kind, and quiet look-(the look of one who had seen better days, but who in adversity had found pious resignation), with her four stalwart sons, and her young maiden daughter placed beside her on the grass. There, too, were other delicate females-one of them very nearly related to myself of whom I need not more particularly speak. There brother of a Scottish laird, rich in blood, younger but poor in fortune, who, with an estimable pride, had preferred a farm in South Africa to dependence on aristocratic connections at home. Looking round on these and other groups collected around me, on this day of solemn assemblage, such reflections as the following irresistibly crowded on my mind: "Have I led forth from their native homes, to this remote corner of the globe, all these my friends and relatives for good or for evil?— to perish miserably in the wilderness, or to become the honoured founders of a prosperous settlement, destined to extend the benefits of civilization and the blessed light of the Gospel through

was

the

A SABBATH IN THE WILDERNESS.

37

this dark nook of benighted Africa? The issue of our enterprise is known only to Him who ordereth all things well: Man proposes, but God disposes.' But though the result of our scheme is in the womb of futurity, and although it seems probable that greater perils and privations await us than we had once calculated upon, there yet appears no reason to repent of the course we have taken, or to augur unfavourably of the ultimate issue. Thus far Providence has prospered and protected us. We left not our native land from wanton restlessness or mere love of change, or without very sufficient and reasonable motives. Let us, therefore, go on calmly and courageously, duly invoking the blessing of God on all our proceedings; and thus, be the result what it may, we shall feel ourselves in the path of active duty.”—With these, and similar reflections, we encouraged ourselves, and proceeded to the religious services of the day.

Having selected one of the hymns of our national church, all united in singing it to one of the old pathetic melodies with which it is usually conjoined in the sabbath worship of our native land. The day was bright and still, and the voice of psalms rose with a sweet and touching solemnity among those wild mountains, where the praise of the true God had never, in all human probability, been sung before. The works of the hymn (composed by Logan) were appropriate to our situation, and affected some of our congregation very sensibly :~~

"O God of Bethel! by whose hand thy people still are fed ;
Who through this weary pilgrimage hast all our fathers led:
Through each perplexing path of life our wandering footsteps guide;
Give us each day our daily bread, and raiment fit provide:

O! spread thy covering wings around, till all our wanderings cease,
And at our Father's loved abode our souls arrive in peace.'

We then read some of the most suitable portions of the English Liturgy, which we considered preferable to any extempore service that could be substituted on this occasion; and concluded with an excellent discourse from a volume of sermons presented to me on parting by my honoured relative the Rev. Dr. Pringle of Perth. We had a similar service in the afternoon; and agreed to maintain in this manner the public worship of God in our infant settlement, until it should please Him, in his good