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Updated: May 25, 2025
At Caledon, the most distant mountains, as far as your eye can reach, look as clear in every detail as the map on your table an appearance utterly new to European eyes. I gave Sabaal 1l. for his eight days' service as driver, as a Drinkgelt, and the worthy fellow was in ecstasies of gratitude. The child looked like a Caffre, and her father considers her quite a pearl.
At the end of the valley we went a little up-hill, and then found ourselves at the top of a pass down into the level below. S- and I burst out with one voice, 'How beautiful! Sabaal, our driver, thought the exclamation was an ironical remark on the road, which, indeed, appeared to be exclusively intended for goats. I suggested walking down, to which, for a wonder, the Malay agreed.
In the morning of Sunday, early, I walked along the road with Sabaal, and saw a picture I shall never forget. A little Malabar girl had just been bathing in the Sloot, and had put her scanty shift on her lovely little wet brown body; she stood in the water with the drops glittering on her brown skin and black, satin hair, the perfection of youthful loveliness a naiad of ten years old.
After writing last, we drove out, on Sunday afternoon, to a deep alpine valley, to see a NEW BRIDGE a great marvel apparently. The old Spanish Joe Miller about selling the bridge to buy water occurred to me, and made Sabaal laugh immensely. The Dutch farmers were tearing home from Kerk, in their carts well-dressed, prosperous-looking folks, with capital horses.
No sooner had we got under weigh again, than Sabaal pulled up and said, 'There ARE the Baviaans Missis want to see! and so they were. At some distance by the river was a great brute, bigger than a Newfoundland dog, stalking along with the hideous baboon walk, and tail vehemently cocked up; a troop followed at a distance, hiding and dodging among the palmiets.
The inn was called 'Railway Hotel', and kept by low coarse English people, who gave us a filthy dinner, dirty sheets, and an atrocious breakfast, and charged 1l. 3s. 6d. for the same meals and time as old Vrow Langfeldt had charged 12s. for, and had given civility, cleanliness, and abundance of excellent food; besides which, she fed Sabaal gratis, and these people fleeced him as they did me.
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