en, clearing some more bush and low scrub that
grew here upon the mountain top, we came suddenly upon an enchanting
scene. "The vlei!" we exclaimed in a burst together, then stood and
gasped in very pleasure and bewilderment.

Right below us, ringed in by a perfect amphitheatre of mountain, lay an
oval sheet of water, its smooth surface, unruffled by a flaw of wind,
shining beneath the ardent sunlight like the mirror of a giantess. This
vlei--the long-lost vlei, undoubtedly--was about half a mile long by
three hundred yards in breadth. Here and there upon the placid water
floated troops of wildfowl; and high in the air hung a fishing-eagle or
two, keenly intent upon sport beneath. Immediately below us, the lake
seemed deep; but towards the far end, it evidently shallowed, and upon
one side of that end grew dense masses of reeds. The shores, save where
the reed-beds grew, were in places sandy; elsewhere, of rock. Between
the water and the mountain sides, which sloped easily downward, and were
well bushed, was an outer ring of reddish soil, masked by a park-like
growth of scattered acacia thorns. It was now the month of August, and
getting towards African spring-time, and, favoured doubtless by the
neighbourhood of the vlei, the acacias were already putting forth a
pleasant bravery of green leafage. Birds--many of them of brilliant
plumage--were in plenty about this gem-like spot. It seemed that here
in this secret place Nature had done her utmost to atone for much of the
drought and hardship that at this season lay in the wilderness outside.

For five minutes we stood gazing with a sense of rapture at this goodly
scene. We looked keenly hither and thither, but could discern no trace
of human existence. Then we descended. We reached the water without
great difficulty; upon its margin we lay down and drank long and
eagerly. Having thus refreshed ourselves, and eaten some of the little
store of food we had brought with us, we set out to explore the vlei
thoroughly. The chief thing in our minds was to ascertain the fate of
Tobias Steenkamp, whether living or dead. And first we settled to
search systematically the side upon which we stood. We looked carefully
for traces of spoor, yard by yard along the sand fringing the water.
Not a footprint could we discover. Once or twice we came across the
tracks of klipspringers and leopards, but no sign of human life was
there. We turned back, and searched among the gr