d the terrible old Ado Hill is
climbed, and Quaggas Flat is passed, and the Bushman's river heights are
scaled. The points of divergence are reached, and the long column
breaks into divisions. Baillie's party made their way to the mouth of
the Fish River, where, it was said, the `Head' had been allowed to
choose a territory, and where he hoped to realise imaginations of
commercial wealth by founding a seaport town. And the Duke of
Newcastle's proteges from Nottingham took possession of the beautiful
vale of Clumber, naming it in honour of their noble patron. And
Wilson's party settled between the plains of Waay-plaats and the Kowie
bush, right across the path of the elephants, some of which they tried
to shoot with fowling-pieces. And Sefton's party founded the village of
Salem, the religious importance of which to the early progress of the
settlement, is not to be estimated by its present size and population.
These four were the large parties. The smaller ones filled up the
intervening spaces between them. Behind the thicket-clad sandhills of
the Kowie and Green Fountain, and extending over the low plains beyond
Bathurst, were the locations of Cock's, Thornhill's, Ostler's, Smith's,
and Richardson's parties. Skirting the wooded Kloofs from Bathurst
towards the banks of the Klienemonden, were ranged the parties of James
and Hyman. It was the latter who gravely announced to Captain Trapps,
the Bathurst magistrate, the discovery of `precious stones' on his
location; and which the angry gentleman, jealous of the reserved rights
of Government, found, on further inquiry, were only `precious big ones!'
The rich valley of Lushington afforded a resting-place to Dyason's
party. Holder's people called their location New Bristol; which never,
however, acquired any resemblance to _Old_ Bristol. Passing on towards
the front, there were Mouncey's party, Hayhurst's party, Bradshaw's
party, Southey's party, stretching along the edge of the wide plains of
the Round Hill, and drinking their Western waters. The post of honour
and of danger was the line of the Kap River. This was occupied by the
party of Scott below Kafir Drift, and by the Irish party above it. The
forlorn hope of the entire settlement was Mahony's party at the clay
pits, who had to bear the first brunt of every Kafir depredation in the
Lower Albany direction. Names thicken as we proceed from Waay-plaats
towards Grahamstown. Passing Greathead's location, we c