find that game was much scarcer than he had been lead to
believe by reading about South Africa.

They now entered a country where there were many ostrich farms, a
business which was very remunerative. Ostrich chickens cost from twenty-
five to fifty dollars apiece. In three years they will furnish plumage
worth from twenty-five to thirty dollars each year. A Hottentot told
Paul that many of the ostriches that then stood around in sight had been
hatched by fat old Hottentot women who took two or three eggs away from
the hens and lay with them in feather bed until they were hatched. The
truthfulness of this story, Paul never verified.

After passing Victoria they wended their way slowly through great plains
covered with a stumpy herbage. Here they saw large numbers of
secretary birds and bustards and maramots and springbok antelope.
Several of the latter were shot and added greatly to the comfort of the
mess. Every few days they met the up or down carts, going or coming from
the diamond regions. These would sometimes stop and give the news of
above or below. It did not take much penetration to know the successful
from the disappointed, coming from the mines as they got out of the
train to stretch themselves. Forty days after leaving the Cape, they
outspanned on the banks of the Orange river, into which Paul, without
any ceremony, plunged with eagerness and enjoyed his first swim in
Africa. Here they had to ferry and a slow and tedious occupation it
was. About a week later they entered Pneil to which place the freight
was consigned. The village was a small one, more like a camp. Down a
steep ravine tents were pitched on every available spot, where a level
surface afforded a floor. They were raised without regard to symmetry or
order. Paul and his friend Lord looked around the camp and secured
lodging with an old Californian who agreed to board them during their
stay for ten shillings a day. At the same time he assured them that he
did not intend to remain long there as the diggings were nearly played
out and he was going to shift the following week to Dutoitspan. After
prospecting for several days and finding that they could not get a claim
unless it was for an exorbitant price, they decided to adopt the
Californian's idea and start over for the "dry diggings" at Dutoitspan.
On arriving there they met a sorter who assured them that he was fully
posted in regard to claims, the value of the stone