water for twenty-four hours, and
all idea of chasing the various herds of animals which were to be seen
in their path was abandoned for the present--Swinton remarked, "We are
not far from the track of the Mantatees, when they made their irruption
upon the Caffres about eighteen months back."

"I was intending to ask you for some information on that point, Swinton.
There has been more than one irruption into the country from the
natives to the northward. Mr Fairburn gave me a very fair idea of the
history of the Cape colony, but we were both too much engaged after our
arrival in Cape Town for me to obtain further information."

"I will, you may be assured, tell you all I know," replied Swinton; "but
you must not expect to find in me a Mr Fairburn. I may as well remark,
that Africa appears to be a country not able to afford support to a
dense population, like Europe; and the chief cause of this is the great
want of water, occasionally rendered more trying by droughts of four or
five years' continuance."

"I grant that such is the case at present," observed the Major; "but you
well know that it is not that there is not a sufficient quantity of rain
which falls generally once a year, but because the water which falls is
carried off so quickly. Rivers become torrents, and in a few weeks pour
all their water into the sea, leaving, I may say, none for the remainder
of the year."

"That is true," replied Swinton.

"And so it will be until the population is not only dense, but, I may
add, sufficiently enlightened and industrious. Then, I presume, they
will take the same measures for securing a supply of water throughout
the year which have been so long adopted in India, and were formerly in
South America by the Mexicans. I mean that of digging large tanks, from
which the water cannot escape, except by evaporation."

"I believe that it will be the only remedy."

"Not only the remedy, but more than a remedy; for tanks once
established, vegetation will flourish, and the vegetation will not only
husband the water in the country, but attract more."

"All that is very true," replied Swinton, "and I trust the time will
come, when not only this land may be well watered with the dew of
heaven, but that the rivers of grace may flow through it in every
direction, and the tree of Christ may flourish."

"Amen," replied Alexander.

"But to resume the thread of my discourse," continued Swinton; "I was
about to say, that the i