at remote intervals, till we had accomplished the avowed object of our
excursion.

Nobody can have climbed a mountain so high as even the loftiest in the
highlands of Scotland, without observing the effect upon vegetation of
the increasing severity of the climate as you approach the top. The
last forest, worthy of the name, through which we passed this day,
overhung Kleine Oupa; and even the remoter portions of it were stunted
and unhealthy. Next came the ascent of what is called Swartzen-Koppee;
that is, of a long black table-land, overtopping, by a considerable
altitude, the rest of the mountains near, but still far beneath the
level of Schnee-Koppee. Here vegetation entirely ceased. First, there
were some straggling firs, the uppermost branches of which reached to
my middle. Then there was heath in abundance, out of which we scared an
enormous black cock; and finally, there was the bare brown rock,
unclothed even with moss, and lying about in fragments, as if a
thousand sledge-hammers had been employed for a century, in the vain
endeavour to flatten or beat down the mountain. Here, then, we paused
to look round, and had the day been propitious, we should have probably
obtained as fine a view as from the peak of Schnee-Koppee himself. But,
as almost always happens when you have travelled far to ascend a
mountain, the atmosphere had become thick and foggy; so that our vision
was bounded by limits far more narrow than we had flattered ourselves
with finding. Still the panorama was very fine, and we enjoyed it much;
after which, having Schnee-Koppee himself before us, we pushed on.

We had been obliged to pass a barrier or two of snow, in order to reach
Swartzen-Koppee; but the snow was perfectly firm, and we suffered no
inconvenience from it. The valley between Swartzen-Koppee and the peak
beyond was quite clear; neither did a single flake rest upon the
indistinct track, which the feet of travellers has, in the course of
ages, marked up the face of the stony ridge which is called
Schnee-Koppee. We therefore entered upon the task of ascending
cheerfully, and found that there were no real difficulties to overcome.
But we met with a little adventure, if such it deserves to be called,
which appeared at the moment to be curious, and which has not yet lost
all its interest with us. We were mistaken in supposing that we should
be the first of this year's tourists to stand upon the top of
Schnee-Koppee. Other wayfarers had be