24th December 1785

[page 20]
[24th December 1785]
24 saterdag

reden n:o telyk aan over der sand hoogte en arriveerde na 1½ uur te paard aan de Jakhals valeys rivier, even toen modderige kuilen, dog hoger op tamelyk goede fontein
vonden hier de wagen die drie uren gereden had. peilde alles af en reden met een draay langs vogelfontein melkbos fontein door een langsaam opgaande sandige cloof door het z.o. tot na gerrit van Wyk zeekoei valey in vier en een half uur, dese bergen syn al gebroken met streken, en zyn deselvde van de keten van Cardow: dese zeekoei valey hiet niet regt, doordien hier alleen fonteinen (dog goed water) syn. Hier groeide alles seer wel vrugten, wyn, koorn en groente.

[page 20a]
warm weinig wind dog deselfde streek
term 75 ­ 94 ­ 86

[page 20]
[24th December 1785]
24 Saturday.

We rode on north-easterly across the sandy heights and arrived at the Jakhalsvlei River after an hour and a half’s ride. It had small though muddy pools but higher up there was a fairly good spring. Here we found the wagon which had taken three hours to get here. Took all my bearings and we rode with a turn beside Vogelfontein and on to Melkbosfontein through a slowly rising sandy kloof and then through the south-east to Gerrit van Wyk’s Zeekoeivlei, which we reached in four and a half hours. These mountains are all broken up in places and are the same as from the Cardow range. This Zeekoeivlei has not been properly named because there are only springs here, but the water is good.
Everything grows very well here: fruit, wine, wheat and vegetables.

[page 20a]
Hot, little wind, but from the same region.
Thermometer: 75-94-86.