4th November 1778

transcription

[4th november 1778]
4

brete

[in margin:] miswysing 25 ½ n:w:

wat bewolkte donderlugt n:w: nu en dan frisse wind. term: 73 t 86 d t 75 van verre in het noord w: enige dondergeluid. om tien s’avons betrokken koel 57. z:o: fris

vond hier enige stukken quarts waarop kleine cristallen. het sneeuwgebergte hier nieuwe velt bergen genaamt blijf o en west voortschieten. dog wy zien het hier niet. zynde in de ruggens van de coup. nog niet wel vandaag.
barometer 27 ­ 8 verbet: geeft 1985: v Engels. boven de zee

even nadat wy van onse uitspan plaats vertrokken waaren kwamen een swarte en gele slang in ons pad. de swarte 3½ en de gele 4 v ­ 2 o lang. de leier schrikte. ik schoot se beide met myn twe loop geweer, dat ze kort daarna stierven men segt de swarte weinig dog de gele dodelyk vergiftig. een slang heeft schubbige ringen onder het lyf, de opengaande zyde na agter die hy uit en in trekt, dat hem snel doet voortgaan daar hy de grond er mee nut. alles nog caro coup by de rivier die wy byna droog twe drie malen

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dooreden nog doornbomen ganna en andere struiken zien byna geen wild. vele draayen dog meest w:z:w: 5½ uur rydens met de wagen

translation

[4th November 1778]
4

Latitude

Error 25½ north west

Somewhat cloudy sky, thundery. A fresh north-west wind now and then.
Thermometer: 73 degrees to 86 degrees dropping to 75 degrees. Sound of thunder from far north-west. At 10 o’clock at night overcast and a cool 57 degrees. Fresh south-east wind.
Found some pieces of quartz here on which there were small crystals. The Sneeuberg range, here called the Nieuweveld range, continues to reach east and west. but we do not see it here, being in the ridges of the Koup.
Am still not well today.
Barometer 27 inches and 8 tenths; corrected this gives 1985 English feet above sea level.

Just as we had left the place where we had outspanned a black and a yellow snake came into our way. The black one was three and a half foot and the yellow was four foot 2 inches long. The wagon-leader took fright. I shot them both with my double-barrelled gun and they died soon after. It is said that the black one is slightly poisonous but the yellow one deadly. Snakes have scaly rings underneath their bodies, with the open side towards the rear which they pull in and out, so as to propel it speedily, using the ground for this.
Everywhere still Koup-Karoo country. At the river, which is nearly dry and which we rode through two or three times, there are still

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thorn-trees, ganna and other shrubs to be seen. Have seen almost no game. Many turns, but went mostly west-south-west; five and a half hours’ ride with the wagon.