Twenty-Five Years in a Waggon in South Africa: Sport and Travel in South AfricaAnderson, Andrew A.
History
Twenty-Five Years in a Waggon in South Africa: Sport and Travel in South Africa
Anderson, Andrew A.
Africa, Southern -- Description and travel; Anderson, Andrew A. -- Travel -- Africa, Southern
The principal rivers are the Limpopo and the Vaal; the former rises in
the high watershed, south of Pretoria, at an altitude of 6300 feet above
sea-level, flowing in a north-north-west direction through a very pretty
and picturesque part in the Magalisberg range of mountains, which run
east and west, on to where the Great Marico river falls into it, in 24
degrees 15 minutes South latitude, 27 degrees 7 minutes East longitude,
at an altitude of 2690 feet, passing through a thickly wooded country
with many native kraals, skirting Dwaasberg and other lofty hills that
add much to the beauty of the landscape. From the junction of the
Marico, the river turns in a northerly direction for about forty miles,
where the Notuane river joins it; from this point the Limpopo turns with
many bends and curves in a north-easterly and easterly direction for
some 400 miles, forming the boundary between the Transvaal and the chief
Khama, and the Matabele nation, down to 31 degrees 54 minutes East
longitude, being the north-east corner of the Transvaal, and where the
chief Umzelas territory joins up; from this point, after flowing east
for some twenty miles, it takes a south-south-east direction, through
Umzelas country to the Indian Ocean. It is a fine, broad stream,
increasing in width from the junction of the Great Marico, where it is
about 150 yards; at the Mokalapsie river, it is 200 yards; at the
junction of the Shasha, 220 yards; and increases in size as it passes on
through the low, flat country to the sea, where it is three miles wide.
It can be made without any difficulty navigable up to the Rubie river
distant from its mouth nearly 300 miles, taking into consideration the
sinuosity of its course, whence a good road could be made to the
interior; above this point there are many falls and rapids, the two most
important are the Impopomene and the Tolo, above-named, both beautifully
situated between thickly wooded banks; and over the granite rocks in its
bed the water falls, and where some of the bed rocks are exposed, in the
dry season may be seen hundreds of deep circular holes from one foot to
six feet in depth, and from one to three feet in diameter, that have
been worn by loose stones in the first instance being revolved round in
a depression in the rock, and in time, by the rushing of the waters upon
them, have increased them to the present size; they are similar in shape
to those on the banks of the Vaal, Orange, and Zambese rivers. The
immensity of time it must have taken to wear away such deep and large
holes in a granite rock, makes one pause to think of the period when
this river was first formed, because it is only a portion of the year,
when the floods come down, that the water acts upon the stones in these
holes. The principal tributaries of the Limpopo that rise in the
Transvaal are the Apies at Pretoria, Sand, Pinaars, Plat, Matlabatse,
Pongola, Palala, Nylstroom, Houdt, Limvubu, and the Olifants river with
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account