About midday
Before nightfall we came to a ridge whereon this bush-veld turned south , fringing that tributary of the great river in the swamps of which we were to hunt for sea-cows . Here we camped and next morning , leaving the waggon in charge of my _ voorlooper _ and a couple of the Strathmuir natives , for the driver was to act as my gun-bearer -- we marched down into the sea of bush-veld . It proved to be full of game , but at this we dared not fire for fearing of disturbing the hippopotami in the swamps beneath , whence in that event they might escape us back to the river . About midday we passed out of the bush-veld and reached the place where the drive was to be . Here , bordered by steep banks covered with bush , was swampy ground not more than two hundred yards wide , down the centre of which ran a narrow channel of rather deep water , draining a vast expanse of morass above . It was up this channel that the sea-cows travelled to the feeding ground where they loved to collect at that season of the year . There with the assistance of some of the riverside natives we made our preparations under the direction of Captain Robertson .