Life in the Wilderness; or Wanderings in South Africa

Preface

. It may be of importance to premise, that in the present work the Author professes to give neither an account of regions hitherto undiscovered or undescribed, nor a narrative of elaborate and scientific research, but a simple and faithful record of the various incidents which befell himself and his party during an eight months' journey in the wilds of South Africa, where the traveller must mainly depend on his rifle and horse for subsistence. Nor was it deemed advisable to enter on a detailed history of the colony, or the prospects of success which it holds out to emigrants ; since these particulars may be obtained from other books, written especially for the purpose, and would require a more lengthened discussion than could be afforded them in these pages. The superficial notice of this subject contained in the first two chapters has been chiefly introduced as a stepping stone to the main object of description — Life in the Wilderness.

With a few alterations, the author has transcribed the journal kept during his last excursion, be lieving that descriptions, though ruder in style, are

PREFACE.

. more graphic and vivid when committed to writing on the spot, since impressions must then be most forcible. For the same reason the form of a diary has been retained, and the present tense not unfre quently employed, in order that the reader may, as far as possible, identify himself with the scenes depicted. There are several difficulties, however, which attend the execution of this plan ; viz. avoiding monotony in the matter, distinguishing between that which is of general, and that which is merely of private interest, and, in shooting adventures, escaping the charge of egotism, which, as the different members of the party commonly hunted with only native guides to attend them, is not easily accomplished. These circumstances, it is hoped, will be allowed their due weight in the present work.

Many obstacles prevented the expedition from penetrating as far into the interior of South Africa as was originally intended ; the foremost of which were the advanced season, with the consequent danger of malaria, and the total exhaustion of nearly all supplies by the carelessness and neglect of the Hottentot servants. Still, it was sufficiently evident that, under well organised plans, a wide and practicable field of discovery lay open. Several parties have traversed the interior of this country on shooting excursions to between the south latitude of 24° and '25°, but have rarely advanced farther. The causes of this have been

PREFACE.

. V the tedious nature of the journey (the daily pro gress not averaging above fifteen miles), and the impaired condition of the oxen imperatively re quiring rest for the recovery of their strength ; after which, instead of a fresh start being made to the north, the return march has been commonly commenced. It is much to be regretted that, since Dr. Andrew Smith's expedition, nothing has been attempted by the public towards clearing up the mystery which still envelops the central regions of South Africa within the tropics. As the traveller advances north, the country increases sensibly both in beauty and interest; vegetation assumes a bolder and more tropical character; boundless forests succeed to the naked and parched deserts ; while to the east, vast mountains, clothed at their bases in luxuriant foliage, mingle with the clouds ; water becomes more abundant; and wild animals, in infinite variety, afford to the naturalist a most delightful and constant source of entertainment.

Nor need the explorer apprehend extreme danger from the native tribes, which in general welcome the visits of white men, being desirous of bartering their commodities, and foreseeing the advantages which the opening of a trade would introduce amongst them. Climate would be his greatest enemy ; and even this difficulty might be materially counteracted, under Providence, by judicious measures. VI

PREFACE.

. To the kindness of Adam White, Esq., M.E.S., &c., the Author feels himself much indebted for a concise and valuable appendix on the entomolo gical collection of his fellow-traveller, Arthur Pearson, Esq. Any unprejudiced observer must be struck by the advance of Christianity and civilization among the long-benighted inhabitants of South Africa ; but these subjects, as not coming under the pro vince of this kind of narrative, will be but inciden tally noticed. In the magnificence and variety of her quadru peds Africa stands unrivalled. Here the gigantic forms of the brute creation have been most pro fusely lavished by the will of their Omnipotent Author ; and the traveller, when flying from the elephant or rhinoceros, whose vengeance he has roused, and the tokens of whose prodigious might continually arrest his eye, seems to sink into insig nificance, and feels the force of that sublime pas sage, Job xxxix. — 9 to 12, " Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib ?

Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow ? or will he harrow the valleys after thee ? Wilt thou trust him because his strength is great ? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him ? Wilt thou believe him that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn ? " London, Juty, 1846. GLOSSARY. Kraal. — Any fenced enclosure. Spoor. — The track or footprints. Knee-halter. — A colonial term expressing the mode of retarding a horse's motions by securing his knee and head together with a leather thong. Trek-tow. — A plaited leather rope to which the yokes of the oxen are secured. Skey or Key. — Bits of wood let through the yokes, and passing on either side the ox's neck. Cotla. — Place of assembly amongst native tribes. Bogalf. — Native beer of fermented millet flour. Bagobi. — Porridge of millet flour.

Mokala or Cameel-doortjn — An acacia on whose leaves and flowers the giraffe browses. Caross. — A native cloak or blanket of furs sewn together with sinews. Rim or Reim. — A leather thong or halter. Assegai. — Any spear. Kiri or Keeri. — A knob-stick or club. PAGE 1 2-2 CONTENTS.

Chapter I

Monotony of a Sea-voyage. — Choice of a Vessel. — Island of Trinidad. — The Nine-pin Rock. — Perilous ascent of the Cliffs.— The Zebra Fish.— Table Bay.— Robben Island. — Table Mountain. — Cape Town. — The Phenomenon of the Table-cloth. — Mixed Society at Cape Town. — The Constantias. — Abundant supply of Pish. — Fishing Excursion. — Sir Lowry's Pass. — Farms in the Vicinity of Cape Town. — Mode of Travelling.

Chapter II

Port Elizabeth. — Fingoe Porters. — Elephant hunting. — Graham's Town. — Ride through Bathurst to the Cowie Mouth. — Aspect of the Country. — Bad Roads. — The Cape Horse. — Perspective Character of the Dutch and English Farmer. — Depredations of the Caffirs. — Manner of Smoking the Dacca. — Distinctive Character of the Country near Graham's Town. — Method of journeying in South Africa. — The Cape Ox-waggon. .

Chapter III

Preparations for a Sojourn in the Wilderness. — Arrival at Fort Beaufort. — Increasing number of Houses. — Macomo, the celebrated Cafhr Chief and Orator. — Hot tentot Driving. — Dutch Dwellings. — Capture of a Spring- X CONTENTS. PAGE 99 buck. — Ravages of the Springbucks. — Hunting the Gnoo. — A Hottentot Cook. — Orange River. — Desolate aspect of the Country. — Ruins of a Missionary Station at the Griqua Village of Ramah. — Effect produced by the Notes of an Accordion. — A saltpan. — Park-like Scenery near the banks of the Vaal 43

Chapter IV

A Griqua Village. — Labours of the Missionaries. — A Lion Hunt. — Traffic in skins, ivory, feathers, dried flesh, beads, and gunpowder. — Account of Captain Dowd, or David Berghover. — Massacre of Barend's commando by Moselekatza. — Habits of the Bushmen. — Improvement of the Bechuanas under the teaching of the Missionaries. — Substitute for Water. — Effects of Portraits on Savages. — Arrival at Metito. — Singular rite among the Tribes of Bechuana. — Progress of Civilization. — State of Cultivation. ........ 70

Chapter V

Mokala Trees near Metito. — Troop of Sassaybies. — Coldness of the Atmosphere. — A Supper in the Wilder ness. — Sporting Incident. — The African Antelope. — Hunt ing the Eland. — Balala Women. — Scarcity of Water. Bawangketzi Singing and Dancing. — Giraffe Hunting

Chapter VI

Mountain and Forest Scenery. — Mabotsa, the Village of Moseleli. — Interview with Moseleli. — Prevalence of Oph thalmia. — Portuguese Settlements. — Picturesque Valley of Bakatla. — African Rhinoceros. — Antelopes. — A South- African Sportsman. — A Leopard's Larder. — Escape from a Buffalo ......... CONTENTS. XI PAGE 181 232 260

Chapter VII

Baba, the Griqua Trader and Sportsman. — Cases of Hydrophobia. — Iron- Works of the Bakatlas. — Travellers and Traders in South Africa. — Encounter with Rhinoce roses. — Calmness of the Air. — The Baquaines. — Their mode of Salutation. — Baquaine Women. — African Beer. — A Royal Visit of Five Queens. — Residence of the Chief Sichele. — Effects of a Sojourn in the Wilderness. — The Savage in civilized Dress. — African Dogs. — Devas tations committed by Elephants. — A Way to recover Sto len Property. — Giraffe-hunt. — The Mariqua River. — Cro codiles. — Native Huntsmen. — African Elephants a distinct Species. — Elephant-hunt. — Breakfast on Elephant's feet. — Escape from a Rhinoceros. — Baths in the Wilder ness. — Capture of a Crocodile. — Hottentot Combat .

Chapter VIII

Advice to Travellers. — Pursuit of Hippopotami. — Anec dote of a Baboon. — Scarcity of Salt.— Swarm of Locusts. — Epidemic among Horses. — A Rain-maker. — Prevalence of Flies. — Native Diet. — The Kurrichane Mountains. — Necessity the Mother of Invention ....

Chapter IX

Village of Mabotsa. — A Mimosa Grove. — Settlement of Mosega. — Flight of the Missionaries. — Escape from a Cobra. — Diet in the Wilderness. — Capture of a Chame leon. — Phenomenon of the Mirage. — The Great Chue. — Death of Sobiqua, the Wangketsi Chieftain. — Passage of the Vaal. — Bushmen's objection to Civilized life. — The Orange river. — South African Horned Cattle. — The Da mara Breed. — Arrival at Colesberg. — Return to England . CONTENTS. PAGE 295

Chapter X

Advance of civilization in Upper Africa. — Backward state of the Southern Division. — Regions between the equator and the termination of the South African tropics yet to be explored. — Effects of the introduction of the Camel into South Africa. — Beneficial results of the Mis sions in the Interior. — General characteristics of Africa. — Distinctive peculiarities in the Animal and Vegetable kingdoms. — The Sichuana language. — Form of Govern ment among the South African tribes.- — Their habits and modes of life. — Criminal tortures. — Absence of Idols. — Ignorance of Religion

Chapter I

Monotony of a Sea-voyage. — Choice of a Vessel. — Island of Trinidad. — The Nine-pin Roek. — Perilous ascent of the Cliffs.— The Zebra Fish.— Table Bay.— Robben Island.— Table Mountain. — Cape Town. — The Phenomenon of the Table-cloth.— Mixed Society at Cape Town. — The Constantias. — Abundant supply of Fish. — Fishing Excursion. — Sir Lowry's Pass. — Farms in the Vicinity of Cape Town. — Mode of Travelling. The nature of life at sea is so monotonous, and its ordinary incidents and adventures have been so often depicted by persons more competent for the task, that it would be needlessly drawing upon the patience of the reader to give a detailed account of my two voyages to the Cape. With the inexperience of a landsman, I was, on the first voyage, entrapped by a flaming advertise ment in The Times newspaper, to the effect, that on such a day would sail " that well-known barque, unrivalled in her aquatic performances, well ap- B pointed, possessing airy and large cabins," in short everything that could be desired, presenting an unusually favourable opportunity to emigrants.

In an evil hour I nibbled, and was hooked. On joining the vessel at Gravesend the delightful illusions which the ship's broker had so artfully thrown over my imagination, began, like the misty wreaths of a spring morning, gradually to dissipate and melt before the growing light. The miserable lot of Irish pigs and dirty sheep, the coops, full of smoke-dried, dejected ducks and fowls, (principally cocks,) which seemed to have been carefully se lected from all the stable-yards in London, — convicts to whose transportation the ill effects of town-life had been conducive — all intimated in the plainest terms, that economy, at our expense, was to be the order of the day ; though I could not then foresee the systematic and rigid scale on which it would be conducted. The decks, too, were so lumbered with horse-boxes, spars, and innumer able other articles, besides bundles of hay secured round the bulwarks, that the analogy to a stage waggon was too close, to permit my deeming that our ship would be much dissimilar to it in her motions.

The circumstance, that many fine East-India men, expressly built for speed and comfort, touch at Cape Town in rounding the South African pro montory, and land passengers there, was at this time unknown to me ; but I have since made three voyages in them, and cannot better represent the difference between them and my first vessel than by saying they bore the relative merits of a prison and a good hotel. Amongst my maritime adventures, I shall select one alone as somewhat novel and interesting. (July 27th, 1841.) At day-break the vessel was slowly approaching the island of Trinidad (South lat. 20°, West long. 19°, 12',) from the north-west, under the influence of a very light breeze. This island is exceedingly high and rocky, is about nine miles in circumference, and though formerly occupied by Portuguese, has long since been resigned to the seals and sea-birds, its occu pants from time immemorial.

As we glided onwards, the lofty cliffs rising per pendicularly from the ocean, their summits splin tered into the most irregular and fantastic forms, together with that singular, gigantic column, termed the nine-pin rock, added intensity to that eagerness of visiting terra ftrma, with which all are familiar who have been long cooped in a floating prison, their walk confined to deal boards, and their vision limited to sky and water. Breakfast over, two boats were lowered by the captain's permission, and, armed with handspikes, rusty fire locks, horse and pocket pistols, with at the outside three decent double-barrel guns, we started for the shore, having been led by Marryat's " Naval Officer," to suppose it was tenanted by wild pigs b2 — poor pigs, if there had been any that dared oppose such a phalanx.

The boat to which I belonged, set off half an hour before the other. A huge whale rose with an indolent snort, displaying his broad, slippery back above the foaming brine so close astern of us, that we felt some anxiety about his next move. We rowed straight for the nine-pin rock, by which is a slight indentation, or bay, which we avoided on account of the heavy surf. Skirting the isle to the west, we passed under the before-named rock, which then formed a most imposing spectacle : it is nine hundred feet high, perhaps twenty yards in diameter, and continues in one circular shaft of nearly uniform thickness from its base, on which the breakers are incessantly foaming and roaring, to its crest, which consists of a coronet of verdure — the impregnable fortress of the mag nificent bird, called the man-of-war kite.

Advancing between this noble column and an isolated, jagged, and pointed rock, split exactly down its centre by some one of the mighty con vulsions of nature to which the original upheaval of this rugged mass of land from the ocean depths would seem attributable, we made for a projecting pier of rock, by which the water was deep and calm. We observed on the way several spots on the surface of the overhanging cliffs which indicated the recent dislocation of ponderous fragments, and in one spot noticed a large rounded stone, poised on the pinnacle of a rock, from which the action of the atmosphere must soon dislodge it. The stones on which we landed were covered with crabs, which were plainly unac quainted with the nature and habits of man, for they only edged away with their peculiar sidelong shuffle, and stopped to gaze at us, till the sailors repaid their simplicity by demolishing them with handspikes.

Equally unsophisticated were the in numerable sea-fowl, especially the terns, which flew so near us that many were killed while on the wing by pebbles thrown at them : they opened their beaks and screamed at us, as if warning us off their property. Three of our party, of whom I was one, at tempted to ascend a sloping part of the cliffs, and penetrate to the interior. We scrambled up several hundred feet, over vast rocky fragments, huddled together with the trunks of dead trees, which were in great abundance. A prickly sort of grass grew in the crevices, in which were many land crabs, which were frequently alarming us by their hissing, leading us to expect the attack of snakes. The stones continually slipped from under our feet, and rolled thundering over the adjacent decli vities: in one place a rock had fallen so as to form an aperture like a chimney, up which we climbed, dragging our guns after us.

We were ultimately compelled to retrace our steps by encountering a precipitous cliff, some four hundred feet high, which stood in front of us like a stupendous wall. The second boat not having joined us, we sat down and proceeded to discuss the articles in the shape of prog, that had been brought with us. Several different kinds of fish came up to the surface for the crumbs thrown on the water; and so beautifully clear was the sea, that all the variegated sea-weeds, with their graceful tendrils, and the bright hues of some coralline formations, could be distinctly seen in depths of twenty or thirty feet. Amongst the fish were some small striped ones, called by the sailors Zebra fish, apparently a kind of perch ; their colour bright yellow with black bands : some flat fish, the size of soles, of a dark green tint, with regular transverse lines of light blue on their sides and fins (these were armed with some strong and broad incisor teeth) ; and some minute species of a prussian blue colour, not more than an inch in length.

Strange to say, but few hooks had been taken with us, and specimens of the flat fish alone were captured. After a while we reentered the boat, and departed in quest of our missing companions. Rounding the nine-pin rock, we descried their boat stranded in the very bay that we shunned as dangerous. They were in a sad pickle, one gentleman had been endeavouring to foster a fire by the addition of a little powder, and the flask had exploded in his hand, providentially breaking none of the bones, and merely lacerating the skin ; another had been absent four hours, and they feared he must have met with some accident in scaling the rocks : they begged us to put in to their assistance, which, considering the violence of the surf, and the fact that their own boat had been damaged in landing, was no slight favour to ask.

However, we could not desert them in their dis tress ; and therefore, after a vain search for some less perilous spot, we pulled for shore — and riding gallantly on the back of a boiling surge, stranding with a crash on the unyielding beach, sprang into the water, and hauled the boat up high and dry. Some sailors were forthwith despatched to seek the missing party, and during their absence he returned. He had succeeded in gaining the inte rior, where he reported having seen a forest of dead trees, some standing, some prostrate, but always lying in one direction : probably they were originally destroyed by fire and then blown down. He found no tracks of pigs, even in the most likely places ; but picked up a boar's skull, which he brought with him, proving their former existence on the island, into which they seem to have been introduced by whalers.

It was now late, and fearing that the captain would be anxious on our behalf, we endeavoured to push through the surf; but, all the oars not being experienced ones, a furious, crested billow, caught the boat very slightly on one side the head, and hurled it backwards with terrific violence. We were not upset, but were near being dashed to atoms on a projecting rock, towards which the water bore us ; the ebb deadened our way, but we struck with such force that one oar was driven through the upper seam of the boat, and another washed away. It was, notwithstanding, really ludicrous to see the party up to their necks in water hurry a-shore, with consternation depicted in every countenance. Another and successful attempt was made, several of us pushing behind the boat till a wave knocked us all head over heels, and filled our hands with the spines of echini, which abounded in this quarter.

The absentee had returned, but not the sailors in search of him : and it was grown so dark by the time they also came back, that we were obliged to prepare for spending the night on the beach, wet and hungry though we were, for just beyond the surf were some rocks, whose heads, barely pro truding above the sea, would now be invisible. A large heap of dead wood was collected, and a convenient situation having been chosen, where stood an immense stone hollowed out at the side so as to resemble a hall fire-place, we kindled a fire large enough to roast an oax, but which w7e were fain to apply to the much humbler work of broiling fish and land-crabs. The wood was red like mahogany, and was so dry that it blazed magnificently ; we sat a forlorn group by the side of it, our wet clothes emitting volumes of steam.

A large fox-hound of mine formed a conspicuous member of the party, while an unfortunate little Scotch terrier, which had fallen among some rocks at the commencement of the day, lay all night whining piteously. A few songs were sung to cheer our spirits, the notes and words ofwhioh seemed terribly out of character with the savage scenery around us, that perhaps never before echoed to a melodious sound. Some dead grass was gathered and strewn as beds, and we lay down to rest. The sailors, accustomed to sleep on deck, appeared to slumber tranquilly, but a few minutes of unconsciousness were all that fell to my share. Rain fell in the night, and we were alter nately wet and dry, for our clothes were of the lightest order, and adapted to a tropical climate. The gigantic Nine-pin Rock, like the genius of the island, towered above us, stern, black, and mysterious, standing in bold relief by the moonlight; the roar of the surf was ceaseless and deafening, while at intervals some wakeful sea-bird screamed from the heights at the unwonted sight of a fire.

The land-crabs, attracted by the light, were con stantly crawling from their holes, and waddling into the midst of us, their claws rattling over the shingle : one of our party, a German, did not apb5 prove of such familiarity, and threw them into the fire with many exclamations of disgust. Our imaginations were continually increasing the fury of the surf, and picturing the commence ment of a gale, in which case the ship could not have waited, and we should inevitably have tried the pleasures of a Robinson Crusoe life, with land-crabs, fish, and sea-gulls, for the bill of fare ; but happily no such event occurred, though here stiff breezes are not uncommon. It was nearly a calm when we landed, and fancy told us what our chance of surmounting the surf would be in even a moderate breeze. At the first dawn of day we made a desperate effort to escape from our lonely, wild residence, and pushing astern the boat till the water grew too deep, succeeded in passing the surf, and with a hearty hurrah ! resought the vessel, which we reached weary and famished.

August 28th. — After an exceedingly tem pestuous night, the wind blowing a gale from the N.W., we anchored in Table Bay, having been, as it afterwards appeared, in considerable danger of being driven on the back of that singular low island, called Robben island, which forms a sort of natural breakwater to the harbour. This place contains no houses but those appropriated to the convicts banished thither from the colony, and the officers and other persons placed over them. There is on either side of it a broad and navigable entrance to the bay. My residence in South Africa did not, in the present instance, extend beyond four or five months, and the mode of life, and in great part also the line of route which I pursued, having been identical with those of a second excursion, I shall confine myself to a detailed account of the latter.

On the 10th of April, 1842, my health, the main cause of my leaving England, having been fully restored, I returned home in the Plantagenet, East Indiaman, Captain Domett, and was so well pleased with this second edition of maritime life, that, on a recur rence of ill health, I again sailed in the same vessel August 1st, 1843, and after a favourable voyage, set foot for the second time, Oct. 5th., on the soil of the Cape of Good Hope. My intention was to settle as a colonist if any fair prospects of success presented themselves. Cape Town and its environs have been so frequently described, that it is needless to bestow on them more than a cursory notice. This town, which is rapidly increasing in size, stands at the base of the celebrated Table Mountain, whose gray, rugged precipices, and singularly flattened summit, have an effect wonderfully bold and imposing; especially when a south-easterly wind prevails, and snowy volumes of vapour, condensed in the humid atmosphere by the lower temperature of the mountain, form a level shroud to its entire crest, and are seen incessantly pouring over the crags their curling wreaths, which, sinking for some distance, again combine with the air, and become invisible.

All this while the sky is often cloudless, and nowhere else, excepting on the adjacent Lion's-head Mountain, is there a vestige of mist. This phenomenon is aptly termed the Table-cloth. Another magnificent object is the Lion's-head Mountain, with its curious domed-shaped crest, standing not a mile to the west of Table Moun tain, and in conjunction with it and the signal hill, enclosing Cape Town with such stupendous natural barriers, that, when seen from the harbour, it has a most insignificant appearance, and certainly led me to much underrate its attractions. There are many good public buildings in the place, and the streets are mostly clean and airy, with here and there an avenue of trees. Gardens are frequently attached to the houses, and the government walks, with their shady avenues of oak, afford a delightful promenade in the hot months.

The parade-ground, encircled by a belt of Scotch firs, and containing within its limits the public library and commercial room, constitutes also a remarkable feature of the town. Here auctions are continually held in the open air, and the most motley groups imaginable are to be seen. The Malay, in his eccentric, pyramidal straw hat, or turban ; the Hottentot, in his heterogeneous, slovenly attire ; the negro (of slave extraction), commonly wearing a red woollen night-cap ; the natives of the East, with their various picturesque costumes ; the Dutch and English merchants — all mingle together round the stalls. In the streets every denomination of vehicle is encountered, from the dashing four-in-hand drag, to the ponderous waggon drawn by twenty oxen, whose exertions are stimulated by their black driver, with a whip in its dimensions akin to a salmon-rod ; and from the boor's travelling-waggon, with its eight or ten rough ponies driven in hand, to the bath-chair and wheel-barrow.

The road from Cape Town leading to Ron debosch and Wineberg is excessively pretty, passing between vineyards and well-kept gardens, with numerous snug-looking country-seats ; it is also for some length overshadowed by an avenue of oak. The view hence, towards the back of Table Mountain, is strikingly beautiful : extensive plantations of fir and other trees clothe the moun tain slopes, and creep far up the various ravines, where sufficient soil and moisture combine to favour their growth. A little way beyond Wine berg are the several Constantias, famed for the luscious wine * they produce, the fertility of their gardens, and the wild scenery which encircles * It is a remarkable fact that wine made from the same grape grown on other spots is much inferior to that made from the produce of these vineyards. them.

These are the favourite resorts of all newly-arrived persons, and rarely does a large passenger-ship anchor in Table Bay but several pic-nic parties set off thither to spend the day, walk through the cellars, taste the wine, enter their names in the visitor's-book, and luxuriate in cold pie and sandwiches. During my sojourn in Cape Town, I ascended Table Mountain, in company with three other per sons. The acclivity of this mountain may be said to commence with the edge of the harbour. We were delighted on our way up by the great variety and beauty of the wild flowers and flowering shrubs, and threaded our path through much low bush, till after some toilsome climbing we reached the kloof, or hollow, up which is the only accessi ble road in front of the mountain. An exceedingly pretty tree, called the silver tree (protea argentea), grows only in this neighbourhood: it does not attain to any large size ; the leaves are very numerous, lanceolate, and of a delicate silvery hue, with a down over their surface, which renders them as soft to the touch as satin, to which their gloss makes them not dissimilar.