The narrative of an explorer in tropical South Africa

The author recounts an overland expedition across interior regions between the Cape Colony and the western Portuguese settlements, mapping a route to a recently discovered inland lake and describing encounters with Damara, Hottentot, and Ovampo communities. He records geographic data, itineraries, and practical difficulties of travel, including logistics, worn draught animals, exhausted supplies, and the effort required to gain local confidence. Natural-history notes are limited by arid plateaus, while the fertility, orderly habits, and trading tendencies of the Ovampo are highlighted as favorable for contact and mission work. The narrative combines route information, ethnographic observation, and reflections on the hardships and rewards of exploration.