The great chain of mountains which runs from north to south through the
colony of the Cape of Good Hope, divides into two branches, one of which
stretches south-east, and the other due south. At the extremity of the
latter branch is “the waterfall mountain,” in one of the clefts of which
a large stream of water falls from the high rock above, and presents, in
the winter season, when swollen by the rains, a glorious spectacle. To
view this fall to advantage, the traveler has to climb to a considerable
hight over the steep and broken rocks which form one side of the
mountain, and, on reaching the top, sees it on the other side. Its hight
is estimated at between eighty and ninety feet, and its breadth at
between thirty and forty. Adequate terms can not be found to describe
the sublimity of this scene, after abundant rains, when it is in its
full beauty. In the vale beneath, the water is collected in a vast and
deep basin, excavated in the stone; and by the side of the stream is a
grotto, which runs within the rock to the depth of between thirty and
forty feet. The arched entrance to this grotto is close to the falling
water, when the stream is full. The rocks about it are thickly grown
over with shrubs, which are then sprinkled by the spray. The European
travelers who proceed from Cape Town to the interior of South Africa,
seldom fail to make a pilgrimage to this enchanting spot.