She had planned, as her fourth undertaking, a journey to some of those portions of the globe which she had not yet visited--namely, Australia and the islands of the Asiatic Archipelago; intending to proceed thither by the usual route round the Cape.

Her purpose was, however, changed while in London.

The recently discovered Lake Ngami, in Southern Africa, and the interesting region to the north, towards the equator--the reflection how successfully she had travelled among savage tribes, where armed men hesitated to penetrate, how well she had borne alike the cold of Iceland and the heat of Babylonia--and lastly, the suggestion that she might be destined to raise the veil from some of the totally unknown portions of the interior of Africa--made her determine on stopping at the Cape, and trying to proceed thence, if possible, northwards into the equatorial regions of the African Continent.
"Madame Pfeiffer left for the Cape, on the 22nd of May last, in a sailing vessel--her usual mode of travelling by sea, steamboats being too expensive.

She arrived safely at Cape Town on the 11th of August, as I learned from a letter which I received from her last week, dated the 20th of August.

From that letter the following are extracts:-- "'The impression which this place (Cape Town) made on me, was not an agreeable one.