the first european settlers landed in the cape of good hope in 1652, and between 1659 and 1664, made several unsuccessful attempts to penetrate the great karoo from the south-west. the europeans who first entered the great karoo did so from the south-east (traveling north from algoa bay), which is slightly less arid than the western karoo. these were the "trekboers" of the mid-1700s, who led a nomadic existence, enduring great hardships in the relentless aridity, the intense heat (such that even their dogs could not walk on the scorching ground and had to be lifted into the overcrowded wagons), and the bitter cold in winter, especially at night. before that time, the only inhabitants were the khoe-speaking clans migrating through the area, and !ui-speaking peoples, who lived in small family groups and, it is believed, remained largely in their own "territories", killing their own game, and gathering bulbs and roots and drinking from a spring or other water source within their territory. sometimes these territories were very large and the family group moved from one part to the other. their only domestic animals were dogs. the ntu-speaking agriculturalists to the east of the great karoo did not occupy this arid region due to the scarce rainfall which prevented the farming of cattle.