lding to his suggestion, the march was again commenced, with their
faces turned westward.

There was one thing that gave the hunters a hope. It was the knowledge
that they were not in that part of South Africa, where there is any very
extensive _karroo_. They were too far to the south-east to have strayed
into the great Kalahari desert. The karroo they were traversing, might
be a small one, which could be crossed in a few hours had they been able
to travel with any speed. Unfortunately, they were not.

So exhausted were their animals that the use of jamboks and the
strongest language, spoken in the Dutch, English, Hottentot, Kaffir, and
Makololo tongues could not make them move one step faster than two miles
to the hour. This rate of travelling will annihilate a great distance,
but only in a great deal of time; and, knowing that their cattle could
not hold out much longer, our adventurers began to fear that their
hunting expedition would turn out something worst than a failure.

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN.

THE WATER-ROOT.

Throughout that long and dreary night they toiled on, driving the cattle
before them. Guided by the Southern Cross they pursued nearly a
straight course. When morning dawned upon the scene, they observed that
the surface of the country still continued the same,--presenting that
lumpy appearance with which during the last two days they had become so
familiar.

Although all were hungry, weary, and suffering grievously from thirst,
there was no time for making a stop. The cattle must be taken on as
speedily as possible, or abandoned, along with their loads.

Slowly the sun climbed up into the sky, until it was directly over their
heads; and yet, judging by the appearance of the country, they had not
moved a step from the place where they had first entered upon the
karroo. The landscape around them seemed exactly the same!

"We have had about enough of this sort of travelling," remarked Hendrik,
"and it's quite time that we began to think of ourselves, and not quite
so much of our property."

"What do you wish?" asked Willem. "Abandon the pack-oxen?"

"We shall probably have to do so in the end. It appears as if the time
had come. We had better save our horses and ourselves and let the
others go."

"You forget, Hendrik," rejoined his brother, "that we are not all
mounted. We cannot desert those who are afoot."

"Of course not," answered the young cornet, "but even Swart, who is no