verling rode between the boys.

"I didn't want to tell the doctor," he volunteered in a low tone, when
they were a good half-mile from the wagon, "and don't let on before the
Indians; but we're going to be in bad unless we get across pretty soon.
There are only two casks of water left. I'm afraid the Masai have been
tapping them at night."

"Jumping sandhills!" exclaimed Charlie, staring in dismay. "Why, we have
to use at least half a cask a day, only giving the horses and cattle a
few swallows, and us too! I s'pose we'll cut out the cattle?"

"Have to," nodded the explorer. "I hate to do it, but we can't return
now. I'd like to take a gun-butt to those Masai!"

"You can't blame them," put in Jack. "They've got the hardest end to
bear up, Gen'ral. We've only allowed them about a pint a day each, same
as us, when they've been hiking steady. It's hard lines on them, take it
from me."

"We can't help that, Jack," Schoverling returned. "There's no use
punishing them, of course, for they may be valuable later on. But when
you're on watch, just take a look under the wagon now and then. If you
find anyone at the water-casks, take the cattle-whip to him. That water
means life to all of us--and _we come first_!"

The boys fell silent. The danger was brought home to them, as the
explorer intended, and they realized the grim law of the white man in
savage places--that whatever happened, whoever perished, he must
survive. It is not a merciful law; Schoverling was not one of the
generous-hearted kind who treat the native as an equal at such times.
He was an average, self-preserving Caucasian, who was only merciless
when his own life hung in the balance. The boys had been trained in the
same school, and fully realized the force of his words.

"The Masai are holding up finely," he went on, "but we'll have to watch
them close. At any minute they may get sick of things and try to rush
us. That means trouble, which I hope will not come."

Charlie joined him silently in that hope, though from the behavior of
the natives he could hardly believe that they would turn on the whites.
However, the conversation was soon shifted by the discovery of a herd of
giraffes to the north.

"Long range, I s'pose?" queried Jack, getting out his heavy gun. The
Indians were armed with the lighter ones.

"Yes," returned the explorer. "We'll never get up on them in this
territory. Fire high, when they begin to run, or we'll lose them."

The giraff