r, it had to be done; so, pulling myself together, I drew my feet
from the stirrups, and called upon Sandho to stand fast. Then, lying
forward till my face touched my steed's neck, I made a desperate
effort--quickly, for I could not trust my strength--drew my injured left
leg right up on to the horse's back, and lay there perfectly still for a
few moments, suffering horribly from the pain of my overstrained
muscles, before making another effort, and then dropped down on my right
foot, dismounting on the wrong side of the horse, feeling, as I did so,
everything give way. I had completely collapsed, and all was blank. It
may have been an hour, or it may have been only a few minutes--possibly
only seconds--passed before I opened my eyes and gazed up, wondering
what was the meaning of the soft, warm puffs of moist air, and what it
was that kept on snuffing at my face.

"Sandho, old boy!" I said, gazing up in his great, soft eyes, and the
wondering horse whinnied and then turned away to begin grazing once
more; while I waited for the sick feeling from which I suffered to pass
off, before trying to get up and find some sharp-edged stone against
which I could rub the raw-hide thong which bound my wrists.

It was terrible work, and I had to make a severe call upon my courage
before I made the first effort. For it was like this: I was quite
exhausted and in a state of semi-stupor, combined with drowsiness. So
long as I lay quite still my injuries felt dull and numbed; but at the
slightest movement my arms and shoulders gave a burning, fiery pain,
while my left leg and ankle shot out pangs almost unbearable.

The effort had to be made, though; and, setting my teeth hard, I called
up all my powers of endurance, and after a severe struggle managed to
get upon my knees.

The pain now was excruciating; and, realising that my left leg must be
badly hurt, I made another effort before I was overcome again, getting
upon my feet and reeling towards a big upright mass of granite; but
before I had taken half-a-dozen limping steps the whole scene began to
glide round me, and I fell heavily, insensible once more.

It is no easy task to rise to one's feet when lying with arms tightly
bound behind the back. Think, then, what it must have been to one
suffering as I was--arms swollen and cut into by the leather thong,
utterly exhausted, and with one leg rendered completely useless.

Again I passed through that sickening phase of recov