e
give you just another spoonful and you will feel like a new man. No,
no, please don't keep your teeth clenched like that; open your mouth,
Mr Butler, and let me pour a little more down your throat. Do
please,"--in a most insinuating tone of voice--"it will do you no end of
good. Arima, take hold of his chin and see if you can force his lower
jaw open, but be as gentle as you can. There, that's right! Now then!"

With a deft touch and no apparent violence the Indian succeeded in
getting the locked jaws apart, and Escombe promptly availed himself of
the opportunity to pour about a tablespoonful of spirits into the
partially open mouth. For a moment there was no result, then a cough
and a splutter on the part of the sick man showed that the potent elixir
was making its way down his throat, and, with another groan, the patient
made a feeble effort to struggle to his feet. But the attempt was a
failure, the last particle of strength had already been spent, and,
sighing heavily, Butler subsided back upon the supporting arm of the
Indian, and lay staring vacantly at the rich sapphire sky that arched
above him. Then Harry took him by the hand, and, calling him by name,
endeavoured to win some sign of recognition from him, but all in vain.
The utmost that he could accomplish was to extract from his patient a
few meaningless, incoherent mumblings, which conveyed nothing save the
fact that the speaker's mind was, at least for the moment, a perfect
blank. At length, convinced that he could do no more until he had got
his patient settled in camp, he called upon Arima to help him, and
between the two they soon had the unfortunate man comfortably stretched
upon a blanket under the lee of an enormous granite rock, which would at
least partially shield him from the keen wind of the fast approaching
night. Then, with the help of a few stout saplings cut from a clump of
bush close at hand, they contrived to rig a small, makeshift kind of
tent over the upper half of his body, as a further protection from the
cold, and lighted their camp fire close to his feet. Then, while the
Indian, with gentle touch, cut away the soiled rags of clothing from the
wasted body and limbs, and swathed them in a waterproof rug, Escombe
unsaddled and hobbled the horse and mules, and turned them loose to
graze. Next he unpacked the saddle bags and camp equipage, and
proceeded to prepare a small quantity of hot, nourishing soup, which,
with infinite