while, but only to heave a sigh of thankfulness on
seeing that his leader only swallowed half and then passed him the
remainder.

"I thought dad wouldn't forget him," whispered Chris to Ned, and perhaps
it might have been only a couple of drops of the water that had gone the
wrong way, but certainly something like a couple of tears glistened for
a few moments in Chris's eyes.

"Thank ye, doctor," said Griggs hoarsely, and the next moment there was
a sound like _glug_--_glug_!! and the tin mug was empty.

"Must have another drink round; eh, doctor?" said Wilton.

"Drink?" was the reply. "Well, yes; fill up. We must find water
to-morrow."

Half a cupful was passed to each then, swallowed with avidity, and then
Wilton sighed as he helped to secure the tompion in its place.

"Now," cried the doctor, "we all want to lie down and rest, but I'm sure
we should none of us sleep for thinking of water. The night is fairly
clear, and I feel that I can guide you up the rising ground, so I
propose that we go on at once."

"Yes, yes," cried Bourne; "on at any cost, to get away from this
horrible nest of reptiles."

"But suppose we go blundering on among them," cried Wilton. "What do
you say, Griggs?"

"I say let's get on, sir, for if we stop here we shall be getting no
nearer water, and we shall be having the snakes coming to see where we
are for killing that last one of their friends."

To get away from the horrors that haunted the spot was the great desire
of all, and with the doctor and Griggs leading, the first a little in
advance, and bearing the light, so as to avoid the blocks of stone
projecting from the sand, the little party went slowly on hour after
hour, ready to stop again and again to throw themselves down and rest.
But no one dared to do so lest the jar given to the earth should send
some of the poisonous reptiles to the surface in search of the enemy
that had intruded upon the solitude which they seemed from their numbers
to have marked down for their own domain.

The greater part of that night seemed to the two boys like a feverish
dream, during which they had been compelled by some strange force to
keep plodding on through horrors unspeakable, and tortured by a thirst
that was maddening.

At times, where the stones lay thick, hardly a word was spoken, but now
and again Chris would begin questioning his companion loudly, eager to
obtain his opinion as to whether he did not think it must be nearly
m