ely no shelter to be had, nor any object to
break the monotony of the veldt, except two ant-heaps set about five
paces apart. John sat down on one of the ant-heaps, and Jess took up
her position on the other, and there they remained, like pelicans in the
wilderness, watching the daylight fade out of the day.

"Don't you think that we had better sit together?" suggested John
feebly. "It would be warmer, you see."

"No, I don't," answered Jess snappishly. "I am very comfortable as I
am."

Unfortunately, however, this was not the exact truth, for already poor
Jess's teeth were chattering with cold. Soon, indeed, weary as they
were, they found that the only way to keep their blood moving was
to tramp continually up and down. After an hour and a half of this
exercise, the breeze dropped and the temperature became more suitable to
their lightly clad, half-starved, and almost exhausted bodies. Then the
moon came up, and the hyenas, or wolves, or some such animals, came up
also and howled round them--though they could not see them. These hyenas
proved more than Jess's nerves would bear, and at last she condescended
to ask John to share her ant-heap: where they sat, shivering in each
other's arms, throughout the livelong night. Indeed, had it not been for
the warmth they gathered from each other, it is probable that they might
have fared even worse than they did; for, though the days were hot, the
nights were now beginning to be cold on the high veldt, especially when,
as at present, the air had recently been chilled by the passage of a
heavy tempest. Another drawback to their romantic situation was that
they were positively soaked with the falling dew. There they sat, or
rather cowered, for hour after hour without sleeping, for sleep was
impossible, and almost without speaking; and yet, notwithstanding the
wretchedness of their circumstances, not altogether unhappy, since they
were united in their misery. At last the eastern sky began to turn grey,
and John rose, shook the dew from his hat and clothes, and limped off
as well as his half-frozen limbs would allow to catch the horses, which
were standing together some yards away, looking huge and ghost-like in
the mist. By sunrise he had managed to saddle them up, and they started
once more. This time, however, he was obliged to lift Jess on to the
saddle.

About eight o'clock they halted and ate their little remaining food, and
then went on, slowly enough, for the horses were