hey also entertained
them. My duty, I felt, as the leader of the party in the place of
Boxall, was to do my utmost to keep up my own and their spirits.

We sat silent for some time; Halliday was the first to speak. "I wish
that I had a mouthful of water," he said, in a hoarse voice. "Should we
push on and find none to-morrow, what are we to do?"

I could not answer his question.

"But we may find some, sir," said Ben. "The Arabs are sure not to
encamp unless they can get it for themselves and their beasts."

"But suppose we miss the Arab encampment?" asked Halliday.

Ben could not answer _that_ question. I thought it was time for me to
speak.

"I am very unwilling to give up the search for Mr Boxall," I said; "but
unless we are prepared to lose our own lives, with a very remote
prospect of assisting him, I believe that our only course is to make our
way back to the coast, where we have a better chance than here of
obtaining both food and water. I propose, therefore, that we remain
here till we are rested, and then make the best of our way to the
sea-shore. We must manage, in the meantime, to do without water; and as
we have a supply of cooked limpets in our pockets, we had better make
our supper off them, and then lie down and rest. I am ready to take the
first watch; you, Ben, shall take the second; and that will give time to
Mr Halliday, who is more tired than either of us, to recover his
strength."

My companions agreed to the proposal; and hunger being our sauce, we
managed to get down a considerable portion of our store of limpets.

Knowing that should I go to sleep both myself and my companions might be
pounced upon by some wild beast, I did not venture to lie down, but
leaned forward as I sat on the ground, supporting my hands on my wooden
sword; and the moment I began to get drowsy I rose to my feet, with the
intention, as long as I could walk, of pacing up and down close to them.
I had just risen, when, turning my eyes to the north-east, I observed a
bright glare in the sky. My first idea was that it must be the moon
rising; and then I recollected that it would not appear above the
horizon for some hours, and was convinced that the light was produced by
an extensive fire. Never having heard of prairie fires in that part of
Africa,--there being little or no grass to burn,--I came to the
conclusion that there must be a camp in that direction; possibly the one
to which the Arab had carried off B