ence our journey. At daybreak we
breakfasted on the remains of the last deer shot, and my uncle having
placed me on his horse, which was the stronger of the two, put part of
its cargo on the other. Pushing on, we soon left behind the camp we had
so long occupied.

On starting I bore the movement pretty well, and fancied that I should
be able to perform the journey without difficulty. For the first two
days, indeed, we got on better than I had expected, though I was
thankful when the time for camping arrived. On the third morning I
suffered much, but did not tell my uncle how ill I felt, hoping that I
should recover during the journey. We had a wild barren tract to cross,
almost as wild as the desert. The ox trudged on as patiently as ever,
but the horses were very weak, and I had great difficulty in keeping
mine on its legs. Several times it had stumbled, but I was fortunately
not thrown off. Our pace, however, was necessarily very slow, and we
could discover no signs of water, yet water we must reach before we
could venture to camp.

Jan generally led the ox, while my uncle walked by my side, holding the
rein of the other horse. Again and again my poor animal had stumbled;
when, as my uncle was looking another way, down it came, and I was
thrown with considerable violence to the ground.

My uncle, having lifted me up, I declared that I was not much hurt, and
begged him to replace me on the horse. The poor animal was unable to
rise. In vain Jan and he tried to get it on its legs. He and Jan took
off the saddle and the remaining part of the load, but all was of no
use. At last we came to the melancholy conclusion that its death was
inevitable. Our fears were soon realised: after it had given a few
struggles, its head sinking on the sand, it ceased to move. We had
consequently to abandon some more of our heavier things, and having
transferred the remaining cargo to the ox, my uncle put me on the back
of the other horse. Scarcely, however, had we proceeded a mile than
down it came, and I was again thrown to the ground, this time to be more
hurt than at first.

I bore the suffering as well as I could, and made no complaint, while my
uncle and Jan tried to get the horse up. It was soon apparent, however,
that its travelling days were done, and that we had now the ox alone to
depend upon.

"I wish that I could walk," I said, but when I made the attempt I could
not proceed a dozen paces. Had not my uncl