4IO A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



spent, and it was painful to look at them as they 

 toiled along with hollow sides and tongues protruding 

 from their mouths, but shadows of the sleek-looking 

 beasts they had been but four days before. The 

 continuous and unceasing toil, too, through day and 

 night, was telling upon the drivers, leaders, and 

 Kafirs. Whenever we outspanned they all threw 

 themselves down on the sand, worn out with fatigue, 

 and instantly fell asleep. Of course we whites took 

 good care not to follow their example ; otherwise, 

 we should all be lying between Sode-Garra and the 

 Mababe now. Up to this time I had never been on 

 the waggon, but had walked day and night in front 

 with Ai-eetsee-upee and old Jacob the Damara, a 

 very tough old specimen of humanity, who knew the 

 road, having been in the Mababe before. Just at 

 sundown on this the fourth day of our journey, we 

 reached the first of the broad heavily-timbered sand- 

 belts which lie to the south of the Mababe Flat. 

 After the next trek, leaving Sell to bring on the 

 waggons, no light duty under the circumstances. 

 Miller and I saddled up the horses and rode on to 

 the large pans I have spoken of before, to see if there 

 was any water in them. 



About 2 A.M., having ridden along by the light 

 of a glorious full moon for about five hours, we came 

 to them — splendid deep pans, that one would not 

 believe could ever dry up. Yet dry they all were ; 

 and our hearts sank as we rode into the largest of 

 all, and found that, although there was still a little 

 mud in it, there was not a drop of water. It was at 

 these pans that two years previously the noted old 

 Dutch elephant-hunter Martinus Swart and ten 

 members of his family died of fever, only six surviv- 

 ing out of a party of seventeen whites. 



