40 AN EMBARRASSING SITUATION. 



cert, viciously kicking out to the right and left. The coach- 

 man, bathed in perspiration, kept applying his immense Cape- 

 whip to their flanks with considerable unction, while a man 

 sitting alongside of him on the front seat abused the stub- 

 born animals with a burst of all the eloquent epithets con- 

 tained in the Dutch - Hottentot vocabulary. Two sulky 

 goats, tied to the back of the cart, were on the point of 

 strangling themselves in their endeavors to escape. To com- 

 plete the picture, Galton himself, accompanied by half a doz- 

 en dogs of nondescript race, toiled on cheerfully through the 

 deep sand by the side of the vehicle, smoking a common clay 

 pipe. 



On my friend's arrival at Scheppmansdorf, however, he 

 found it necessary to adjourn his trip into the interior for a 

 few days. 



In the mean time, as Mr. Bam's oxen had arrived at Sand 

 Fountain, I busied myself with conveying the baggage to 

 Scheppmansdorf; but, on account of its great weight and 

 bulk, and the badness of the road, this occupation lasted 

 several days. In the last trip we had so overloaded the 

 wagons, that, after about three miles, the oxen came to a 

 dead stand-still. The two teams were now yoked to one of 

 the vehicles, and it proceeded on its way without further in- 

 terruption, while I remained alone in charge of the other. 

 It was agreed that some of the men should return with the 

 cattle on the following night; but, on arriving at Schepp- 

 mansdorf, they and the oxen were so exhausted that it was 

 found necessary to give both the one and the other two days* 

 rest. For this delay I was not at all prepared. My small 

 supply of water had been exhausted on the second day, and 

 I began, for the first time in my life, to experience the misery 

 of thirst. I was, however, fortunately relieved from my 

 embarrassing situation by the arrival of a Hottentot, who, 

 for a trifling consideration, brought me an ample supply of 

 water. 



