48 THE SCARLET FLOWEK. 



After this little adventure, we continued our route at a 

 pretty quick pace over a hard, crisp, gravely country, to- 

 tally devoid of water, vdth scarcely a vestige of vegetation. 



It was not until about ten o'clock at night, and after 

 having traveled nearly twelve hours, that we reached a small 

 granite rock, at the foot of which we succeeded in obtaining 

 a few pints of very brackish water. Both Mr. Galton and 

 myself were very tired. In order to save the horses, and to 

 give the men an occasional mount, we had walked a con- 

 siderable part of the way ; and after partaking of some coffee, 

 &c., we quickly resigned our weary limbs to sleep. 



At break of day we were again stirring ; and while the 

 men were harnessing the mules, &c., I ascended the rock, 

 where I discovered a most beautiful air-plant in full blossom, 

 of a bright scarlet color, with the lower part of the interior 

 of the corolla tinged with lemon. 



The sight of such a lovely flower in this dreary and deso- 

 late region excited within me some emotion, and I now fully 

 appreciated the touching expression of Mungo Park, when, 

 having in a state of complete exhaustion thrown himself 

 down to die, he discovered at his side a beautiful little moss, 

 and exclaimed, " Can that Being who planted, watered, and 

 brought to perfection in this obscure part of the world a 

 thing which appears of so small importance, look with un- 

 concern upon the situation and sufferings of a creature formed 

 after his own image ? Surely not." 



Even the mighty Nimrod, Gordon Gumming, whose whole 

 soul one would imagine to be engrossed by lions and ele- 

 phants, seems to have been struck with equal delight as my- 

 self at the sight of this charming flower : " In the heat of 

 the chase," says he, "I paused, spell-bound, to contemplate 

 with admiration its fascinating beauty." 



We continued our journey over the same sterile plain 

 (Naarip) till about ten o'clock A.M., when we suddenly en- 

 tered a narrow and desolate-looking mountain gorge, called 



