SLEEP OR DEATH 115 



President Roosevelt, — but it would hardly 

 have done to invite Booker Washington to 

 meet him. 



About two hours after midnight I coerced 

 Andries into being merciful and calling a halt, 

 for I felt that I must sleep or die. It was only 

 when I had thrown myself prone on the sand 

 and told Hendrick to picket the horses close 

 by, that Andries relented. There was really 

 no object in pushing on at such rapid rate; by 

 making an early start we could easily reach 

 Gamoep shortly after noon on the morrow. 



Both Danster and Piet Noona reported the 

 presence of springbuck in this vicinity. Mrs. 

 Esterhuizen would be disappointed and con- 

 temptuous if we returned without meat other 

 than the half-dried oryx-flesh. When, I again 

 asked myself, would repentance for the crimes 

 I committed in slaying those beautiful desert 

 creatures become final and practical, instead 

 of intermittent ? St. Augustine once put up a 

 prayer for the grace of continence, but added 

 a rider to the effect that he did not desire it to 

 be granfed immediately. This somewhat sug- 

 gested my state of mind. But I meant some 

 day to lay down my rifle finally — perhaps after 

 a particularly good bag of an Unusually skilful 



