SUFFOCATING HEAT 141 



man — save one : and that the all-essential, — 

 water. For thither, to the midst of a howling 

 desolation, Nature, in one of her moods of 

 whimsical paradox, had enticed from the 

 depths a spring of living crystal. Through 

 torrid day and frosty night, — through short, 

 adventitious rainy season and long, inevitable 

 period of aridity which filled man and brute 

 with dismay, — " ohne hast, ohne rast " the 

 gentle fountain welled out, cold and clear. It 

 seemed as though some spirit whose dwelling 

 was deep in a zone untroubled by the moods 

 of the changeful sky stretched forth a pitiful 

 hand to touch the scarred forehead of the 

 waste with comfort and with healing. 



The heat in the wagon had been a burthen 

 and almost a misery, yet I was able to sustain 

 it while we were in motion. But the stillness 

 of the atmosphere and the glare from the lime- 

 stone surrounding the mission, made one des- 

 perate. Shade — coolness — where were they to 

 be found? Even mere darkness would have 

 been a relief. I sought refuge under a 

 verandah, but got no assuagement. I longed 

 for some corner into which to creep — for some- 

 where to hide, if only from the blistering light. 

 Father Simon, the Director of the Mission, 

 kindly vacated his house and placed it at my 



