seem queer, I came on eight or ten matches with their 

 heads knocked off. 



For a moment things seemed to go round and round. 

 I sat down with my back against the rock and a funny 

 choky feeling in my throat. I knew they were my 

 matches and cigarette, and that we were exactly 

 where we had started from hours before, when we 

 gave up the chase of the koodoo. I began to under- 

 stand things then : why places and landmarks seemed 

 familiar ; why Jock's spoor in the molehill had pointed 

 the wrong way ; why my shadow was in front and 

 behind and beside me in turns. We had been going 

 round in a circle. I jumped up and looked about 

 me with a fresh light ; and it was all clear as noonday 

 then. Why, this was the fourth time we had been 

 on or close to some part of this same rise that day, 

 each time within fifty yards of the same place ; it 

 was the second time I had sat on that very rock. And 

 there was nothing odd or remarkable about that either, 

 for each time I had been looking for the highest point 

 to spy from and had naturally picked the rock-topped 

 rise ; and I had not recognised it, only because we 

 came upon it from different sides each time and I was 

 thinking of other things all the while. 



All at once it seemed as if my eyes were opened 

 and all was clear at last. I knew what to do : just 

 make the best of it for the night ; listen for shots 

 and watch for fires ; and if by morning no help came 

 in that way, then strike a line due south for the road 

 and follow it up until we found the waggons. It 

 might take all day or even more, but we were sure of 



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