THE FRINGE-EARED ORYX. 225 



About half-past one we passed our safari boys. 

 We had intended to stop and replenish their 

 canteens from our water- drums ; but they told 

 us they had encountered a stray and astonishing 

 shower, and did not need more. We left them 

 trudging cheerfully across the desert. They had 

 travelled most of the night before, would do the 

 same in the night to come, and should reach 

 our camping-place about noon of the next day. 



We ourselves stopped about four o'clock. In a 

 few hours we had come a hard three days' march. 

 Over the side went our goods. We bade the 

 German a very affectionate farewell ; for he was 

 still to fill our drums from one of the streams 

 out of Kilimanjaro and deliver them to us on his 

 return trip next day. We then all turned to and 

 made camp. The scrub desert here was exactly 

 like the scrub desert for the last sixty miles. 



The next morning we were up and off before 

 sunrise. In this job time was a very large ele- 

 ment of the contract. We must find our fringe- 

 eared oryx before our water supply gave out. 

 Therefore we had resolved not to lose a moment. 



The sunrise was most remarkable lace work, 

 flat clouds, with burnished copper- coloured clouds 

 behind glowing through the lace. We admired it 

 for some few moments. Then one of us happened 



