THE GKAND PEAIRIE. 9 



green, spangled with, the myriad fragments of shattered 

 rainbows. And in the distance, long dark winding lines 

 and clumps indicated the course of one of the numerous 

 streams that water the eastern edge of the Grand Prairie, 

 the one on whose bank we were to pass our first night out. 



As day after day the apparently unattainable roll of 

 ground whose edge met the sky in front of us seemed still 

 to keep its distance, a new-born appreciation of what was 

 meant by space seemed to reveal itself to us. Nature's 

 immensity became a tangible fact. 



The regular routine was to turn out of our blankets at 

 the first streak of dawn, the last on watch having lit the 

 fire in " that awful stove," set the kettle on, and aroused all 

 hands. 



Coffee, hot, strong, and plenty, was, as always on the 

 Plains, the main feature of our breakfast. And here let me 

 give, for the benefit of all whom it may concern, my views 

 on coffee-making. The berry should be lightly roasted, as 

 near the time of using as possible, and ground very coarse, 

 say to about the size of half a grain of rice, which is quite 

 small enough to enable boiling water to extract everything 

 except the tannin and woody flavour. And who wants to 

 subject the coats of his stomach to a hot solution of tan, or 

 to imbibe wood broth ? When the water boils, throw the 

 crushed berries into it, let all boil for a few seconds, pour a 

 little cold water into it from a height, and your coffee is 

 made. It will be settled, clear and bright as a cut cairn- 

 gorm, and have a flavour and aroma unattainable by any 

 other process. 



Breakfast despatched, mules were caught, unhobbled, and 



