SUFFERING FROM THIRST. 307 



To find the wagons was comparatively a trifle. I thought little 

 of them ; it was the thought of water that harrowed my mind. 

 Already^ the pangs of thirst began to seize me. I had ridden alt 

 day, under the hot sun, and had neither eaten nor drunk since 

 early the preceding evening. I felt faint and weary, and my heart 

 sank as horrible visions of a lingering death by maddening thirst 

 arose before me. Dismounting from my horse, I sat down to 

 think what I should do. I knew exactly by my compass the 

 course we had been steering since we left Booby. I accordingly 

 resolved to ride southwest for many miles, the course of the 

 wagons having been northeast, and then to send Ruyter across 

 the country a little to the north of west, while I should hold a 

 corresponding course in an easterly direction. By this means 

 one of us could not fail to find the spoor, and I arranged that at 

 nightfall we should meet at some conspicuous tree, paving thus 

 resolved, I mounted my horse, which was half dead with thirst 

 and fatigue, and, having ridden southwest for several miles, I and 

 Ruyter separated at a conspicuous tree, and rode in opposite 

 directions. Before riding far I recognized the country as being 

 the spot where I had seen the leopards in the morning. I at 

 once followed Ruyter, and fired several signal shots, which he 

 fortunately heard, and soon joined me. We then rode due east, 

 and eventually, to my inexpressible gratification, we discovered 

 the spoor of the wagons, which we reached after following it for 

 about four miles in a northeasterly direction. 



Our poor horses were completely exhausted, and could barely 

 walk to the camp. I found my wagons drawn up beside the 

 strong fountain of Lepeby, which, issuing from beneath a stratum 

 of white tufous rock, formed an extensive deep pool of pure water, 

 adorned on one side with lofty green reeds. This fountain was 

 situated at the northern extremity of a level bare vley, surrounded 

 by dense covers of the wait-a-bit thorns. Such a peculiar same- 

 ness characterized the country, that a person wandering only a 

 few hundred yards from the fountain would have considerable 

 difficulty in regaining it. It was night when I reached the 



