A CURIOUS MARCH 



It was a curious march. The men were depressed, 

 the going heavy, and the night air hot and oppressive, 

 so that we were all perspiring freely. There was 

 hardly a sound to break the silence, save when we 

 brushed past some bush, or when a frightened bird 

 rose in alarm at our feet. All other sounds were 

 muffled by the soft sand through which we walked 

 and which rose in little clouds that looked like mist in 

 the lamplight as we hurried along. Twice we passed 

 what I imagine to have been small plains where there 

 had been surface water ; and here the tracks of 

 elephants were very numerous, all going westward, 

 which seemed to show that they travelled from Guran- 

 lagga to the Lorian during the rains. Hour after 

 hour passed by, until at midnight I took a short rest, 

 drank some of the tea in my water-bottle, and ate 

 some bread which I had brought with me. The chill 

 I had caught at Gulola had not yet left me, and the 

 dull pains on my right side and back made this march 

 particularly trying. 



After half an hour thus spent I marched on again, 

 the camels having by now caught us up. On and on 

 we went, and I think I must have been dozing on my 

 mule, as I do not remember much more until a sharp 

 exclamation from my headman woke me with a start. 

 Curious sounds were coming from my left. What 

 they were, at first I could not make out, then it 

 dawned upon me. Frogs ! And therefore water ! 

 We all rushed forward, and sure enough found a large 

 pool surrounded by trees. Everybody was hugely 

 delighted ; the news that I had found water revived 

 everybody, and spread down the line like wildfire. 

 Even the camels seemed to be imbued with the 

 excitement and came in at a fine pace, their syces 



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