312 DRYING UP OF DESERT POOLS. 



evident how easily a traveller trekking with waggons 

 across such a territory, might be overtaken by the 

 drought; although the fine tree vegetation of entire 

 districts tells us in silent, but almost unmistakable 

 terms, that though the surface waters may have disap- 

 peared, stores of the precious fluid still exist not far 

 beneath. Such in fact, has actually been proved to be 

 the case in many parts of the Kalahari ; for where water 

 has been intelligently sought for, and wells sunk during 

 the fertile season, an abundant and, we believe, never 

 failing supply has been found in several places at a 

 very moderate depth ; so much so, that there is a very 

 general expectation that the day is not for distant 

 w T hen many parts of this redoubtable " desert " will be 

 inhabited by stock farmers, whose wants will be sup- 

 plied by wells, assisted, in all probability, by the con- 

 struction of reservoirs. In many dry, so-called deserts 

 in Australia this has already heen effected, and we 

 have been informed that some of the finest sheep runs 

 are now situated in such localities, that is, where 

 surface water was formerly entirely absent for a con- 

 siderable portion of the year. 



It is a fortunate, and indeed a wonderful dispensa- 

 tion of Nature, that cattle and other stock bred on dry 

 plains can go without water, in a way that would be 

 deemed impossible in more favoured lands. For 

 instance in the regular deserts of Northern Africa, 

 Count D'Escayrac de Lauture, a great French authority 

 on such matters (who had immense experience of 

 desert travelling and the habits and customs of the 

 desert tribes), assures us that it was the regular custom 

 of the desert Arabs not to give their animals daily 

 drink, but " to take the sheep every second day to 



