226 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



dreadful sorrow fearful grief must have overtaken 

 this swarthy member of the human family, and not 

 knowing how to condole, I left him, entered my wagon, 

 and lay down. 



I had smoked myself into the proper state of dreami- 

 ness to go to sleep when Umganey raised the curtain 

 and looked into my apartment. On his face was a grin, 

 very unsuited to the occasion, for I felt serious. At 

 length he essayed to speak, and although he doubtless 

 was voluminous and explicit and further made up by 

 pantomime what would have satisfied even a Surrey 

 audience I was as much in the dark as ever. My 

 feelings and patience could stand it no longer ; I sat up 

 and rubbed my eyes. But Umganey had evidently not 

 fulfilled his mission, on he chattered and chattered till I 

 was perfectly nonplussed. That the affair was serious 

 there could be no doubt but what the affair was I did 

 not know or why should he waste so much breath 

 upon it ? 



I was nearly arriving at the conclusion that my 

 retainers had all gone mad, that they had seen the Evil 

 One or some of his emissaries, when Umganey dropped 

 upon his feet and hands, commenced wallowing about 

 and grunting, at the same time pointing out on the 

 velt. Like the glimmer of dawn stealing up in the east 

 to indicate that day approaches, so a glimmer arose in 

 my mind that something was intended to be inferred 

 that would interest me. Again Umganey snorted and 

 floundered about, and pointed in the direction he pre- 

 viously indicated. Oh ! that's it, is it ? Game of some 

 kind was near at hand, and to let me know that such 

 was the case all this trouble had been taken. 



I had the saddle put on the Basuto pony, and, 



