THE SOUL WITHIN THE STONE 309 



piteously overcome him. His bald pate, hung about 

 with scant reddish ringlets, had been roasted by the 

 tropic sun until it glowed, and eyes and nose strove for 

 supremacy of inflammation. An unkempt moustache 

 did not hide teeth of disreputable tint; chin and jowl 

 were covered with a fortnight's growth of streaky 

 hair. 



Turning from the water, he saw the dismembered 

 kangaroo, and, seizing one of the legs, tore the flesh 

 from the bones and with ravenous greed began an 

 uncleanly feast. The impure drank of the pure water 

 and gulped the strong flesh until his gorged stomach 

 swelled cask-shape, and then he slept as noisily as he 

 had eaten and drank. 



A leathern belt, cracked and whitened, furrowed 

 his distended girth, and as he lay stretched with the 

 sun scrutinising his face, flies and mosquitoes and 

 carnivorous green ants feasted ov\ his blood at will. 

 Each leaden-tinted, lean fly revelled until it assumed 

 similitude to a colouring grape; some "reeled to and 

 fro and staggered like drunken men"; bloated mosqui- 

 toes and green ants, commingling, made a living mosaic 

 on the skin of the unconscious man. What could the 

 assaults and stings of myriads of insects avail against 

 fatigue so formidable ? 



But a decree had gone forth that the sleeper should 

 wake, and who is man that he should flout imperious 

 commands ? The merciless sun insisted. The strong 

 man fidgeted under the persistent blaze. Perspiration 

 poured from his skin ; he snarled ; his eyelids twitched 

 and quivered ; the veins of neck and forehead throbbed 

 ominously. The sun does not tolerate disobedience. 

 A thin trickle of blood issued from the grimy nose, and 

 with a snort the man awoke, his flame-red eyes swilled 

 with enforced tears. Dazedly he plunged his head into 



