WE WALK ACROSS 113 



the rivers, really handicapped me considerably, especially 

 in the bo^s. 



As the day wore on the heat became intense. It 

 blistered our faces, and our hands swelled up like 

 puddings. 



We could now only advance by stages. The plan was 

 this. I, trudging along in front, would doggedly count 

 about five hundred paces, and then sit down wherever 

 there was a mound which would take the weight of 

 the cases off our backs. That was a ereat relief. After 

 five minutes by the watch up we would get again and 

 plod along. 



Now one remarkable fact in respect of the intense heat 

 was this, that neither of us turned a hair. How was 

 that? I do not know. But so it was. 



Sleep, too, was out of the question, because a new 

 thing had happened. Musquitoes had appeared. 



But there was no help for it. We were heading for 

 some hills that would be about eight or ten miles off; 

 and in the meantime all the land was weary bog with 

 peat-mounds here and there. Poor old Sailor suffered 

 badly from the musquitoes, which bit him about the 

 muzzle, so that he had constantly to put his nose into a 

 bit of moss and rub it with his paws. 



At last we reached the hills, and after a long and 

 weary climb found ourselves on. a high plateau. Here 

 there was a bit of a breeze, and the mosquitoes were 

 much less troublesome. 



H 



