xv WHERE A MAN CAN RAISE A THIRST 155 



hand, and diluting it with water, I emptied it into 

 Hyiah's mouth as he lay, and, immediately after- 

 wards, treated myself to a similar dose. After the 

 lapse of a brief interval, I gave him a few sips of 

 water from one of the calabashes, taking particular 

 care that he should not, in his extremity, greedily 

 swallow a considerable quantity of the liquid. In 

 another ten minutes, I handed him the calabash to 

 drink his fill, while I myself did ample justice to the 

 other. No gods ever brewed a nectar half so 

 delicious as that long draught of water ! I have 

 often thought since that occurrence how fortunate it 

 is that the reason can control the pressing demands 

 of the physical being, for had we in our eagerness 

 gulped down the water without restraint, the results 

 would, in all probability, have proved disastrous. 



As Konyaki and the three carriers had brought 

 no food with them and barely enough water to 

 satisfy Hyiah and myself, I had to dispatch them 

 back to camp and await their return with further 

 supplies before we could set out to succour the men 

 whom we had left behind. After about an hour's 

 rest, during which we disposed of large quantities of 

 tea, supplemented with plenty of sugar we were 

 too exhausted to eat we started off. Fortunately, 

 the moon was in its third quarter and illumined the 

 forest sufficiently to enable us to track our way by 

 the blazed trees, yet, owing to the uncertain light and 



