A NATURALIST'S LABOURS. 187 



and not a wink of sleep had Dyche had. For once 

 in his life the episodes of the night were too much 

 for the naturalist's nerves and he could not sleep. 

 He lay for two hours thinking of the specimens away 

 up the mountain which must be brought into camp 

 and taken care of. 



The previous day had been nineteen hours long 

 and had been supplemented by a sleepless night, and 

 Dyche felt little like again climbing the mountain ; 

 but he knew that if he wanted to preserve his goat- 

 skins he must bring them into camp. His feet were 

 bruised, his hands and face scratched and sore from 

 the briers and " devil's walking-sticks," and his whole 

 body ached from the extraordinary exertions of the 

 previous day; but he started after his specimens. 

 Not caring to repeat his experience of thirst, he took 

 a powder-can of water with him. Following down 

 the river over the bowlders and through the thickets, 

 he finally found the piles of stones which marked the 

 spot where he had descended the mountain. 



But something was evidently wrong. Hours were 

 spent searching for the skins, but not a sign of them 

 or the tree which had been so plainly marked could 

 be seen. Up and down he climbed, searching in 

 every direction, and at last, after going away off 

 to one side, he found the place where he had killed 

 the old goat, and then following his trail he found 

 the cached specimens. He then found that in going 

 down the mountain the evening before he had gone 

 over a mile to one side before he reached the bottom 

 of the cliff. It was half-past three in the afternoon 

 when he reached the tree, and it was three hours 



