AN EVENTFUL DAY. 279 



carefully strained ; and last, though not least, the 

 medicine-chest contains all that is required from it. 

 His favourite drink is rice-water, which is freshly 

 made every day, and kept very cool in bottles suspended 

 under trees and wrapped up in wet cloths. The op- 

 pressive state of the atmosphere is his great enemy, for 

 there is no movement of air ; and though he lies all day 

 under a big tree, and has waterproof sheets fastened to 

 the branches over his head, it is very difficult to keep off 

 the sun entirely, and the tents are unbearable. Vivian 

 and myself find that we can now keep cooler whilst 

 walking about under the scorching midday sun than if 

 we remain quiet in the shade. Our heads are well 

 guarded by helmets, and as a protection to the spine I 

 always wear over it under my coat a long pad made up 

 of numerous folds of white muslin. 



April 7. To-day has been an eventful one to me, 

 and long will it be impressed on my memory. After 

 spending an hour or two with Ranfurly, reading a 

 portion of my diary to him, I went off with Essafi in 

 search of yesterday's wounded lion ; and, to make our 

 success more certain, Essafi obtained the assistance of 

 the best tracker amongst our Arabs, who was promised 

 a dollar if we found our friend, and we adjourned at 

 once to the place where we last saw him. The track 

 from this point could only be followed for a few yards 

 owing to the stony ground, and having decided that it 



