238 EXPEDITION INTO 



made sail over the interminable plain. Our attention wnfi 

 presently arrested by the fresh S2)00)^ of several horsemen in 

 pursuit of elands j and^ after a hundred sapient conjectures 

 had been offered on the subject, some of the Hottentots^ 

 feeling- convinced that the hunters would prove to be a band 

 of Bastards from Lishuani determined to follow them, and 

 inquire the news. A few hours afterwards, however, they 

 returned in dismay, with the intellig-ence that they had 

 unexpectedly come upon a spot near the river, where the 

 g-round was spread with human skeletons as with a table- 

 cloth, under which circumstances they had thoug'ht it 

 prudent to return. 



The day was distressingly sultry, and by the time we had 

 advanced twenty-five miles, three more of our invalid oxen 

 had been left to perish. Hour after hour the prospect was 

 still the same. Tantalized by the dancing- mirag-e, we had 

 scoured the country in every direction, without being- able 

 to discover a drop of water, althoug-h the thirsty earth was 

 seamed with dry tanks and g"ullies. Late in the afternoon, 

 still plodding- our weary way over the cheerless expanse, 

 Ave were vainly listenhig- for the melodious croaking- of some 

 friendty frog-, which alone was likely to be the index to the 

 element we required, when our eyes were unexpectedly g-reeted 

 by a wag-g'on-road. The appearance of the deeply ploug-hed 

 ruts, the first that we had seen since leaving* Tolaan, showed 

 that upwards of twenty laden vehicles had passed about 

 twelve months before, during- a fall of rain. Trusting that 

 they mig'ht lead us to water, we followed them as long- as 

 daylig-ht lasted. Then the sky became overcnst, and flashes 

 of lig-htning, at short intervals, showing- us something- on 

 the verg-e of the horizon which looked like a thick bush, 

 we persevered towards it. Alas ! like the delusive lakes 

 in the morning-^ it was metamorphosed, on our appronch, 

 into a few dwarf shrubs barely a foot in height. Unable 



