302 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



pass rose up before me like voices in the night. But, 

 strange to say, I slept again, and in the morning 

 actually felt fresher. My hand was very painful from 

 holding the halter, but I thought nothing' of it, and, 

 unhobbling old Badger, I managed to get on his back 

 and again gave him his head. We had completely 

 changed places. But the other horse had got loose, 

 and I could see him nowhere. This did not greatly 

 affect me, though during the night I had several times 

 thought I might try and kill him and eat his flesh. 

 But I dismissed the idea as too brutal, and I thought 

 I saw in his disappearance that an escape from such 

 cruelty had been sent. However, we had not travelled 

 a mile before the poor beast came whinnying up to 

 us, rubbed his nose on old Badger's, and looked into 

 my face. How little the faithful creature knew the 

 murderous thought I had been harbouring against him 1 

 I caught the halter and he dropped contentedly along- 

 side, and, silent and dejected, we three jogged on. But 

 I believe it was my confidence in Badger's instinct 

 to find either water or the way home that supported 

 me all through the next terrible and trying day. I 

 need not attempt to describe the pangs I was suffer- 

 ing : thirst and hunger have been too often portrayed 

 to make anything one could say new. I was simply 

 dead beat, my brain growing cloudy, and I knew I 

 was sinking into indifference ; and I can hardly re- 

 member anything until, towards evening, I saw a curl 

 of smoke, a long way off, but still unmistakable, and 

 my spirits rose. I tried to urge on my good old horse, 

 and he responded. I was in terror now lest I should 

 fail to reach to where the smoke lay or lose sight of 

 it in the fast falling gloom. As to what it might be 



