46 ELANDS AND WATER. 



Lobotani, where, after thirsting four full days (ninety-six 

 hours), they got a good supply. The horses were kept by 

 us as necessary to procure game for the sustenance of our 

 numerous party. Next morning we found the water had 

 flowed in faster than at first, as it invariably does in these 

 reservoirs, owing to the passages widening by the flow. 

 Large quantities of the sand come into the well with the 

 water, and in the course of a few days the supply, which 

 may be equal to the wants of a few men only, becomes 

 sufficient for oxen as well. In these sucking-places the 

 Bakalahari get their supplies ; and as they are generally 

 in the hollows of ancient river-beds, they are probably 

 the deposits from rains gravitating thither • in some cases 

 they may be the actual fountains, which, though formerly 

 supplying the river's flow, now no longer rise to the surface. 



Here, though the water was perfectly inaccessible to 

 elands, large numbers of these fine animals fed around us ; 

 and, when killed, they were not only in good condition,, 

 but their stomachs actually contained considerable 

 quantities of water. 



I examined carefully the whole alimentary canal in order 

 to see if there were any peculiarity which might account 

 for the fact that this animal can subsist for months together 

 without drinking, but found nothing. Other animals, such 

 as the duiker (Cephalopus mergens) or puti (of the 

 Bechuanas), the steinbuck ( Tragulus rupestris) or puruhuru, 

 the gemsbuck {Oryx capensis) or kukama, and the porcu- 

 pine {Hystrix cristata), are all able to subsist without 

 water for many months at a time by living on bulbs and 

 tubers containing moisture. They have sharp-pointed 

 hoofs well adapted for digging, and there is little difficulty 

 in comprehending their mode of subsistence. Some 

 animals, on the other hand, are never seen but in the 

 vicinity of water. The presence of the rhinoceros, of the 

 buffalo and gnu (Catoblepas gnu), of the giraffe, the zebra, 

 and pallah {Antilope melampus), is always a certain indica- 

 tion of water being within a distance of seven or eight 

 miles ; but one may see hundreds of elands {Boselaphus 

 oreas), gemsbuck, the tolo or koodco {Strepsiceros capensis), 

 also springbucks {Gazella euchore) and ostriches, without 

 being warranted thereby in inferring the presence of water 

 within thirty or forty miles. Indeed the sleek fat condition 

 of the eland in such circumstances would not remove the 

 apprehension of perishing by thirst from the mind of even 



