214 TRAVELS IN 
misfortunes that awaited me ! In fhort, I was 
obliged in the evening, as the day before, to 
unyoke my cattle, and encamp on a fpot to- 
tally deftitute of water, with the expedation 
of a fate ftill more difmal the day following. 
A heavy fall of rain which happily took 
place during the night, revived my hopes ; but, 
heavy as it was, it appeared to me at the time 
as if it could be of no fervice to my cattle ; 
for what relief were they likely to derive from 
water which difappeared as foon as it fell, and 
was initantly loft in the fand ? They neverthe-^ 
lefs found means to drink of this rain, which I 
thought would be ufelefs to them, by a method, 
the poffibility of which I could never have fuf- 
pefted, and which afforded me a new oppor-^ 
tunity of admiring the fagacity of animal in- 
ftind. The water as it fell upon them formed 
itfelf into drops, which, uniting, ran down 
their fides in fmall ftreams. On the commence- 
ment of the ftorm they had affembled in groups, 
and in this pofition, thronged one againft the 
other, licked and colledled each from the 
body of its neighbour the ftreamlets of rain as 
it trickled down. My cattle, by this unex-r 
peded fupply, having quenched their thirft, 
and 
