FEVER 
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on hands and knees, expecting the lion to charge me every 
moment, but with a snarling cough he bounded out on the 
far side of the thicket, and I was too ill to follow him 
further. 
We built a zareba by the dead cow, and I very foolishly 
slept in it that night. Next morning my fever was worse, 
I having passed a most miserable night. I joined my 
caravan at Abdin Libah, as I was determined to get away 
to a change of air. 
Two days before I had sent two men to look for Stanford, 
but they now returned saying they could neither find the 
way alone nor get a guide to show it them ; and as Stanford 
did not send any answer to the message I had sent a fort- 
night before by my former guide, I never expected to see 
him again. 
In the afternoon one of my camels refused to move, so I 
was obliged to shoot it. Sultan Abdi turned up and did 
his level best to detain me at Abdin Libah ; but I was firm, 
knowing that unless I got out of this fever district at once 
I might die. 
Next day we marched through miserable, dried-up 
country, with not a bit of green to be seen. I felt so ill 
and weak that I could not sit in the saddle, and finally had 
to be supported on either side by two men. We camped at 
night at a place called Well Wall. 
Next day I was worse, for I had now contracted a bad 
quinsy in my throat, so that I could with difficulty swallow. 
I was again supported on my pony. At length we reached 
an open plain, about half a mile square, dotted over with 
large green trees, the first I had seen since leaving Abdin 
Libah. Under each green tree was a well, some of which 
reached a depth of 14 fathoms. The name of this place was 
Wardare. Here I was lifted off my pony and deposited 
under a tree until my tent was pitched. I then gave orders 
to my shikari to shoot dik-dik to make soup, feeling as I 
did so like Isaac when he told Esau to ‘go out to the field 
and take me some venison, and make me some savoury mear 
