WE LOSE THE ROAD 
233 
ing for the last three days had suddenly disappeared, or 
rain had obliterated them. Perhaps we had taken the 
wrong road. I pictured to myself the whole caravan 
dropping down and dying slowly of thirst, one by one, 
as we struggled on, not knowing when we might find the 
precious fluid. I sent my shikari galloping back to ’the 
place where we had last seen the tracks, to look all along 
the route for another road, whilst I sat down, a prey to 
a thousand fears. We were leaving the hills, to my mind, 
far too much to the west. The road we were following 
bore north-east by east, instead of north-west by west. 
In about an hour my .shikari returned, saying that he 
could’ not make out another road, so we were obliged to 
follow our present one. The bush was so dense that it 
would have been utterly impossible to reach Wardare by 
striking out a line through it with the aid of the compass. 
My headman now came up, saying that two of the camels 
could not go a step farther, so I ordered a halt, it being 
about 8 a.m. I saw a. small herd of dibitag, the first 
antelope I had seen for weeks, and after a very long and 
hot chase I succeeded in shooting one. My headman next 
announced that all the food was finished. What was to be 
done ? I gave them some of my biscuits and the whole of 
the little antelope. What would happen on the morrow I 
could not foresee, but ‘ sufficient unto the day is the evil 
thereof’ 
On restarting, one of the camels fell with four water- 
vessels containing the last drops of our precious fluid, all of 
which was spilt in the sand. The camel refused to get up, 
so I was obliged to shoot him, and march on. 
About 4 p.m. there was a slight shower of rain, but not 
enough to allow us to collect any water. It became very 
cold, and I was obliged to walk. The wet leafless thorn - 
branches gave out delicious scents of spice, especially the 
smell of cinnamon and white pepper. ‘ Ceylon’s spicy 
breezes ’ weren’t in it with these ; in fact, the onlj^ smell 
which was wafted on the breeze to my nose on entering 
