FIND WATER, 
333 
again blessed with abundance of water, — nor could I 
help considering it as a special instance of the good- 
ness of Providence, that we had passed the sandy 
valley in the dark, and had thereby been deterred from 
descending to examine the sand-hills it contained ; 
had we done so, the extra fatigue to our horses 
and the great length of time it would have taken up, 
would probably have prevented the horses from ever 
reaching the water we were now at. It took us 
about two hours to water the animals, and get a 
little tea for ourselves, after which the boy laid 
down to sleep, and I walked round to search for 
grass. A little grew between the sand-drifts and 
the cliffs, and though dry and withered, I was most 
thankful to find it. I then returned to the camp and 
laid down, but could not sleep, for although relieved 
myself, my anxiety became but the greater, for the 
party behind, and the more so, because at present I 
could do nothing to aid them ; it was impossible that 
either the horses, or ourselves, could go back to meet 
them without a few hours’ rest, and yet the loss of a 
few hours might be of the utmost consequence ; I 
determined, however, to return and meet them as 
early as possible in the morning, and in the mean 
time, as I knew that the overseer and natives would, 
when they came, be greatly fatigued, and unable to 
dig holes to water the horses, I called up the boy, and 
with his assistance dug two large holes about five 
feet deep, from which the horses could readily and 
without delay be watered upon their arrival. As 
