TWO MORE HORSES LEFT BEHIND. 357 
having something still to eat and drink, they played 
and laughed and joked with each other as much as 
ever. 
Whilst waiting for the tide to fall, to enable us 
to proceed, the overseer dug a hole, and we 
buried nearly every thing we had with us, saddles, 
fire-arms, ammunition, provisions ; all things were 
here abandoned except two guns, the keg with the 
little water we had left, and a very little flour, tea 
and sugar. I determined to relieve our horses alto- 
gether from every weight (trifling as was the weight 
of all we had), and by pushing, if possible, on to the 
water, endeavour to save their lives ; after which we 
could return for the things we had abandoned. 
Our arrangements being completed, we all bathed 
in the sea, ate a scanty meal, and again moved on- 
wards at half past two o’clock. 
The poor horses started better than could have 
been expected, but it was soon evident that all were 
fast failing, and many already quite exhausted. At 
six miles my favourite mare could no longer keep 
up with the rest, and we were obliged to let her 
drop behind. Her foal, now six months old, we 
got away with some difficulty from her, and kept it 
with the other horses ; at four miles further another 
of the horses failed, and I had him tied up, in the 
hope that if we reached water during the evening, 
I might send back and recover him. 
Towards dark we all imagined we saw a long 
point stretching to the S. W. and backed by high 
