40 FATIGUE AND INDISPOSITION. 
backs, to harness, unharness, water, and attend to 
the horses, besides other trifling occupations, making 
mp our daily routine, usually so completely ex- 
hausted us, that we had neither spirit nor energy 
left. Added to all other evils, the nature of the 
country behind the sea-coast was as yet so sandy 
and scrubby that we were still compelled to follow 
the beach, frequently travelling on loose heavy sands, 
that rendered our stages doubly fatiguing : whilst at 
nights, after the labours of the day were over, and 
we stood so much in need of repose, the intense cold, 
and the little protection we had against it, more 
frequently made it a season of most painful suffer- 
ing than of rest, and we were glad when the day- 
light relieved us once more. On our march we felt 
generally weak and languid — it was an effort to put 
one foot before the other, and there was an indispo- 
sition to exertion that it was often very difficult to 
overcome. After sitting for a few moments to rest — 
and we often had to do this — it was always with the 
greatest unwillingness we ever moved on again. I 
felt, on such occasions, that I could have sat quietly 
and contentedly, and let the glass of life glide away 
to its last sand. There was a dreamy kind of plea- 
sure, which made me forgetful or careless of the 
circumstances and difficulties by which I was sur- 
rounded, and which I was always indisposed to 
break in upon. Wylie was even worse than myself, 
I had often much difficulty in getting him to move 
