JADED STEEDS. 
207 
nails off in making large holes in the dry spruits, 
but not one drop came. I had little or no sleep, and 
my tongue was so dry and swollen that I positively 
could not speak. 
10th .—At the first dawn of day I went again in 
search of water, and soon found some muddy, putrid 
stuff, which, however, was nectar to me ; saddled up 
and rode back in the direction I came last night, 
climbing all the hills until, at last, I recognised one, 
when I off-saddled my weary jade, and got back to 
the wagons about mid-day. They had fired innu¬ 
merable shots and lighted large fires on the tops of 
the bergs, but I had gone very far astray. 
Bought a horse (Veicliman), a dark chestnut, for 
six oxen, but he is at present a mere apology of a 
nag, being skin and bone, sore backed, and his hoofs 
worn completely through. As all our horses are 
unshod, I made him shoes of eland hide of a novel 
fashion, being laced tightly round his fetlocks with 
raw hide to keep them on ; they saved his poor hoofs 
immensely on the stony ground, and had the desired 
effect, for he soon got well again. I need hardly 
say, however, that I never ventured to hunt him 
with his mufflers on. His former owner ought deci¬ 
dedly to have been tried under Martin’s Act; but 
Collins said there was not a blade of grass for six 
days, consequently he was obliged to press on. 
Bryan has been almost dead for three days, and is’ a 
perfect shadow. These are the two animals on which 
I must face a savage old wounded bull elephant. 
