282 
THE NEW AFRICA 
to make me smart for his defeat at shooting. He was a 
charming though vain little fellow, and very cheerful, offering 
to carry my gun part of the march, and otherwise showing 
that he had a kindly heart. 
We were told by the chief that before us was a long dry 
sand-belt, without water, which would take a two days’ march 
to cross. He therefore advised us to rest at this last water 
where we were camped for a while, and to travel during the 
night, especially as it was moonlight part of the night, 
and to take sufficient water with us to last on the road for 
use on the following day. Fully believing the tale, which 
was exaggerated, as usual, to increase our efforts, we waited 
till three o’clock in the afternoon, when Tschukoorroo’s party 
started, leaving us to follow on the footpath which they pointed 
out to us as the road we had to take, at our leisure. Preparing 
for a long walk, I divested myself of my lower garments to 
give my legs free play, and filling one of the casks that held 
twenty pints of water, which I slung over my shoulder, to 
give the boys a drink in the sand-belt, I started off, carrying 
my rifle over the other shoulder, at four o’clock precisely. 
Incited by the possible day of thirst before us, I determined to 
carry my cask as far forward as possible, and kept pegging along 
in the moonlight until near eleven o’clock, when, looking at my 
watch, I thought it time to stop, and halted in a little open 
glade in the belt. By lying down I tried to get a little sleep, 
but just as I closed my eyes, the thought of lions involuntarily 
struck me, and ludicrous as it may seem, it appeared to me, 
without actual reason, as if an object had moved along the 
path in the rear. I was up in a moment, but it proved to 
be only my imagination that had played this trick, and 
again I lay down, but only to watch each tuft of grass 
and bush that seemed to grow into life and move as I lay. 
It was useless trying to rest in a recumbent position, for my 
imagination played such pranks that, at last, I stood upright 
against a tree and waited the arrival of Hammar and the 
bearers. At one o’clock Hammar and Franz came along, the 
