ed on, Denis doing
his best to encourage him.

"Lean on my shoulder, and let me carry your gun," he said; "you'll get
on better then; and when we camp, and you have had another ostrich egg,
you'll find your strength restored."

"If I can manage to eat it," murmured Percy, "but I much doubt whether I
can get even that down my throat."

"Never fear; I see some thick bushes, and I fancy some rocks beyond.
We'll camp there, if you find yourself unable to go farther; and we
shall have plenty of fuel for our fire, and who knows but that we may
find water?"

Denis said this in a no very confident tone, for he was almost beginning
to despair of discovering what they were so eagerly in search of. Still
he hoped that rest and food, and the cooler air of night, might restore
Percy, and that they might push on for another day, at all events.

Raff continued creeping after them, the very picture of misery, his
tongue hanging out, and his head down. Every now and then he would look
up to their faces in the most piteous manner, as if to ask when they
were going to find water. The poor dog was suffering from hunger as
well as thirst; for although he had licked the ostrich egg shells clean,
he had got but little nourishment out of them. At last the bushes seen
in the distance were reached, and Percy, sinking on the ground, declared
that he could go no farther.

"Well then, we will camp here," said Denis; "and while you rest, I'll
collect some wood for our fire."

Raff crouched down by the side of Percy, though his eyes followed his
master while he was employed as he proposed. He was not long in
collecting a sufficient supply of sticks to commence a fire.

"I'll get more while the egg is cooking," he said, throwing down the
bundle. The fire was soon burning up brightly, and an egg was put on.
Percy had just strength enough to watch it, while Denis collected some
more sticks. He then came and sat down by the side of Percy, to whom he
kept talking, while he stirred the egg. "I think it must be done now,"
he said. "Come, eat away, old fellow, and you'll soon be yourself
again."

"It's water I want! it's water I want!" murmured Percy.

"But as we haven't water, the egg is the next best thing you can take,"
said Denis, helping him.

But poor Percy could scarcely gulp it down. All the time Raff was
looking up as much as to say, "I wish you'd give me some of that; I'd
eat it fast enough." Denis could not resist the impl