wever, and they had only just time to reach
some bushes, which afforded but slight shelter and a scanty supply of
firewood, before darkness came on.

They laboured in collecting sticks as long as the light lasted, and
then, having made up their fire, cooked and eaten their supper, and
drunk the remainder of their water, they lay down close to it, fatigue
preventing them from troubling their minds as to what might happen
during the night.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUED.

Overcome by fatigue, both the young hunters fell fast asleep. Watched
over by a merciful Providence, no savage animals came near them. Not a
growl or bark did Raff utter during the night; and when morning broke,
Denis, who was the first to awake, was somewhat dismayed to find that
the fire had completely gone out. He was not long in scraping the ashes
together, and with the remainder of the sticks he had gathered relighted
it and put on some venison steaks to cook.

When sufficiently done, he roused up Percy, who was greatly astonished
to find that night had passed away. They did not fail to return thanks
to God, who had taken care of them during the hours of darkness; for
they felt, as any persons with the least sense of religion in them must
have done, how utterly helpless they were under such circumstances.
"Oh, how I wish I had some water!" poor Percy kept saying, as he tried
to get down the meat. They neither of them could eat much, and Raff
came in for a larger share than he would otherwise have obtained.

The clouds had cleared away, a bright sun was shining. According to
their calculation, they had hitherto succeeded in keeping the course
they had intended. The country to the east, however, looked so barren
and uninviting, that they agreed to travel northward, where there
appeared to be a better prospect of obtaining water, without which they
could not hope to get on. As the sun rose in the sky, the heat became
more and more excessive. Not a breath of wind cooled the atmosphere,
and they consequently suffered more than ever from thirst. As before,
poor Raff crawled along at their heels, with his tongue hanging from his
mouth. In vain they looked out for trees of sufficient height to afford
them shade.

"It won't do to stop here," said Denis, whom no suffering could daunt;
"the faster we move, the better chance we shall have of finding water."

Percy agreed with him, and did his best to push on. The same rocky