ore oxen
dropped by the way. The second was a terrible march; I have never known
a hotter day in South Africa, and one felt blinded and crushed by the
heat. The weakened teams could scarcely draw the waggons along, and by
nightfall but half the journey had been performed. The oxen were turned
loose and allowed for an hour or two to crop the bush; then they were
inspanned again. All night long we continued our march; when, just at
sunrise, we got to the place where water had been found, the pool was
empty--the two days' sun since the horseman had been there had
completely dried it up. We set to work to dig a hole; but the sand was
shallow, the rock lying but a foot or two below, and we only got a few
buckets of water, but just enough to give a swallow to each of the oxen
and horses. Again we searched far up and down the course of the stream,
but without success; we dug innumerable holes in its bed, but without
finding water.

"We were still fifty miles from safety; but in that fifty miles the
natives said that they did not think a drop of water would be found, as
this was notoriously the driest point on the route. Half the oxen had
now died, and Macgregor determined to leave all but two of the waggons
behind, to harness teams of the strongest of those remaining, and to
drive the rest alongside. We halted till night to allow the animals to
feed, and then started. We got on fairly enough until daybreak, then
the sun rose, and poured down upon us. It was a terrible day. No one
spoke, and the creaking of the wheels of the waggons was the only sound
to be heard. Every mile we went the numbers lessened, as the bullocks
lay down to die by the way. My tongue seemed to cleave to the roof of
my mouth, and the sun to scorch up my brain. I hardly took notice of
what was going on around me, but let the reins hang loose on my horse's
neck. Several times he stumbled, and at last fell heavily. I picked
myself up from the sands, and saw that he was dying. The waggons had
come to a standstill now, and I had, I saw, for the last quarter of a
mile gone on alone. I looked at my watch; it was four o'clock, and I
turned and walked slowly back to the waggons. The drivers had unroped
the oxen, but most of them lay where they had halted, incapable of
rising to their feet; others had tottered to the shade cast by the
waggons, and had thrown themselves down there. The drivers were lying
among them. As I came up Macgregor stagge