se respects
exactly in proportion to our increasing difficulties; and I moreover felt
sure that some of the men were by far too much attached to me ever to
abandon me in such a manner.

My situation however was undoubtedly very critical, not as far as
regarded my own safety, for I was not now more than eighty miles from the
nearest settler's hut; but was it possible for me to return alone to my
countrymen and to say that I had lost all my comrades? that I had saved
myself and left the others to perish? Yet I knew that unless I sent
assistance to the first party I had left the majority of them could not
survive; and from the state I had, about an hour and a half ago, left the
others in, it appeared more than probable that they might wait and wait
anxiously, expecting my return, until too weak to move, and thus die
miserably in the woods.

These thoughts thronged rapidly through my mind. Indeed I was obliged to
do all things quickly now for I felt that my existence depended upon my
finding water within the next three or four hours. The native sat
opposite to me on the ground, his keen savage eye watching the expression
of my countenance, as each thought flitted across it. I saw that he was
trying to read my feelings; and he at length thus broke the silence:

"Mr. Grey, today we can walk and may yet not die but drink water;
tomorrow you and I will be two dead men, if we walk not now, for we shall
then be weak and unable. The others sit down too much; they are weak and
cannot walk: if we remain with them we shall all die; but we two are
still strong; let us walk. There lies the sea; to that the streams run;
it is long since we have crossed a river: go quickly, and before the next
sun gets up we shall cross another running water." He paused for a
minute, looking steadfastly at me, and then added, "You must leave the
others, for I know not where they are, and we shall die in trying to find
them."

HIS DESIGNS FRUSTRATED.

I now knew that he was playing me false and that he had purposely led me
astray. He was too great a coward to move on alone for fear of other
natives and, dreading to lose his life by thirst, he had hit upon this
expedient of inducing me to abandon the others and to proceed with him.
"Do you see the sun, Kaiber, and where it now stands?" I replied to him.
"Yes," was his answer. "Then if you have not led me to the party before
that sun falls behind the hills I will shoot you; as it begins to sink
you di