ls of corn and half a dozen handfuls of parched grass. As soon as
his own meal was eaten, Moreas rolled himself up in his blankets and
went to sleep, leaving Max by the fire, watching its dull glow and
wondering whether he was destined to come safely out of this perilous
adventure or not. Overhead the great stars shone brilliantly, while the
low wind moaned like a banshee across the waste. He thought of those who
loved him in England, of Ottilie, and later of myself. At such a moment
his curiosity was excited as to what I had done when I discovered he had
left Rio.

Next morning, as soon as it was daylight, they saddled up once more, and
continued their march. For the moment the country, which consisted of
barren plains in front, behind, and on either side, showed no signs of
changing. As on the previous day, Moreas stalked grimly in front, never
looking behind him, and to all appearances oblivious of his companion's
presence.

One thing was growing more certain every hour, and that was the fact
that the hardships through which they had passed had combined, with
natural greed, to turn Moreas' brain.

"I shall have to keep my eyes on him, day and night," said Max to
himself. "In his present condition there is no saying what he may do."

This knowledge added a fresh horror to the situation. It is bad enough
to be starving anywhere, but it is a thousand times worse to have to do
so when alone in the wilds with a madman. As soon as they got into camp
that night, the second on that awful plain, Moreas commenced to walk in
circles round the fire, talking to himself meanwhile, and shaking his
fist at the darkening desert. When Max offered him a portion of the
dried _biltong_--all that remained to them in the way of food--he
refused it with an oath, adding, that he could not eat when they should
be pushing towards their destination!

"You won't be strong enough to reach it at all, if you don't eat
something," said Max philosophically.

He, himself, made as good a meal as possible, and then lay down to rest,
but he was too anxious for his own safety to fall asleep, until he was
quite convinced that Moreas was asleep also. He had no desire that the
other should steal a march on him during the night. What he had seen
that day in the mountains, when Moreas had stalked Bertram, was quite
sufficient to show him that his companion was not one who would stick at
trifles. At last, however, he dozed off.

As the afternoon of the