d now he had not even the
strength to climb half a tree if his life had depended upon it. Even an
unlooked-for stumble on the part of the horse he was leading dragged him
flat on his back, jerking at the same time the bridle from his hand.

"Come here, you infernal loathly brute!" he snarled, making an effort to
recover the rein. But for some reason, instinct perhaps, the horse
backed away, just keeping beyond reach.

He glared at the animal with hatred, not altogether unreasonable. For
when he had been travelling about four hours, and was uneasily beginning
to realise that he was lost, he had unslung his vulcanite water-bottle--
which nobody travelling up-country should ever be without--and had
placed it on the ground while off-saddling. But something had startled
the stupid brute, which in its blundering, foolish plunges had put its
foot clean through that indispensable receptacle, of course shattering
it like an eggshell, and spilling every drop of the contents on the
thirsty, sucking soil. He had intended, when the worst came to the
worst, to kill the animal, and assuage his torturing thirst with the
draught of its blood; and the worst _had_ come to the worst.

Some instinct must have lurked within that stupid brain, for now neither
cursing nor coaxing, tried alternately, would induce the horse to come
within reach. Exhausted as it was, it would still slue round, jerking
the bridle away with every attempt to seize it. Once, in desperation,
he seized a stirrup leather, hoping to gain the saddle that way, and
recover the bridle-rein, only to result in a nasty fall against a mopani
stem.

Hideous and thick were the curses which oozed from the swollen lips of
the despairing man, as he saw even this last chance of life--loathsome,
revolting as it was--reft from him. He had no firearms; his six-shooter
he had left for repairs at Fort Pagadi, and not being able to find the
smith at the early hour of his start, with characteristic impatience he
had come on without it: otherwise the difficulty would have been settled
then and there. But as he resumed his stumbling way, the horse,
apparently appreciating human companionship in that wild solitude,
continued to follow him, though persistently defying all effort to
secure it.

He glanced upward. The sun was throwing long rays now along the
tree-tops. Another night would soon be here, bringing with it, however,
no abatement of heat and thirst and torment--Ah! h!