eturned to him for a moment,
for hard by murmured the quiet whisper of Nell, resembling a moan:

"Stas--water!"

And she, like Kali previously, looked to him only for help.

But as twelve hours before he had given her the last drop, he now
started up suddenly, and exclaimed in a voice in which vibrated an
outburst of pain, despair, and affliction:

"Oh, Nell, I only pretended that I was drinking! For three days I have
had nothing in my mouth!"

And clasping his head with both hands he ran away in order not to look
at her sufferings. He rushed blindly among tufts of grass and heather
until he fell upon one of the tufts. He was unarmed. A leopard, lion,
or even a big hyena would find in him an easy prey. But only Saba came
running to him. Having smelt at him on all sides, he again began to
howl, as if summoning aid for him.

Nobody, however, hurried with aid. Only from above, the moon, quiet and
indifferent, looked on him. For a long time the boy lay like dead. He
was revived only by a cooler breath of wind, which unexpectedly blew
from the east. Stas sat up and after a while attempted to rise to
return to Nell.

The cooler wind blew a second time. Saba ceased howling and, turning
towards the east, began to dilate his nostrils. Suddenly he barked once
or twice a short, broken bass and dashed ahead. For some time he could
not be heard, but soon his barking again resounded. Stas rose and,
staggering on his numb legs, began to look after him. Long journeys,
long stays in the jungle, the necessity of holding all his senses in
continual restraint, and continual dangers had taught the boy to pay
careful heed to everything which was taking place about him. So,
notwithstanding the tortures he felt at that moment, notwithstanding
his half-conscious mind, through instinct and habit he watched the
behavior of the dog. And Saba, after the lapse of a certain time, again
appeared near him, but was somewhat strangely agitated and uneasy. A
few times he raised his eyes at Stas, ran around, again rushed ahead,
scenting and barking in the heather; again he came back and finally,
seizing the boy's clothes, began to pull him in a direction opposite to
the camp.

Stas completely recovered his senses.

"What is this?" he thought. "Either the dog's mind, from thirst, is
disordered or he has scented water. But no! If water was near he would
have run to it to drink and would have wet jaws. If it was far away, he
would not have scented