ow. At its bottom flowed a warm spring, seething like boiling
water, for it was saturated with carbonic acid. Nevertheless, it
appeared that the water, after cooling, was good and wholesome. The
spring was so abundant that the three hundred men of the caravan could
not exhaust it. On the contrary the more water they drew from it the
more it flowed, and filled the fissure higher.

"Perhaps sometime," Doctor Clary said, "this place will be a resort for
the health-seeker, but at present this water is inaccessible for
animals because the walls of the fissure are too steep."

"Could the children chance upon a similar spring?"

"I do not know. It may be that more of them can be found in this
locality. But if not, then without water they must perish."

Night fell. Fires were lit. Nevertheless, a boma was not erected, for
there was nothing to build one with. After the evening refreshments,
the doctor and the captain sat upon folding chairs, and lighting their
pipes, began to converse of that which lay most upon their hearts.

"Not a trace," declared Clary.

"It had occurred to me," Glenn replied, "to send ten of our men to the
ocean coast with a despatch that there is news of the children. But I
am glad that I did not do that, as the men would perish on the way,
and, even if they reached the coast, why should we awaken vain hopes?"

"And revive the pain--"

The doctor removed the white helmet from his head and wiped his
perspiring forehead.

"Listen," he said; "if we should return to that lake and order the men
to hew down trees and at night light a gigantic bonfire, perhaps the
children might descry it."

"If they were near we would find them anyway, and if they are far off
the rolling ground would hide the fire. Here the plain is seemingly
level, but in reality is in knobs, wavy as the ocean. Besides, by
retreating we would definitely lose the possibility of finding even
traces of them."

"Speak candidly. You have no hope?"

"My dear sir, we are grown-up, strong, and resourceful men, and think
of what would become of us if we two were here alone, even with
weapons--but without supplies and men--"

"Yes! alas--yes! I picture to myself the two children going in such a
night across the desert."

"Hunger, thirst, and wild animals."

"And nevertheless the boy writes that under such conditions they
proceeded for long months."

"There is also something in that which passes my comprehension."

For a long time co