ever water was to be procured; and as his patients recovered, his
reputation was thus maintained.

I cannot recount one tenth part of the adventures we met with during
that long march northward across the Sahara. Occasionally the monotony
of our life was diversified by hunting ostriches and several kinds of
deer. The former were run down by horsemen, who formed a large circle,
compelling the birds to turn round and round till their strength was
exhausted.

Water became scarcer as we advanced into the Desert. The camels and
other animals had drunk their fill at some pools in a valley, the
water-skins had been filled, and we had now an immense extent of arid
sand to traverse before we could reach another well. There was no means
of avoiding this region, which even the bravest looked on with dread.
We commenced our march before the sun was up, stopping only for a hasty
prayer, and then pushing on again. Instead of spreading over the plain,
as usual, the camels and other animals were kept close together, forming
a broad, dense line. A few hours of rest were to be allowed at night;
we were then again to advance; and so we were to proceed till the oasis
could be reached, as the destruction of the whole caravan might be the
result of delay. Almost in silence we moved over the glittering plain.
The fiery sun struck down on our heads, and the heat was such that the
air seemed to dance around us. Hour after hour we moved on, a few words
being now and then exchanged, or songs sung by the light-hearted, or
tales told by the most loquacious of story-tellers. I observed
skeletons of camels and men sticking out of the sand, as the caravan
deviated slightly to avoid them; for they extended across the plain half
a mile or more. On making inquiries, I found that the skeletons were
those of a caravan which, while crossing the Desert on their way south,
had been overtaken by a simoom, and had perished, when only half a day's
journey from the pools we had left. The sight certainly did not tend to
raise our spirits; we had nearly three days' journey before us, and in
the course of that time we might be exposed to the same danger.

We encamped for a little at night, but having no fuel, were compelled to
eat our provisions cold.

During the next day the heat was more intense than ever, and our thirst
increased in proportion. Soon after mid-day, a bright lake of shining
water, as it seemed, appeared before us, with animals feedin