at the water at the
sand-hills for their supply, no traces of their having recently visited
it being found.

December 7.--After giving the horses water we put ten gallons upon one of
them, and hurried off to the animals we had left. The state of those with
us necessarily made our progress slow, and it was four o'clock before we
arrived at the place where they were, about eleven miles from the water.
The man had gone on to the furthest of the three, and had brought them
all nearly together; upon joining him we received the melancholy
intelligence, that our best draught mare had just breathed her
last--another lay rolling on the ground in agony--and the third appeared
but little better. After moistening their mouths with water, we made
gruel for them with flour and water, and gave it to them warm: this they
drank readily, and appeared much revived by it, so that I fully hoped we
should save both of them. After a little time we gave each about four
gallons of water, and fed them with all the bread we had. We then let
them rest and crop the withered grass until nine o'clock, hoping, that in
the cool of the evening, we should succeed in getting them to the water,
now so few miles away. At first moving on, both horses travelled very
well for two miles, but at the end of the third, one of them was unable
to go any further, and I left the man to remain, and bring him on again
when rested; the other I took on myself to within six miles of the water,
when he, too, became worn out, and I had to leave him, and go for a fresh
supply of water.

About four in the morning of the 8th, I arrived with the boy at the
water, just as day was breaking, and quite exhausted. We managed to water
the two horses with us, but were too tired either to make a fire or get
anything to eat ourselves; and lay down for an hour or two on the sand.
At six we got up, watered the horses again, and had breakfast; after
which, I filled the kegs and proceeded once more with ten gallons of
water to the unfortunate animals we had left behind. The black boy was
too tired to accompany me, and I left him to enjoy his rest, after giving
him my rifle for his protection, in the event of natives coming during my
absence.

Upon arriving at the place where I had left the horse, I found him in a
sad condition, but still alive. The other, left further away, in charge
of the man, had also been brought up to the same place, but died just as
I got up to him; there was but on