had halted about eleven in the
midst of a low sandy flat, not far from the sea, thinking, that by a
careful examination, we might find a place where water could be procured
by digging. There were, however, no trees or bushes near us; and the heat
of the sun, and the glare of the sand, were so intolerable, that I was
obliged to get up the horses, and compel the man to go on a little
further to seek for shelter.

Proceeding one mile towards the sea, we came to a projecting rock upon
its shores; and as there was no hope of a better place being found, I
tied up my horses near it; the rock was not large enough to protect them
entirely from the sun, but by standing close under it, their heads and
necks were tolerably shaded. For ourselves, a recess of the rock afforded
a delightful retreat, whilst the immediate vicinity of the sea enabled us
every now and then to take a run, and plunge amidst its breakers, and
again return to the shelter of the cavern. For two or three hours we
remained in, under the protection of the rock, without clothes, and
occasionally bathing to cool ourselves. The native boy and I derived
great advantage from thus dipping in the sea, but it was a long time
before I could induce the man to follow our example, either by persuasion
or threats; his courage had failed him, and he lay moaning like a child.
At last I succeeded in getting him to strip and bathe, and he at once
found the benefit of it, becoming in a short time comparatively cool and
comfortable. We then each had a little more tea, and afterwards attempted
to dig for water among the sand-hills. The sand, however, was so loose,
that it ran in faster than we could throw it out, and we were obliged to
give up the attempt.

As the afternoon was far advanced, we saddled the horses, and pushed on
again for five miles, hoping, but in vain, to find a little grass. At
night we halted among the sandy ridges behind the seashore, and after
giving the horses four quarts of oats and a bucket of water a-piece, we
were obliged to tie them up, there not being a blade of grass anywhere
about. The wind at night changed to the south-west, and was very cold,
chilling us almost as much as the previous heat had oppressed us. These
sudden and excessive changes in temperature induce great susceptibility
in the system, and expose the traveller to frequent heats and chills that
cannot be otherwise than injurious to the constitution.

January 7.--Having concealed some wa