shore; as they inclined inland, leaving a low sandy country between
them and some high bare sand-hills near the sea. The road now led us down
a very rocky steep part of the cliffs, near the angle where they broke
away from the beach, but upon reaching the bottom we lost it altogether
on the sandy shore; following along by the water's edge, we felt cooled
and refreshed by the sea air, and in one mile and a half from where we
had descended the cliffs, we reached the white sand-drifts. Upon turning
into these to search for water, we were fortunate enough to strike the
very place where the natives had dug little wells; and thus on the fifth
day of our sufferings, we were again blessed with abundance of
water,--nor could I help considering it as a special instance of the
goodness of Providence, that we had passed the sandy valley in the dark,
and had thereby been deterred from descending to examine the sand-hills
it contained; had we done so, the extra fatigue to our horses and the
great length of time it would have taken up, would probably have
prevented the horses from ever reaching the water we were now at. It took
us about two hours to water the animals, and get a little tea for
ourselves, after which the boy laid down to sleep, and I walked round to
search for grass. A little grew between the sand-drifts and the cliffs,
and though dry and withered, I was most thankful to find it. I then
returned to the camp and laid down, but could not sleep, for although
relieved myself, my anxiety became but the greater, for the party behind,
and the more so, because at present I could do nothing to aid them; it
was impossible that either the horses, or ourselves, could go back to
meet them without a few hours' rest, and yet the loss of a few hours
might be of the utmost consequence; I determined, however, to return and
meet them as early as possible in the morning, and in the mean time, as I
knew that the overseer and natives would, when they came, be greatly
fatigued, and unable to dig holes to water the horses, I called up the
boy, and with his assistance dug two large holes about five feet deep,
from which the horses could readily and without delay be watered upon
their arrival. As we had only some shells left by the natives to work
with, our wells progressed slowly, and we were occupied to a late hour.
In the evening we watered the horses, and before laying down ourselves,
drove them to the grass I had discovered. For the first time