emy that day; they lay close in cover,
watching. During the night they stole out and removed many of their
dead, which those in the zereba were glad of, for the numbers threatened
presently to poison the air. The next day water began to grow very
scarce indeed, and two men with a corporal were permitted to leave the
zereba and approach the well, to try if they could get a supply without
molestation, so quiet and hidden were the enemy. But they had hardly
got half-way before a storm of fire was poured upon them, and they had
to run back as hard as they could go, one dropping--the first casualty.
The corporal and the other man, who was no other than Grady, stopped,
picked him up, and carried him in, the bullets cutting the ground up in
puffs of dust all around. But they were not hit, and got their comrade
inside amidst cheers from all who were watching them.

Poor Hump seemed likely to come off badly, for however great a pet you
may make of an animal, when it comes to a question whether you or he are
to go thirsty, the animal is apt to come off second best. And the
camels, who reverse the recipe of "little and often," and require "much
and seldom," must fill the reservoirs, as they call their stomachs, at
certain intervals, or die. And if they died the company would probably
die too. Poor Hump! Every consideration was against his getting a
drink. He whined, and looked very plaintive, with his tongue hanging
out. He scratched and scratched, but the water was exhausted, and only
trickled into the legitimate holes by driblets. Everybody was very
sorry for him, but still more sorry for himself.

So Hump took the matter into his own hands--I was going to say, but he
had not got any. I mean that he fell back on his own resources, and he
simply ran across to the outside well, drank his fill, and ran back
again. It never occurred to the Arabs to take the trouble to shoot at a
dog, so he was quite unmolested. After he had made two journeys a
bright idea came into the head of Thomas Dobbs. The next time Hump
prepared to start on a watering expedition, he took off the lid of his
water-bottle, which was suspended round his neck, so when the dog
plunged his nose to lap, the tin went into the water and got filled; and
though some of it got spilled as he trotted back, enough remained to wet
the ingenious Dobbs's whistle. And he improved upon this; he cut a
round piece of wood, filling the can so loosely as to lie at the