of an
inferior race; but when Yarloo went away it became harder and harder
for them to keep up their pluck. For thirst is the most terrible of
all forms of torture. The pain comes on slowly but surely, and
increases till it seems impossible that the human body can stand any
more. Yet the body is such a marvellous thing that it does stand even
the terrible pain of thirst, till it gets beyond endurance and the man
goes mad. The thirst which kills men in the desert is not the same as
being thirsty. Down-country, it is quite pleasant to be thirsty, for
it makes a drink taste so nice; but desert thirst--or "perishing", as
it is called--is caused by the drying up of the moisture of the body
till the organs inside actually cease to work, and the blood clogs in
the arteries because it is not liquid enough.

It was such terrible thirst that Sax and Vaughan were experiencing. In
appearance, Sax was of slighter build than his thick-set friend, Boof,
but the drover's son had inherited from his father a natural toughness
and an ability to endure privation and hardship which Vaughan, although
he was quite as plucky, did not possess. It happened, therefore, that
though Sax was just able to keep control of himself throughout the
terrible night which followed Yarloo's departure, Vaughan lost
consciousness and became delirious about half an hour before sunset.

The first signs which he gave that he was not in his right senses were
when he began to undress. Sax was feeling so desperately ill himself
that he did not pay much attention to what his friend was doing till he
saw him throw his shirt outside, and then start to pull off his
trousers. The poor lad's tongue was swollen in his mouth and was
starting to stick out from between his teeth. He got his trousers off,
and began fumbling at his boots, but was so weak that he couldn't untie
the knots. His eyes had a peculiar look in them, something like those
of a man who walks in his sleep, and when his friend spoke to him he
took absolutely no notice at all.

Both lads had been lying stretched out on the sand all the afternoon,
too exhausted to do anything, but, seeing his companion behaving in
such a strange way, Sax tried to sit up. But he could not do it at
first. As soon as he lifted himself, sharp pains stabbed him in the
back and stomach, and his head throbbed so violently that he nearly
fainted. He tried again and again, very gradually, till he was able to
sit up at