The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-04-09

lett alone IN these vast SOIlCuQeS without
horse to carry lis, and withsa child who
was not old enough to walk for more
than a little way at time. 80
Well, it was no use giving in, so with
few words we went back to our camp,
where found; Tota crying because she
had woke to find herself alone, and ate
little food. Then we prepared to start.
First we divided such articlesas we must
take with us into two equal partsjreject-
ing everything that we could possibly do
without Then, aby an afterthought, we
filed ourwater bottles, thoughat the time
Twas rather against doing SO, because
of the extraeweight. But Indaba-zimbi
overruled me in:the matter, fortunately
for all three; of us. | settled to look
after Tota for the first march, and gave
the elephant gun to Indaba-zimbi. At
length all was ready; and we set out on
foot. By the help of occasional lifts over
rough places, Tota managed to walk up.
the slope on the hillside where had shot
the Petite buck. At length we reached
it, and, looking at the country beyond,
/ gave an exclamation Of dismay. To
say that.it was desert would be saying
too much; it was more like the Barroo
in the Cape-a vast sandy: waste, stud
ded here and there with low shrubs and
scattered rocks. But it was great ex-
panse of desolate land, stretching as far
as the eye could reach, and bordered far
away by line of purple hills, in the
center of which great solitary peak
scared high into the air. : 4
"Indaba-zimbi," said, 1--WE can never
cross this. if we take six days." -
"As you will, Macumazahn," he an
Swered; "but tell you that there"-and
he pointed to the peak-"there the white
man lives. Turn which way you like,
but if you turn you will perish"
| reflected for a moment. Our case
was, humanity speaking, almost hopeless.
It mattered little which way we went!
We were alone, almost without food,
with no means of-transport and child
to. carry. AS well perish in the sandy.
waste as on the rolling seldt or among
the trees :. of the hillside. e Providence
alone, could save us, and we must trust
to. providence. yssis zEs+ s.,ssSs -, is4Ssod
''Come sons"- said, lifting, Tota onejtO'
my back for she was already tireGlo
''All roads lead to rest 'J1<>sr 4>1sd
How am i to- describe theiImiseryFof
the next four days. How amI"to tell.
how we stumbled on through that awful
desert. almost without food and quite
without water, for there were no streams,
and we saw no springs? We soon found
how the case was, and saved almost all
the water in our bottles for the child
To look back on it is like nightmare.
| can scarcely bear to dwell on it. Day
after day, by turns carrying the child
through the heavy sand; night after
night lying down in the scrub, chewing
the leaves, and licking such dew as there
was from the scanty gfassl Not aspiring,
not pool, not a head of game! 1t was
the third night; we were nearly mad
with thirst. Tota was in comatose
condition. Indaba-zimbi still had lit
tie water in his bottle-perhaps wine
glassful. We moistened her lips and
our blackened tongues with it. Then
we gave the rest to the child. Itrevived
her. She awoke from her swoon to sink
into sleep.
See, the dawn was breaking. The hills
were not more than eight miles or so
away now, and they were green.
There must be water there. )
Come" said. @
Indaba- zimbielifted Tota into the kind.
of sling that we had made out of the