Evening star., 1936-03-29
Magazine Section

had somehow learned the Bennetts
had located old John Longs original
guide and meant to follow in their
trail.
Sandy discussed this with the Van
Niekerks and asked: What is the
plan for us, now?"
Sleep" declared Cornelius posi-
lively. mo need for US to start until
late afternoon. We know the direc-
ton they have taken and with our
powerful field glasses it will be easy
for us to spot them from the plane"
They waited until an hour before
sunset. Then they took off in the
plane and climbed steadily until the
altimeter registered 5000 feet. Cor
nelius headed the plane due north over
the veldt and within less than twenty
minutes Sandy handed the field glasses
to Sarie.
There they are" he pointed out
two ox-wagons which appeared to be
crawling, about mile apart, over the
low-rolling plain.
For a few moments Cornelius kept
the airplane lowering in the heavens
far above, and then turned east and,
a few moments later. brought it to
rest in a sheltered dip some miles
away from where he Judged the other
two parties would make camp for the
night.
While Sarie supervised the prepa-
ration of the evening meal. Sandy
and Cornelius checked over the planes
motors.
DO you think they heard the
plane?" Sandy asked.
II doubt it," Cornelius replied. "Of
course they may have, but with our
exhaust muffled and the propellers
geared down we were fairly safe, even
at 5000 feet. Those wagons are
creaky affairs. And if they did notice
the plane. doubt that they would
suspect anything"
Four days later Moro Kei, a native
village, where the Bennetts and Longs
added to their provisions and water
supply, was passed, and then the days
settled into steady routine. Each
morning. from high altitude, those
in the plane watched the two OK
wagons as they crawled laboriously,
one after the other Through the grassy
waste to the northeastward. Then, de-
scending. they spent the day in camp,
checking the motors of their plane, and
trying to figure out from their maps
the possible location of the Valley.
The two men did some shooting
enough to keep them all supplied with
meat. In the evening they would break
camp. take to the air again to see how
far the others had succeeded in hauling
their cumbersome wagons during the
day, and then descend a few miles
farther into that trackless waste to
choose a new sleeping place. They
dared not waste their most precious
cargo - gasoline - on scouting ex-
peditions, so progress was heart
breakingly slow.
The scene changed little. To the
east and more central portion of the
desert stretched vast tracts of impas-
sable bush, but the area over which
they were flying at present consisted
of undulating country covered with
coarse sun-bleached grass which stood
in great tufts, or clumps. fifteen inches
apart. Between these clumps grew
creeping plants whose roots were
buried far beneath the soil. protected
from the scorching sun.
On the seventh day out from Moro
Kei, those in the plane spied long
jagged line of mountains, hazy and
blue on the northern horizon. In the
three following days the wagons crept
steadily towards them. On the 10th
day, and the 14th from Zwartveldt,
Sandy and the Van Niekerks, during
a,rlx, Q;uht cau tho