We had not gone far before our hopes were again raised, and again dashed, by coming on rocky ground and presently on another rockhole—­quite dry!  We began to think that there could be no water anywhere; this hole was well protected and should hold water for months.  Thinking did little good, nor served to decrease the horrid sticky feeling of lips and mouth.  “Better luck next time,” we said, with rather forced cheerfulness, and once more turned our faces to the North-East.

CHAPTER V

WATER AT LAST

Presently a single track caught my eye, fresh apparently, and unmistakably that of a “buck.”  We all crowded round to examine it, and as we stooped caught sight of the owner not a hundred yards ahead, engrossed in unearthing an iguana and entirely ignorant of our presence.  A hasty consultation; “Catch him,” said someone, Breaden I think, and off we started—­I first, and Godfrey near behind.  He saw us now and fled, so, shouting to Breaden to stay with the camels, and to Charlie, who was mounted, to cut him off in front, I put my best leg foremost.  A hummock of spinifex brought me down, and, exhausted from short rations, I lay, unable to run further.  Not so Godfrey, who held on manfully for another fifty yards and grabbed the black-fellow as he turned to avoid Charlie on the camel.  The poor chap was shaking with fear, but, after relieving his feelings by making a violent though abortive attack on Godfrey, he soon calmed down and examined us with interest.

Whatever the buck thought of us, close observation could find nothing very remarkable about him.  A man of about 5 feet 8 inches, thin but muscular, with very large feet and small hands, very black, very dirty, his only garment consisted of a band of string round his forehead, holding his hair back in a ragged, mop-like mass.  On his chest, raised sears; through his nose, a hole ready to hold a bone or stick—­such was this child of the wilderness.  By signs we made him understand our wants, and the strange procession started, the “buck” (the general term for a male aboriginal) leading the way at a pace too fast for us or our camels.  Guarded on one side by Breaden, I on the other, we plied our new friend with salt beef, both to cement our friendship, and promote thirst, in order that for his own sake he should not play us false.  For five hours we held on our way, curiously enough almost on our proper course, having often to stop awhile to allow the caravan to overtake us.  Buoyed up by the certainty of water so long as we had the buck with us we pushed on, until just after sunset the country changed from sand to stony rises and we felt sure a rock-hole was not far off.  A little further, and, by the uncertain light, we could see a fair-sized hole with water in it.  I ran ahead, and was the first to realise that the native had deceived us; the hole was dry! and must have been so for months.