for he proceeded to make a fire on the floor of the cave from some dead leaves and branches, and others along the passage, to light him; after some hesitation he took a candle instead, and bolted down the passage like a rat.  He must have been very dry, judging from the time he stayed below and from his distended appearance on re-ascending.  He drank a great deal more than any of us and yet had been a comparatively short time without water, whilst we had been walking and working on starvation rations for a good number of days.

Breaden and I set to work to unload the camels while the others started preparations for water-getting.  By 3 p.m. we were ready.  King Billy at the bottom, baling water with a meat tin into a bucket, which he handed to Warri, who passed it to Charlie; thence Via Godfrey it reached Breaden, who on the floor of the cave hitched it on to a rope, and I from above hauled it through the entrance to the surface.  Useful as he was below, I soon had to call Warri up to keep off the poor famished camels, who, in their eagerness, nearly jostled me into the hole.  First I filled our tanks, doubtful what supply the cave would yield; but when word was passed that “She was good enough, and making as fast as we baled,” I no longer hesitated to give the poor thirsty beasts as much as ever they could drink.  What a labour of love that was, and what satisfaction to see them “visibly swelling” before my eyes!  Till after sunset we laboured unceasingly, and I fancy none of us felt too strong.  The thundery weather still continued; the heat was suffocating—­so much so that I took off my hat and shirt, to the evident delight of the flies, whose onslaughts would have driven me mad had I not been too busily engaged to notice them.

Before night all the camels were watered; they drank on an average seventeen gallons apiece, and lay gorged upon the ground too tired or too full of liquid to eat.  We had a very different camp that night, and King Billy shared our good spirits.  Now that he had his liberty he showed no signs of wishing to leave us, evidently enjoying our food and full of pride in his newly acquired garment, a jersey, which added greatly to his striking appearance.  He took great interest in all our belongings, but seemed to value highest the little round piece of metal that is fixed on the inside of a meat-tin!  This, hung on a string, made a handsome ornament for him.

That night, in reviewing our affairs, I came to the conclusion that this dry stage at the beginning of our journey had been a good thing for all.  We had had a bad time, but had come out of it all right.  Although these things always appear worse, when written or read, yet it is no light task to trudge day after day over such horrible country with an empty stomach and dry throat, and with no idea of when the next water will be found, or if any will be found; and through it all to be cheerful and good-tempered, and work away as usual, as if all were right.  It had inspired us with complete confidence in the staying powers of the camels, who, in spite of a thirteen and a half days’ drought, had shown no signs of giving in.  It had afforded each of us an insight into the characters of his companions that otherwise he never would have had.  It had given me absolute confidence in Breaden, Godfrey, and Charlie, and I trust had imbued them with a similar faith in me.