This Account Afforded Me But Little
Consolation; However, It Was In Vain To Repine, And I Pushed On As
Fast As Possible, In Hopes Of Reaching Some Watering-Place In The
Course Of The Night.
My thirst was by this time become
insufferable; my mouth was parched and inflamed; a sudden dimness
would frequently come over my eyes, with other symptoms of fainting;
and my horse being very much fatigued, I began seriously to
apprehend that I should perish of thirst.
To relieve the burning
pain in my mouth and throat I chewed the leaves of different shrubs,
but found them all bitter, and of no service to me.
A little before sunset, having reached the top of a gentle rising, I
climbed a high tree, from the topmost branches of which I cast a
melancholy look over the barren wilderness, but without discovering
the most distant trace of a human dwelling. The same dismal
uniformity of shrubs and sand everywhere presented itself, and the
horizon was as level and uninterrupted as that of the sea.
Descending from the tree, I found my horse devouring the stubble and
brushwood with great avidity; and as I was now too faint to attempt
walking, and my horse too much fatigued to carry me I thought it but
an act of humanity, and perhaps the last I should ever have it in my
power to perform, to take off his bridle and let him shift for
himself, in doing which I was suddenly affected with sickness and
giddiness, and falling upon the sand, felt as if the hour of death
was fast approaching. Here, then, thought I, after a short but
ineffectual struggle, terminate all my hopes of being useful in my
day and generation; here must the short span of my life come to an
end. I cast, as I believed, a last look on the surrounding scene,
and whilst I reflected on the awful change that was about to take
place, this world with its enjoyment seemed to vanish from my
recollection. Nature, however, at length resumed its functions, and
on recovering my senses, I found myself stretched upon the sand,
with the bridle still in my hand, and the sun just sinking behind
the trees. I now summoned all my resolution, and determined to make
another effort to prolong my existence; and as the evening was
somewhat cool, I resolved to travel as far as my limbs would carry
me, in hopes of reaching - my only resource - a watering-place. With
this view I put the bridle on my horse, and driving him before me,
went slowly along for about an hour, when I perceived some lightning
from the north-east - a most delightful sight, for it promised rain.
The darkness and lightning increased very rapidly, and in less than
an hour I heard the wind roaring among the bushes. I had already
opened my mouth to receive the refreshing drops which I expected,
but I was instantly covered with a cloud of sand, driven with such
force by the wind as to give a very disagreeable sensation to my
face and arms, and I was obliged to mount my horse and stop under a
bush to prevent being suffocated.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 77 of 88
Words from 39616 to 40155
of 45803
