The Patient Horses Stood
Beside Us With Closed Eyes And Bowed Heads, Until The Sight Was More
Than I Could Bear.
Fortunately, a very heavy dew fell, which greatly
helped us, and two hours before sunrise next morning the loads were
equally distributed on the backs of the seven horses and we started
off once again through the mist for water!
Water! When the sun
illuminated the heavens and lit up the rugged peaks of the strangely
shaped mountains ahead of us, hope was revived. We sucked the fruit
of the date palm, and in imagination bathed and wallowed in the
water - beautiful water - we so soon expected to behold. The poor
horses, however, not buoyed up with sweet hopes as we were, gave out,
one after the other, and we were compelled to cruelly urge them on up
the steep. With it all, I had to leave two of the weaker ones behind,
purposing, if God should in kindness permit us to reach water, to
return and save them.
That afternoon the Indian chief, who, though an old man, had shown
wonderful fortitude and endurance, and still led the way, shouted:
"Eyoape! Eyoape!" (Come! Come!) We were near the lake. With new-
born strength I left all and ran, broke through the brushwood of the
shore, jumped into the lake, and found - nothing but hard earth! The
lake was dried up! I dug my heel into the ground to see if below the
surface there might be soft mud, but failing to find even that, I
dropped over with the world dancing in distorted visions before my
eyes. More I cannot relate.
How long I lay there I never knew. The Indian, I learned later,
exploring a deep gully at the other side, found a putrid pool of
slime, full of poisonous frogs and alive with insects. Some of this
liquid he brought to me in his hands, and, after putting it in my
mouth, had the satisfaction of seeing me revive. I dimly remember
that my next act was to crawl towards the water-hole he guided me to.
In this I lay and drank. I suppose it soaked into my system as rain
in the earth after a drought. That stagnant pool was our salvation.
The horses were brought up, and we drank, and drank again. Not until
our thirst was slaked did we fully realize how the water stank! When
the men were sufficiently refreshed they returned for the abandoned
horses, which were found still alive. Had they scented water
somewhere and drank? At the foot of the mountains, on the other side,
we later discovered much better water, and there we camped, our
horses revelling in the abundant pasturage.
After this rest we continued our journey, and next day came to the
edge of a virgin forest. Through that, the chief said, we must cut
our way, for the royal tribe never came out, and were never visited.
Close to the edge of the forest was a deep precipice, at the bottom
of which we could discern a silvery streak of clear water.
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