Part 60 (2/2)

CHAPTER XII

THE TRAVELLERS BENIGHTED

Our travellers would have talked much about lions, but for the condition of their horses This razing, the poor brutes had been without food since the appearance of the locusts Horses do not travel well upon soft grass, and of course they were now suffering severely

It would be far in the night before the horse on as fast as the horses could travel

It was quite dark, when they arrived at the spot where they had halted the previous evening In fact, it was very dark Neither moon nor stars were to be seen in the sky; and thick black clouds covered the whole canopy of the heavens It looked as though a rain-storht be expected--still no rain had as yet fallen

It was the intention of the travellers to halt at this place, and let their horses graze a while With this view they all dis one or two places, they could find no grass!

This appeared strange, as they had certainly observed grass at that very spot the day before Now there was none!

The horses put their noses to the ground, but raised the as they did so, and evidently disappointed They were hungry enough to have eaten grass had there been any, for they eagerly snatched at the leaves of the bushes as they passed along!

Had the locusts been there also? No The e, which would not have been the case had the locusts visited the spot

Our travellers were astonished that there was no grass Surely there was soot upon a new track?

The darkness prevented theround; yet Von Bloo travelled it four tih he could not see the surface, every now and again he caught a glimpse of some tree or bush, which he had marked in his former journeys, and these assured hiht track

Surprised at the absence of grass where they had so lately observed it, they would have examined the surface , and at length gave up the idea of halting The water in their gourds had been used up long before this; and both they and their horses were oncefrom thirst

Besides, Von Blooon He had been separated froht take place--an to bla left them alone It would have been better to have let his cattle perish So thought he now

A presenti in his rew more anxious to proceed as he reflected

They rode on in silence It was only on Hendrik expressing a doubt about the way, that the conversation reco course

At first Von Bloo a little farther, he admitted that he was in doubt; and then, after another half-, he declared that he had lost the track

He could no longer recognise any one of theto be done under these circumstances was to leave the horses to themselves; and this all three well knew But the anier, and when left to themselves, would not journey forward, but rushed up to thetheir leaves

The consequence was, that their riders were obliged to keep the hip and spur; and in that way there was no certainty of the horses taking the right direction

After several hours' advancing, all the while in a state of suspense, and as yet no appearance of either wagon or ca to a halt It was of no use going forward They believed they could not be far fro froth, that it would be wiser to remain where they were until the day broke

They all dismounted therefore, and fastened their horses to the bushes--so that the ani--which could not now be very far off They rolled themselves up in their karosses, and lay down upon the earth

Hendrik and Swartboy were soon asleep Von Blooh; but the heart of the father was too full of anxiety to allow repose to his eyes, and he lay aatching for the dawn