the old woman might, underthe pretence of looking for water, have enticed him among a band of herown people, notorious, he said, for their treachery. Martin on thiswould have ridden forward, had he not received directions to bring onthe caravan.
The sun was nearly touching the western horizon, when, to his greatrelief, he at length caught sight of his father's horse in the distance.At the same instant the cattle began to move on faster than they hadhitherto done.
"Water! water!" shouted the thirsty people, and the whole party rushedforward ahead of the waggon. Martin, who led the way, could see nopool. The old woman, however, was on her knees, scraping the sand froma hole, out of which she began to ladle with a little cup a smallquantity of water into three or four ostrich eggs, carried in a net ather back.
"I am afraid our poor oxen will not be much the better for thisdiscovery," observed Martin when he reached his father.
"Wait a bit, our men will soon dig more wells, though it may be somehours before we shall have water sufficient for the animals," was theanswer.
The men as they came up commenced digging with their hands in the softsand a number of holes some distance apart.
As soon as the waggon arrived, the order was given to outspann. Fireswere lighted, the neighbouring bushes affording sufficient fuel, and allthe usual preparations for camping were made.
Martin did not forget the old bushwoman, and with his father's leavegave her, to her no little astonishment and delight, a piece of meat anda bunch of beads, and two or three other trifling articles.
The people were employed for several hours in cleaning out the sand fromthe holes, for as fast as they dug, it again rolled down and filled themup. Gradually, however, the water oozed out from the sides, and towardsmorning there was a sufficient quantity to afford a little to each ofthe thirsty horses and oxen.
Directly the first streaks of dawn appeared in the sky the oxen wereinspanned, and the journey recommenced. On search being made for theold bushwoman, it was discovered that she had decamped. Mean andwretched though she was, she had rendered an essential service to thestrangers, but she probably thought them as treacherous as they hadsupposed her to be.
CHAPTER TWO.
For several hours the weary oxen dragged on the waggon, slightlyrefreshed by the limited amount of water they had obtained, and atlength they began to show signs of thirst. Masiko confessed that heknew of no pool within the distance of another day's journey, and as theheat had been excessive, he could not be certain that water would befound in it. It was a question whether the oxen could get as farwithout drinking. Noon was approaching, and it would have been worsethan useless to attempt moving on while the sun was overhead. Againthey outspanned. The men sat down to sleep in the limited shade thewaggon afforded; but the poor animals had to stand out in the full glareof the hot sun, turning their heads in the direction whence came a lightbreeze, which prevented the atmosphere being altogether insupportable.
They had halted about a couple of hours, when two objects were seenmoving across the boundless plain towards them. They proved to be thelittle, yellow-skinned, shrivelled old bushwoman, and a man of the samehue, and as scantily dressed as herself. They came without hesitationup to the waggon. Martin hastened forward, and in a kind tone thankedthem for coming to the camp, assuring them that they were welcome andwould be protected.
"Can you show us where we can find water?" he asked.
Their reply convinced him that Masiko was right, and that there was noneto be found nearer than he had said. They, however, told him that if hewould accompany them a short distance, they would point out where toobtain what would answer the purpose of water. As his father was asleepin the waggon, Martin did not wish to disturb him, and therefore calledKibo, who had meantime been speaking to the bushman and his wife.
"Do you think they can be trusted, Kibo?" Martin asked.
"Yes, good people; no do harm," answered the lad in broken English.
"Then we will go with them."
Martin, saddling his horse, called two of the most trustworthy men tofollow on the spare horses, while Kibo mounting another, they set out incompany with the little bushman and his wife.
They had proceeded some distance, when the latter pointed out a creepingplant, with long leaves and a thin, delicate stalk, spreading over theground in various directions. Both the man and his wife had stones intheir hands with which they struck the ground at various spots, at aboutequal distances from the centre of the plant, and then made signs to thepeople who had accompanied them to dig, setting the example themselves.After throwing out the sand to the depth of a foot and a half they cameto a tuber, three or four times as large as an ordinary turnip; and ateach spot where they had struck a similar one was procured. On breakingopen one of the tubers, it was found to be full of juice.
"These very good, me remember them before," observed Kibo.
Martin and the Hottentot loaded their horses with as many of the tubersas they could carry, perceiving at once what a rich treat they wouldprove to the thirsty and starving cattle.
Having first fed their own animals, they quickly returned with theirprize to the camp, accompanied by the bushman and his wife. Martinhaving rewarded them, they expressed their readiness to show where moretubers could be found. The riding oxen having been fed, another partywas despatched to obtain a further supply. On their return they wereable, as soon as the heat of the day was over, to proceed on to thenorthward.
"Though I was inclined to look with contempt on those poor littlewretches, father, see how useful they have been to us," observed Martin."It goes to prove, as Mr Warden says, that none of the human raceshould be despised; and debased as they may be, they are capable ofimprovement, and have immortal souls which we should value not less thanthose of our other fellow-creatures."
"As to that, my boy, I doubt whether you would ever make anything out ofthose wretched little bush-people. Well, well! you have got a number ofnew notions into your head. However, when we reach the Makololo, youwill have other things to occupy your thoughts; they are sharp fellows,and we shall have to keep our eyes open when dealing with them."
Martin knew that it would be his duty to assist his father to the bestof his abilities, and he promised to do so.
They moved on till dark, and started again at dawn, no water having beenfound. Had it not been for the roots which God has caused to grow inthis arid desert to supply the wants of His creatures, the oxen musthave perished.
Just as they were about to outspann after their morning's journey, thelittle bushman beckoned to Martin, and intimated that he could lead themto a place where another production of nature could be found which wouldassist to sustain the cattle.
Martin, summoning three men to attend him with their oxen, and somelarge nets used to carry fodder, followed his volunteer guide, who, toshow his confidence, left his wife with the waggon.
The country over which they passed was even more barren and arid thanany he had yet seen.
At length, after travelling several miles, some large green objects wereseen, which, to his surprise and delight, he discovered were a speciesof water-melon.
The Hottentots immediately rushed at them; the first man cut a hugeslice with his axe, but no sooner did he put his mouth to it than hecast it aside with a look of disgust and bitter disappointment. Thecattle, however, passing by several, began greedily eating others theycame to. Meantime the little guide, after tasting two or three which hethrew down, pointed to some which he signified were good. Martin nowfound that some were intensely bitter, while others were sweet and fullof juice; this, however, could only be ascertained by tasting each.
The party having now satisfied their own thirst, collected as many ofthe sweet melons as their animals could carry, and returned with them tothe camp.
"That bushman is a serviceable little fellow," observed Mr Vincent. "Ihave often seen both the tubers and the melons, but I have never foundthem before in this part of the desert. The latter seldom last longafte
r the rains, as not only do the natives of the desert collect them,but elephants, and rhinoceroses, and even lions and hyenas, come from adistance to devour them. It was probably in consequence of the aridcharacter of the surrounding desert that the patch to which the bushmantook you has escaped a visit from them."
Martin begged that he might be allowed to reward his guide, who seemedwell satisfied with an axe and several other useful articles, as well assome beads which he received.
"You should have waited till they can be of no further use before givingthem presents," observed his father. "Depend upon it, they will be offbefore long; and it Masiko, as I suspect, has lost his way, we shall bein no small difficulty."
Martin hoped that their new friends would prove faithful, though as thewaggon moved on during the afternoon they said something which made himsuspect that their wanderings did not extend much further to the north.They, however, accompanied the caravan to the