Reeves bit his lip and said nothing. Hugh also was silent, but Gerald gave an exclamation of despair. The same fact was apparent to each of them. They were stranded in the desert, with only two hieries between them, and not a drop of water to drink. CHAPTER VIII A Discovery "IT'S no use staying here all day," remarked Reeves at length. "Gather up the provisions, and take a musket and ammunition apiece, and we'll make a dash for the river; it can't be much more than twenty miles off." He spoke as naturally as he could, but twenty miles across a trackless desert in the full heat of the blazing sun was no light journey, especially when one must be afoot. Besides, the presence of the river might be purely conjectural; it might make a sudden bend to the west, and instead of tramping twenty miles, the travellers might stagger on till they dropped, and still not find water. However, it was a course for actions, not words; and, having armed themselves, Hugh and Gerald mounted the two remaining hieries, while Reeves walked between the animals. But before they had traversed a hundred yards the correspondent stopped. "Hand me that goatskin!" he exclaimed, and without a word as to his intentions he retraced his steps to the rock. The lads gazed at him in astonishment, yet both were too utterly exhausted and parched to speak. In less than five minutes the correspondent returned, staggering under the load of a distended water bottle. "Drink" he said, holding up the skin for Gerald to take, "but be careful not to spill a drop." Longingly Hugh watched his companion take a deep draught of the life-giving fluid, but patiently he waited his turn. "And you, Mr. Reeves?" asked Gerald, as the correspondent carefully retied the mouth of the goatskin when Hugh had drunk. "I've had some already. I had what was over; it was not much, but enough." Both lads knew where the water had been obtained, although the idea had not previously entered their heads. Nature has provided the camel with unique means of carrying a large supply of water, which, until required, remains as fresh as can be expected; and, with the knowledge of this peculiarity, Reeves had deftly drawn the precious fluid from the dead hierie. Then the tedious, anxious journey was resumed. The sun, now high in the heavens, beat fiercely upon the white _burnouses_ of the travellers, while the sand underfoot was so hot that Reeves could scarce place his feet to the ground, in spite of the fact that his well-made boots still stood the wear and tear of days in the desert. Yet uncomplainingly he tramped full five weary miles before Gerald insisted on giving up his camel to his elder. Hour after hour passed without any sign of the hoped-for river. At length the ground, still sandy, though dotted here and there with masses of smooth, rounded rock, began to slope upwards, apparently without a break, for nearly five miles.