saddle and put it on; then, piling up more wood on the fire, and making a pillow of the inner part of his saddle, he fell asleep. He knew that here, in this waterless and semi-desert part of the veldt, few wild beasts--leopards, cheetahs, or hyænas--would be wandering about; and besides, he was too tired to trouble much if any there were. At dawn he awoke, cold and stiff; the fire was out; his pony was munching the remains of the grass that lay near him. Guy rose, somewhat refreshed, but with a terribly dry mouth and tongue. Saddling up, he now prepared to seek his way home. By the position of the sun and the aid of his compass, he could now steer some sort of way through this perplexing forest, and he steadily pushed on. Two hours later, having cleared the timber country and emerged once more upon the open plains, he came upon the spoor of horses, which convinced him that he was going in the right direction. After another hour of cantering and walking, he struck a wagon track, and knew that he could now find his way to the homestead. Very shortly he heard the reports of two guns, then a third. He guessed that these were fired by his uncle or cousin, now no doubt in search of him. Cantering that way, he soon caught sight of three mounted men, and in five minutes was shaking hands with his relatives. They had with them a native servant, and were riding out to look for him. "My word, Guy," said his uncle heartily, "I am glad to have come across you so soon. This is a dickens of a country to get lost in--the veldt is so waterless, except during the rains; and I was getting seriously anxious about you. We wandered about firing shots yesterday afternoon, and then made for home to bring out more water, and hunt you up to-day, in case you had completely lost yourself. Didn’t you hear our shots yesterday?" "Yes," answered Guy, "I heard two just before sundown last evening; but they were far away to the east, and I couldn’t make anything of them, though I wandered that way after dark. Then I camped, made a fire, and slept, and here I am." "Excellent, my boy," said his uncle; "but you must be terribly dry. Here, April," turning to the native; "unfasten that water-bottle and give Baas Guy a drink. Drink up, lad; it’s cold tea, and will do you good." Guy drank and drank, and presently returned the bottle. "Never tasted anything so good in my life," he said, wiping his lips. "It’s nectar. I begin to understand what thirst really is. In England we can have no idea of it, in a country where you can’t go a mile without coming on water of some kind or other."