“This is dreadful,” said Alexander, at last, speaking with difficulty.

“We are lost, that is certain,” said the Major; “but we must trust in God.”

“Yes, we may now say, Lord help us, or we perish,” replied Alexander.

At this moment, little Omrah, who had been behind, rode up to them, and offered them one of the Hottentots’ pipes, which he had lighted saying, “Smoke,—­not feel so bad.”  Alexander took it, and after a few whiffs found that it had the effect or producing a little saliva, and he handed it to the Major, who did the same, and felt immediate relief.

They continued to walk their horses in a southerly direction; but the heat was now so great, that it became almost insufferable, and at last the horses stood still.  They dismounted and drove their horses slowly before them over the glowing plain; and now the mirage deluded and tantalized them in the strangest manner.  At one time Alexander pointed with delight (for he could not speak) to what he imagined to be the wagons; they pushed on, and found that it was a solitary quagga, magnified thus by the mirage.  Sometimes they thought that they saw lakes of water in the distance, and hastened on to them; and then they fancied they were close to rivers and islands, covered with luxuriant foliage, but still were doomed to disappointment; as all was the result of the highly-rarefied air, and the refraction of the sun’s rays on the sultry plain.  What would they have given for a bush even to afford them any shelter from the noonday sun, for the crowns of their heads appeared as if covered with live coal, and their minds began to wander.  The poor horses moved at the slowest pace, and only when driven on by Omrah, who appeared to suffer much less than his masters.  Every now and then he handed to them the pipe, but at last even that had no longer any relief.  Speech had been for some hours totally lost.  Gradually the sun sunk down to the horizon, and as his scorching rays became less intense they to a certain degree recovered their wandering senses.

At night they sat down by the side of the horses, and, worn out with fatigue and exhaustion, fell into a troubled sleep; a sleep which, if it relieved their worn-out frames, condemned them to the same tantalizing feelings as had been created by the mirage during the day.  They dreamed that they were in the bowers of paradise, hearing heavenly music; passing from crystal stream to stream, slaking their thirst at each, and reclining on couches of verdant green.  Every thing that was delightful appeared to them in their dreams; they were in the abodes of bliss, and thus did they remain for an hour or two, when they were wakened up by the roar of a lion, which reminded them that they were without food or water in the desert.