A Rip Van Winkle of the Kalahari | Page 8

following the dry river-bed of the Om-
Mafako north-east to the confines of the Omaheke desert that great
north-western outlier of the true Kalahari not far, indeed, from this very
spot! So far the trek had been slow and tedious, but without untoward
incident. We were well armed, and those natives who did not avoid us
were only too eager to bring in food, or show us water in return for our
trade goods.
But, as the broken, bushy country gave way to the sand, water became
scarcer and scarcer, until it could only be obtained in small quantities
by digging deep in the bone-dry bed of the parched-up river.
At length it became evident that we could take the wagon and oxen no
farther; and so, at some Bushmen water-pits, at the every edge of the
desert, where "toa" grass and other fodder was still plentiful, I decided
to leave both vehicle and beasts in charge of my Hottentot and Griqua
followers, and attempt the desert journey on horseback, and
accompanied only by Inyati. Indeed there was no other course; for the
few "pans" that might contain water on the route we should have to
follow, were far between, and, as the season was late, even they might
well be dry. "T'samma," therefore, the wild melon that serves for food
and water for both man and beast in these desert stretches, would be

our only resource; but even in this respect the lateness of the season
was a source of anxiety, for, as you doubtless know, when once it is
over-ripe the t'samma is useless.
Two riding and two pack horses were all therefore that we dare take; on
the latter we loaded food, ammunition, spare arms and trade goods; and
with our skin water-bags filled, one evening when the moon was nearly
at its full, we bade goodbye to our little band, and struck due east
across the desert.
Our plan was to hold in that direction as long as t'samma was abundant;
and should it fail, to attempt to reach one of the "pans" Inyati had
discovered in his flight across the desert years before, and which the
strange instinct of locality common to all natives of these wastes would
probably enable him to find again.
All night long we rode slowly and steadily through the dunes which
were here favorable to our course; for their long parallel lines ran like
the waves of the sea, almost due east and west, as far as the eye could
reach, and we were able to ride in the "aars" or narrow valleys between
them and make good progress.
So far vegetation of a sort was still abundant, tufted "toa" grass, sorrel,
and other succulent plants offered juicy fodder for the horses, and I
began to think that this much-dreaded desert was a desert but in name,
and that our task was to be a light one. With dawn we off- saddled.
From the summit of a high dune I looked round in all directions, and as
far as the eye could reach could see nothing but the endless monotony
of wave after wave of dunes, treeless, and apparently almost devoid of
vegetation, for the little there was, was confined to the deep hollows
between. A short distance away a fair-sized bush offered a modicum of
shade, and here we rested for the day for we had planned to travel only
in the cool of the night as long as the moon served. And here Inyati
showed me how to make water from the young green t'samma, taking
those the size of an orange only, and roasting them in the ashes, and
thus turning their pulp into a clear liquid like water. Seldom though did
we trouble to do this, eating the insipid cucumber-like fruit as we found
it, but though refreshing and capable of supporting life, the longing for

water is always present in the desert.
And thus, trekking by night, and resting by day as much as the terrific
heat would allow, we worked our tedious way into the heart of the
desert; and now the magnitude of the task before me was becoming
more fully apparent every day. For, toil as our willing beasts would, it
was obvious that each long night's exhausting trek barely carried us ten
miles forward as the crow flies. The dunes were each day becoming
higher, till they were veritable mountains of sand, the patches of
t'samma became less and less frequent, and it was evident that at any
time they might fail altogether. All this time we saw no sign of human
life, not even a solitary spoor upon the tell-tale sand. Animal life,
however, there was in abundance, and we had no need to leave our path
to shoot as much game