[Illustration: MALCOLM AT BREAKFAST WITH ESAU.]
This was now the 10th of July and we had reached Camp 51. We were well repaid for our decision, for the following morning was perfectly glorious—not a cloud, not a breath of wind was there to mar the quietude that man and beast at this time so much needed. To commemorate the occasion, I photographed Malcolm enjoying his breakfast just outside the tent, with Esau standing by the other side of the table, holding in his hand a dish of luxuries!
About midday, Tokhta, Sulloo, and the pony walked slowly into camp. They persisted that nothing on earth would induce them to travel onwards another step; poor fellows, they had reached what seemed to them a perfect haven of rest; they must have felt thoroughly worn out, for all they wanted to do was to remain where they were and quietly die. It was quite certain that it would have been madness for us to remain with them, for only a few more days' rations remained, and our only chance of getting through the country at all lay in our coming across nomads from whom by hook or crook we could get supplies. We did think of leaving some men behind, while a small party marched on as fast as possible with light loads in search of people, but these men did not relish being left, and supposing there were no people to find, our situation would have been still more critical. We ended our problem by leaving the two sick men with a pony and a supply of food and drinking utensils, etc., so that if they felt inclined they might follow after, for they would have found no difficulty in tracking us. We buoyed them up, too, with the hopes we entertained of shortly finding people, when we would at once send back assistance to them. We also endeavoured to persuade them to make an effort in reaching a fresh camp each day, by marching and halting according to their inclination, for we told them we should only make short marches, and at each camp we would leave a supply of food for them and some grain for the pony. It was a sad thing having to leave these men and the pony as we did, and when we halted for the night and the sun began to set calmly over these vast solitudes, there was no sign of their coming, look back as we might to the far-off hills for some tiny, distant, yet moving, speck. The darkness of night soon gathered around, and we could only wonder how close they might be to us. The next day we saw new life, for Malcolm had a shot at a wild dog, while I saw two eagles; such sights as these at once set our imagination at work, for we argued as to how could these creatures exist unless people were living somewhere close. At the same time it brought encouragement to all.