MORE POOLS. 97 quickly sucked up by the thirsty sand. If that is so down below, what must be the scene in the hills when the rains are in full swing ! I should like to see it, from a balloon.

We climbed and struggled over the boulders for some time without finding any water, till we were brought up short by seeing some greenish liquid oozing out from under a rock. It was discovered to be a spring, but the water was warm and slimy, and probably unwholesome. A short distance off was another similar one, likewise nasty, so we did not pull up till we came to a pot-hole in the rock, about six feet across, and ten deep, half full of beautifully clear water. Having forgotten to bring a cup, and our water-bottles being too light to sink by themselves, we tied a baccy bag to a stick and drank in comfort. During the manoeuvres employed to fill the bag with water, my precious pipe fell out of my pocket into the hole. I couldn't reach so far with my arm, and our extemporised cup was too small to fish it out with, so we employed the last resource : N held me by the heels, whilst I