WE LOSE OUR WAY. 147 moment he had vanished into the blurry outline of the column it was a hopeless business. To make natters worse, we found ourselves at one moment n a dense wood of thorny mimosa trees, which played he blazes with the loads ; and I can swear that several imes the Pole Star was in front of us, instead of he Southern Cross ! We were evidently going in i circle, for occasionally the advance-guard was surrised by finding itself following the rear-guard.

The reason was that Sir Herbert had purposely rone off the track, intending to take a more southerly ourse, so as to strike the river some way below VIetemmeh. Abu Loolah, our friend the robber-chief, ad guided the column at first, but the other guides nsisted that he was going too far south. Accordingly hey were told to go ahead themselves, and succeeded n misleading us and losing our way completely.* It was bitterly cold, and every one was fearfully leepy. Men in dozens went to sleep on their :amels, and strayed from the column, one or two * So much out of its bearing was the column that it was never liscovered what mimosa wood it was we got lost in no one ever :ame across it afterwards !

L 2