My chief hope was in the coming daylight. They were lesslikely to attack a man then than in the dark. I had oftenmet one or two together when hunting; these had alwaysbolted. But I had never seen a pack before; and I knew apack meant that they were after food. All depended on theirhunger.
When I kept still they got up, advanced a yard or two, thenrepeated their former game. Every minute the light grewstronger; its warmer tints heralded the rising sun. Seeing,however, that my passivity encouraged them, and convincedthat a single step in retreat would bring the pack upon me, Idetermined in a moment of inspiration to run amuck, and trustto Providence for the consequences. Flinging my arms wildlyinto the air, and frantically yelling with all my lungs, Idashed straight in for the lot of them. They were, as Iexpected, taken by surprise. They jumped to their feet andturned tail, but again stopped - this time farther off, at having to wait till their preysuccumbed.
The sun rose. Samson was on the move. I shouted to him, andhe to me. Finding me thus reinforced the enemy slunk off,and I was not sorry to see the last of my ugly foes. I nowrepeated my instructions about our trysting place, waitedpatiently till Samson had breakfasted (which he did with themost exasperating deliberation), saw him saddle my horse andleave his camp. I then started upon my travels up the river,to meet him. After a mile or so, the high ground on bothbanks obliged us to make some little detour. We then lostsight of each other; nor was he to be seen when I reached theappointed spot.
Long before I did so I began to feel the effects of mylabours. My naked feet were in a terrible state from thecactus thorns, which I had been unable to avoid in the dark;occasional stones, too, had bruised and made them verytender. Unable to shuffle on at more than two miles an hourat fastest, the happy thought occurred to me of tearing up myshirt and binding a half round each foot. This enabled me toget on much better; but when the September sun was high, myunprotected skin and head paid the penalty. I waited for acouple of hours, I dare say, hoping Samson would appear. Butconcluding at length that he had arrived long before me,through the slowness of my early progress, and had gonefurther up the river - thinking perhaps that I had meant someother place - I gave him up; and, full of internal 'd-n' athis incorrigible consistency, plodded on and on for - I knewnot where.
Why, it may be asked, did I not try to cross where I hadintended? I must confess my want of courage. True, theriver here was not half, not a third, of the width of thescene of my disasters; but I was weak in body and in mind.
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