You can come or not." He cleared away the hot surface alkali, spread out his blanket, and slept until the next day's heat aroused him.

His water was so low that he dared not make coffee now, and so breakfasted without it.

Until ten o'clock he tramped forward, then camped again in the shade of one of the rare rock ledges, and "lay up" during the heat of the day.

By five o'clock he was once more on the march.
He travelled on for the greater part of that night, stopping only once towards three in the morning to water the mule from the canteen.

Again the red-hot day burned up over the horizon.