One day, right in my track, lay two very large snakes which had evidently been engaged in a very serious encounter; and the victor had commenced swallowing his exhausted adversary.

He had disposed of some three or four feet of that adversary's length when I arrived on the scene, and was evidently resting before taking in the rest.

I easily made prisoners of both.
Not long after this incident a delusive hope was held out to me that I might be able to return to civilisation.

News was brought one day that the tracks of some strange and hitherto unknown animals had been found to the north, and, accompanied by Yamba, I went off to inspect them.

I found that they were camel tracks--for the second time; and as Yamba informed me that, from the appearance of the trail, there was no one with them, I concluded that in all probability the creatures were wild, having long ago belonged to some exploring party which had come to grief.
"Here at length," I thought, "is the means of returning to civilisation.
If I can only reach these creatures--and why should I not with so much assistance at my disposal ?--I will break them in, and then strike south across the deserts with my wife and family." I returned to the camp, and taking with me a party of the most intelligent tribesmen, set off after the wild camels.