I very deliberately raised Kaiber by the hair, as all expostulations to him were useless, and then called up the others.
Kaiber had completely swelled himself out with this thick muddy liquid, and from the mark upon the sides of the hole had evidently consumed more than half of the total supply.

I first of all took some of this moist mud in my mouth, but finding a difficulty in swallowing it, as it was so thick, I strained a portion through a handkerchief.

We had thirsted with an intense and burning thirst for three days and two nights, during the greater portion of which time we had been taking violent exercise under a fierce sun.

To conceive the delight of the men when they arrived at this little hole of mud would be difficult.

Each, as he came up and cast his wearied limbs on the ground beside the hole, uttered these words: "Thank God;" and then greedily swallowed a few mouthfuls of the liquid mud, protesting that it was the most delicious water and had a peculiar flavour which rendered it far superior to any other he had ever tasted.
DANGER OF PERISHING FROM HUNGER.
But it required some time before their faculties were sufficiently recovered to allow them duly to estimate the magnitude of the danger they had escaped.