"It is half past one," Frank said, holding the lantern, which the
pilot had left with them, to his watch. "We shall get four hours'
sleep. You had better serve a tot of grog all round, George. It
will keep out the damp night air."
One of the blacks was carrying a basket, and each of the men had
brought a water bottle and pannikin.
"Put some water in it, lads," Frank said, "and it would be a good
thing to eat a bit of biscuit with it."
Dominique had told Frank that the guide had made some remark about
the two blacks dropping behind so often, and the latter took out
his handkerchief, tore it into eight pieces, and gave it to him.
"Wherever you turn off, Dominique, drop one of these pieces on the
path. That will be quite sufficient."
"Yes, sar; but you see we don't know when we start up path whether
it be right path or no. We go up one, if find dat hit not de one
dey go, den come back again and try anoder. What we to do?"
After thinking for some little time, Frank suggested that
Dominique's best way would be to tell the guide that he was
footsore, and that as several paths would have to be searched, he
and one of the men would sit down there.
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