"You have hit upon the man, and to a certain degree corroborated my opinion of him. But the day is dawning, the sun will soon be above those hills."
"When we stop, I will have some grease put to those wagon-wheels," said Alexander.
"I fear it will be of little use," replied the Major; "creak they will. I don't know whether the oxen here are like those in India; but this I know, that the creaking of the carts and hackeries there is fifty times worse than this. The natives never grease the wheels; they say the oxen would not go on if they did not hear the music behind them."
"Besides, the creaking of the wheels will by and by be of service; when we are traveling through grass higher than our heads, we shall not be able to stop behind a minute, if we have not the creaking of the wheels to direct us how to follow."
"Well, then, I suppose we must save our grease," said Alexander.
"In a very few days you will be so accustomed to it," said the Major, "that if it were to cease, you would feel the loss of it."
"Well, it may be so; use is second nature; but at present I feel as if the loss would be gain. There is the sun just showing himself above the hill. Shall we halt or go on?"
"Go on for another hour, and the men can thus examine the traces and the wagons by daylight, and then, when we stop, we can remedy any defects."
"Be it so; there is a house, is there not, on the rising ground, as far as you can see?"
"Yes, I think so," replied the Major.