“See—see! they are wet!” exclaimed Halliday, digging away frantically.
We now got down into the hole, and threw the sand up behind us. Halliday at length brought up a handful which was moist, and pressed it to his lips. “It is free from salt!” he cried out; and again we all plunged down, till we came to a patch of wet sand. By keeping our hands in it, a little water at length began to trickle into them, which we eagerly drank. But this process appeared a very slow one. Had we possessed a cup of any sort to sink in the sand, we might have filled it; as it was, we were compelled to wait till we could get a few drops at a time in the hollow of our hands. Slow as was the proceeding, however, we at length somewhat overcame the burning thirst from which we had been suffering.
“Why should we not try to fill our shoes?” I exclaimed, as the thought struck me.
“We might try it; but it will take a long time to fill one of them,” said Boxall; “and I am afraid that the water will leak out as fast as it runs in.”
“I am ready to devote mine to the purpose, at all events,” I said, taking them off and working them down into the sand—though it was evident that a long time must elapse before water could flow into them.
“But what has become of Ben?” I asked; “we must let him know, as probably he is as thirsty as we were.”
We looked round, and at last caught sight of him
stooping down, as if picking up something at the edge of the water. We shouted to him, but he was so busily engaged that he did not hear us.
“He has found some mussels or other shell-fish,” exclaimed Halliday, setting off to run; “I am desperately hungry.”