Down it went to the transparent depths -- fathom after fathom we could trace its course till at last a long line of bright air-bubbles, swiftly chasing each other to the surface, alone remained where it had passed.

At length these, too, were gone, and that was an end of our poor servant.
Umslopogaas thoughtfully watched the body vanish.
'What did he follow us for ?' he asked.

''Tis an ill omen for thee and me, Macumazahn.' And he laughed.
I turned on him angrily, for I dislike these unpleasant suggestions.
If people have such ideas, they ought in common decency to keep them to themselves.

I detest individuals who make on the subject of their disagreeable presentiments, or who, when they dream that they saw one hanged as a common felon, or some such horror, will insist upon telling one all about it at breakfast, even if they have to get up early to do it.
Just then, however, the others woke up and began to rejoice exceedingly at finding that we were out of that dreadful river and once more beneath the blue sky.

Then followed a babel of talk and suggestions as to what we were to do next, the upshot of all of which was that, as we were excessively hungry, and had nothing whatsoever left to eat except a few scraps of biltong (dried game-flesh), having abandoned all that remained of our provisions to those horrible freshwater crabs, we determined to make for the shore.
But a new difficulty arose.