Poor Tom had surely passed on to the better land, thought he, and salvation was so near.

He approached and lifted the hat rim.

There was a movement of the eyes, a quivering of the muscles of the face, and a sort of semi-unconscious stare such as precedes approaching dissolution.
Quickly holding back his head he poured water between his lips from his canteen and it was swallowed.

Then a little more, and then some more, and life seemed coming back again into a troublesome world, bringing pain with it, and the consciousness of a suffering body.

After a time he felt better and was helped to his feet, and together they went to the water hole where they made a fire and cooked the rabbit which was the first savory meat they had tasted for a long time.