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Wind, Sand and Stars

I tried to bring up a little saliva; how long was it since I had spit?  No saliva.  If I kept my mouth closed, a kind of glue sealed my lips together. It dried on the outside of the lips and formed a hard crust. However, I found I was still able to swallow, and I bethought me that I was still not seeing a blinding light in my eyes. Once I was treated to that radiant spectade I might know that the end was a couple of hours away.

Night fell. The moon had swollen since I last saw it. Prevot was still not back. I stretched out on my back and turned these few data over in my mind. ...

What was that ? Five hundred yards ahead of me I could see the Iight of his lamp. He had lost his way. I had no lamp with which to signal back. I stood up and shouted, but he could not hear me.
A second lamp, and then a third ! God in Heaven!I It was a search parfy and it was me they were hunting !
'Hi ! Hi l' I shouted.
But they had not heard me. The three lamps were still signalling me.
Tonight I am sane,' I said to myself. 'I am relaxed. I am not out of my head. Those are certainly three lamps and they are about five hundred yards off.' I stared at them and shouted again, and again I gathered that they could not hear me.
Then, for the first and only time, I was really seized with panic. I could still run, I thought.'Waitl Wait!' I screamed.
They seemed to be turning away from me, going off, hunting me elsewhere! And I stood tottering, tottering on the brink of life when there were arms out there ready to catch me ! I shouted and screamed again and again.
They had heard me! An answering shout had come. I was strangling, sufiocating, but I ran on,  shouting as I ran, until I saw Prevot and keeled over.
When I could speak again I said: 'Whew I When I saw all those lights ..'
'What lights?'
God in Heaven, it was true ! He was alone !
This time I was beyond despair. I was filled with a sort of dumb fury.
'What about your lake?' I rasped.
'As fast as I moved towards it, it moved back. I walked after it for about half an hour. Then it seemed still too far away, so I came back. But I am positive, now, that it is a lake.'
'You're crazy. Absolutely crazy. Why did you do it? Tell me. Why?'....

Prevot made no comment.
'Well' he said finally, 'I guess we're in a bad way'.