ind the dynamite, let us fire through the door." On
hearing of dynamite and firing through the door, the occupant could
remain silent no longer. He jumped up and cried out, "Wait, wait--don't
fire! I am coming." Peeping out at the door, he asked with tremulous
voice, "What do you want?" "Come out," said the Commandant; "I want to
see you on important business." "The sooner you come the better for
you," added the burgher, who happened to be related to Mr. X. This
remark, however, spoiled the rest of the game, for Mr. X. recognised the
voice of his relative, and catching at the same time a glimpse of his
face in the bright moonlight, he rushed out and flung his arms around
one who had not killed his relative's affection by his joke.

The following incident well illustrates the self-possession and presence
of mind sometimes displayed by our opponents. On a certain day two Boer
scouts were charged by two of their own men. The scouts, observing that
the two burghers mistook them for enemies, simply dismounted and waited
for them. While the two Boers came tearing up to their own scouts, two
of the enemy's scouts who were not far off, observing these two Boers,
took them in their turn for British, and thinking to render them some
assistance, likewise charged the Boer scouts. When they reached the Boer
scouts the two burghers had already captured (?) the latter, and had
dismounted. Our friends at once realized their awkward position. They
were in the presence of four Boers. Escape was out of the question,
unless they could get round these Boers in some way or other. As both of
them could talk Dutch, being Colonials, the happy idea struck them at
once to try to pose as burghers, for there were several commandoes in
that district, and it was just possible that these Boers, in whose hands
they now were, would take their word and let them off. One of them,
therefore, on reaching the burghers, very ingeniously remarked, "Well,
you know, we actually took you for _khakis_." The other one was not slow
to offer the burghers some fruit which he had in his pocket. And so they
began talking to one another in a most familiar way. One of the Boers, a
certain Mr. Bresler, suspected these two unknown friends, and while the
other three were conversing with them as they sat on their horses, he
(Bresler) kept his eyes on them, and watched their every movement. At
length Bresler said, "Well, you had better go to your commando, or
dismount your tire