e
midst of a rush led by Roberts and Bracy, both making for a rough
breastwork of rocks built a hundred feet up one side and held by two or
three score of the enemy, the latter uttered a sharp ejaculation,
stopped short, and then dropped upon his knees, his sword, as it fell
from his hand to the full extent of the knot secured by the slide to his
wrist, jingling loudly on the stones. Roberts was at his side in a
moment, and leaned over him.

"Not badly hurt?"

"No, no," cried Bracy; "never mind me. On with you, and lead the boys;
they're close up to that breastwork. On--on!"

Roberts turned and rushed up the rock-strewn defile, reaching his men as
they crowded together for a rush, and Bracy and the man hurrying to him
saw them go over it as if they were engaged in an obstacle race. The
next minute they disappeared round another bend in the jagged rift, in
full pursuit of the late occupants of the murderous shelter.

"And me not with 'em, and me not with 'em!" groaned the private who had
fallen back. "But I don't care. I ain't going to leave him."

Before he could double back to where Bracy knelt, the wounded officer
sank over sidewise, with the rugged defile seeming to swim round before
his eyes, and, for a few minutes, glory, the hot rage of pursuit, and
the bitter disappointment of failure were as nothing. Then he opened
his eyes upon the lad who was bending over him, holding a water-bottle
to his lips.

"Try and drink a drop, sir, if it's ever so little."

The words seemed to come from a great distance off and to echo in
Bracy's head, as he made an effort and swallowed a few drops of the
lukewarm fluid.

"Gedge," he said at last with difficulty, staring hard at the lad, whose
head seemed to have gone back to its old state after the blow from the
falling rock, but only to swell now to a monstrous size.

"Yes, sir; it's me, sir. Ought to have gone on with the boys, but I
couldn't leave you, sir, for fear of some of the rats coming down from
the holes to cut you up."

"Rats? Holes?" said Bracy feebly. "What's the matter?"

"Not much, I hope, sir; on'y you've got hit. Whereabouts is it? Ah,
needn't ask," he muttered as he saw a dark mark beginning to show on the
left breast of the young officer's tunic, and spreading like a big blot
on a writing-pad.

"Hit? Nonsense--ah!" Bracy uttered a low groan, and clapped his right
hand across to cover the spot.

"Yes, sir. Jus' there," said Gedge; "b