telling how far the
rising might spread. Indeed the tribes within the Colonial border,
Gaikas, Hlambis, and a section of the Tembus, were reported more and
more restless, and ominous rumours filled the air, of a preconcerted
rising, of signal fires flashing their dread message nightly from the
most prominent mountain heights, of war-dances on a large scale, and the
sending of cattle away to places of concealment.

For all these alarms, Doppersdorp, secure in its comparative remoteness
from the theatre of strife, cared but little. Still, it must draw some
entertainment out of the prevailing excitement, wherefore its already
existing Volunteer Corps was promptly remodelled, and many recruits
poured in. It was a most important institution was this Volunteer
Corps, for did it not confer military rank on more than one of the most
prominent store-keepers, with whom Solomon in all his glory was not in
it, what time these majors and captains were swaggering around in a
silver-grey uniform adorned with a shining shoulder strap and a whistle
and jingling chain, the while striving hard to be at their ease and yet
not stumble over the sabre, which was the proudest adornment of all?
Further, did it not form a convenient outlet to the martial ardour of
many a waggon-wright's or blacksmith's apprentice, and perchance a
shopman or so--hight a store-clerk in local parlance--who, rising
suddenly from their hard-earned slumbers, to the sound of a bugle
ringing out the wildest of alarm, would fall into rank for a nocturnal
forced march along the waggon road, and, hearts beating high with
heroism, effect the surround and capture of three or four amazed and
perfectly harmless natives camped for the night? Then it was deemed
necessary to place a guard over the nocturnal safety of the township,
with periodical patrols, during which some warrior might perchance
distinguish himself by spitting with his bayonet a more rashly
aggressive cur than ordinary. These heroes found nightly asylum in a
"guard-house," devoted to the custody of many fleas and a few insignia
of the order of Good Templars, to whom the structure in fact belonged;
and when upon his round of inspection one of the newly gazetted majors
or captains aforesaid heard the ringing order, "Guard--turn out!" why
then indeed he felt he had not lived in vain. But that doughty corps
the Doppersdorp Volunteer Rifles had its uses, and in the fulness of
time its band learned to play more