rhead
with an angry buzz like so many big flies.

"Retire!" shouted my companion. "It's of no use to waste ammunition.
They're in strong force up yonder.--Here, you, Moray, what are you
about?"

"Nothing," I said sternly; "only looking for my man."

"But didn't you hear my order?" shouted Denham; and before I could do
anything to prevent him he caught Sandho's rein and put spurs to his
horse.

"Don't do that," I cried angrily. "I can't go and leave my poor fellow
in the lurch. I'm afraid he's hit."

"I can't stop here and have my little troop shot down on account of your
black."

"But--"

"Come on, sir!" shouted Denham; "obey orders. Here, you're a pretty
rough sort of a pup for me to lick into shape," he added, in a friendly
way, as he trotted back amongst the stones. "Recollect you're a soldier
now, without any will of your own. You hand everything over to your
officer, and obey him, whether it's to ride forward into the enemy's
fire or to retire."

"But it's horrible to leave that poor fellow to his fate," I said.

"More horrible to lose the lives of the party of men entrusted to me.
Look here, my lad; it's an officer's duty never to throw away a man. If
he is obliged to spend a few to carry some point, that's war and
necessary; but to dash them bull-headed against double odds to gain
nothing is folly."

"But I can't go on. Let me stay back and try and help him," I said
passionately.

"Certainly not. Be sensible. Look here: you don't know that he's hit."

"But he dropped from behind that stone."

"Yes; but that may be his dodge. Perhaps he's gliding back under cover
from stone to stone."

"Perhaps," I said bitterly. "Look here: if this is your way of going to
work I've had enough of soldiering."

I rode on unwillingly, expecting to hear a furious tirade from my
companion, who still held my rein; but he was silent for a few minutes,
while the bullets kept on spattering and whizzing about us without
hitting any one.

"So you're tired of soldiering--are you?" said Denham at last.

"Yes," I said hotly. "I never felt such a coward before."

"Rubbish! Look here: you want me to expose my little detachment to the
fire of that strongly-posted crowd of Boers, and get half of them shot
down, so as to try and pick up your servant."

"No, I don't," I replied sharply. "There's plenty of cover here. I
should have got the men behind some of these blocks of stone and
returned the fire, so as