to keep the enemy in check while I sent two men
dismounted to try and bring my man--our guide--in, alive or dead."

"Humph!" said my companion shortly. "Why, I begin to think you are a
better soldier than I am;" and, to my intense surprise, he halted the
party behind a huge block which divided our way, dismounted half, and
sent them out right and loft to seek cover from whence they could reply
to the enemy's fire. Then he turned to me.

"You must hold two horses," he said. "I'll send two fellows to steal up
the gap from stone to stone to try and pick up your man."

"No, no," I said excitedly. "I'll go alone."

"Suppose you find him wounded, or--"

"Dead?" I said, finishing his sentence.

"Yes: you couldn't carry him in."

"No," I said, with a sigh. "I'm lame still from the injury to my foot.
It hurts me so badly at times that I can hardly ride."

"Hurrah!" came from the right, and the cheer was taken up from the left,
while _crack, crack, crack_, rifles were being brought well into play.

"What does that mean?" said Denham. "Have they brought down one of the
Dutchmen?"

He pressed his horse's sides and rode out from behind the great stone,
while I followed him, to learn directly what was the meaning of the
cheering. It was plain enough, for there, about five hundred yards up
the narrow pass, was Joeboy coming after us at a quick run, dodging
round the great stones, and pretty well contriving to keep them between
him and the enemy, whose rifles kept on spitting bullets fiercely after
him.

It was as Denham had suggested. Joeboy had leaped down from behind the
stone as soon as he had drawn the enemy's fire, then started to follow
us, running the gauntlet of their bullets, and reaching us in a very
short time, flushed, triumphant, and very little out of breath.

"Well," cried Denham, "see the Boers?"

"Um!" replied Joeboy.

"Were there a great many of them?" I said eagerly, as I sat hoping the
poor fellow did not give me the credit of forsaking him in a cowardly
way.

For answer he held up both hands with fingers and thumbs outspread;
dropped them, and raised them once more; and would have kept on for long
enough if I had not checked him.

"You see," I said to Denham, "they are in great force up there."

"Yes, and no wonder," was the reply, "for it's a very strong position.
Now then, all here, and forward once more."

The men ran back into the rallying-place as quickly as so many rabbits,