t came into my head. Don't see anything--do
you?"

"Nothing," I replied. "It's dark; but there's a curious transparent
look about the night, and I think we should see any one directly if he
were advancing."

"How? I don't see that's at all likely."

"If any one passed along it would be like a shadow crossing the grey
stones. They look quite grey in the starlight."

"Well, yes, they do," he said; "and--I say, what's that?"

He pointed towards the Boers' camp-fires, and, startled by his tone, I
looked eagerly in the direction pointed out; but there were the piles of
grey stones looking dull and shadowy, but no sign to me of anything
else.

"Fancy," I said.

"No. Just as you spoke I saw something dark go across one of the
stones. Shall I fire?"

"Certainly not. It would be alarming every one for nothing. We talked
about seeing things pass the grey stones, and that made you think you
saw some one."

"Perhaps so," he said thoughtfully. "Anyhow, there's nothing here now.
I say, that seems to have woke me up."

"It would," I said; and then I crouched a little lower, shading my eyes
from the starlight and keenly sweeping the chaotic wilderness of rocks
again and again, but seeing nothing.

I heard, though, the steps of the sentry away to my left, and soon after
a faint cough to my right sounded quite loudly.

"It wouldn't have done for you to have gone to sleep with me taking your
place, for I suppose some officer will be visiting the posts before very
long, and then you'd have been found out if I hadn't woke you in time."

I said this in a low tone not much above a whisper, in case any one was
going the rounds; but he did not take any notice.

"It wouldn't have done, you know," I said.

There was a low, heavy sighing breath, which made me start in wonder,
and then turn towards my companion, to find that his rifle was resting
against the stone, and that he had sunk sidewise against another and was
fast asleep.

"Completely fagged out," I said to myself, with a feeling of pity for
him. "He did fight bravely against it; but the drowsiness was too much
for him."

One moment I felt ready to take hold of his arm and shake him, but I did
not. I was there with his rifle ready to my hand, and if I kept his
watch, perhaps only for a few minutes, he would wake up again, refreshed
and better able to keep it till he was relieved.

"It often is so," I said to myself. "One drops asleep after dinner, and
t