,
as it seemed, only a few minutes expired before the trumpet once more
rang out, and I had to shake myself together, when the first face that
looked into mine was that of Joeboy, who was standing close by me with a
heap of haversacks at his feet, and grinning at me with a good-humoured
smile. I didn't smile, for I felt stiff and full of aches and pains;
but before long fires were burning and water getting hot. I had a good
shower-bath, too, in a gurgling spring of water which came down a rift
by the gap in the pass. Then sweet hot coffee and slices of bread and
cold ham out of one of the haversacks Joeboy had foraged for seemed to
quite alter the face of nature. Perhaps it was that the sun came out
warm and bright, and that the blue sky was beautiful; but I gave the
bread, ham, and coffee the credit of it all. Ah! what a breakfast that
was! It seemed to me the most delicious I had ever eaten; but before it
was begun I had been to see Denham, who was sitting up with his chest
tightly bandaged. He was ready to hold out a hand as soon as he saw me.

"Hullo, Moray!" he cried, "how are you this morning?"

"It's how are you?" I replied.

"Oh, I'm all right. A bit stiff, and I've got a bruise in the back, the
doctor says, like; the top of a silk hat."

"You haven't seen it?" I said.

"Have I got a neck like an ostrich or a giraffe? No, of course I
haven't."

"But is anything broken?" I asked anxiously.

"No, not even cracked. The pot's quite sound, so the doctor hasn't put
in a single rivet."

"I am glad," I said heartily.

"That's right--thank you," said the poor fellow, smiling pleasantly, and
he kept his eyes fixed upon me for some moments. Then in a light
bantering way he went on, "Doctor said the well-worn old thing."

"What was that?" I asked.

"Oh, that if it hadn't been for that bullet and brass cartridge-case,
backed up by the thick leather belt, that Boer's bullet would have
bored--now, now, you were going to laugh," he cried.

"That I wasn't," I said wonderingly. "What is there to laugh at?"

"Oh, you thought I was making a pun: bored a hole right through me."

"Rubbish!" I said. "Just as if I should have thought so lightly about
so terribly dangerous an injury."

"Good boy!" he cried merrily. "I like that. I see you've been very
nicely brought up. That must be due to your aunt--aunt--aunt--What's
her name?"

"Never mind," I said shortly; "but if you can laugh and joke like