e as he swept the horizon with his glass. "A good twelve hundred
men if there's one," then came, and he had another good long look. "Let
it stand at twelve hundred," he muttered; "but I believe there are
more." There was another pause. "Take some grass to keep all those
horses," he muttered--"that is, if they stay." Another pause. "Be next
door to madness to try to cut our way through them."

"Yes, sir," said Denham.

"I beg your pardon, Mr Denham," said the Colonel, lowering his glass to
look at my companion.

"Beg pardon, sir; I thought you spoke," replied Denham, and he cocked
his eye comically at me as the Colonel renewed his observations.

"They evidently mean to stay; and if we made a rush for it, every man
would be down upon his chest delivering such a deadly fire as I dare not
expose my poor, fellows to."

"No, sir," said Denham to me silently--that is to say, he made a round
"O" with his mouth, and then shaped the word "sir" as one would in
trying to speak to a deaf and dumb person.

"They'd empty half our saddles, and kill no end of horses," continued
the Colonel, as he kept on sweeping the plain with his glass.

There was a long pause now; and then, still speaking in the same low,
distinct voice, and without doubt under the impression that he was only
expressing his thoughts in silence: "That's it," he said at last, as if
he had quite come to a decision as to the course he must pursue. "In
the dark. A quiet walk till we are discovered by their outposts, and
then gallop and get through them. Say to-morrow night, when the horses
are well rested."

Another pause, during which Denham shook his head violently. Then: "No.
The poor horses would be hungry. It will have to be to-night. Let me
see; there is no moon. Yes, it must be to-night."

_Click_! went the field-glass as it was closed, and at the same moment
the Colonel turned, to see Denham nodding his head violently at me in
acquiescence with our chief's remarks, but in profound ignorance, till
he saw my eyes, of the fact that the Colonel was watching him curiously;
then he met the Colonel's glance, and blushed like a girl.

"Don't do that, Mr Denham. You'll injure your spine."

"Oh!" went Denham's mouth, and he stamped his foot, as the Colonel
walked away--both movements, of course, in silence.

"There," said the Colonel loudly, as if for us both to hear; "I don't
think I need try to see any more. Ha!" he ejaculated as, with a sharp