Englishman we'll have a try at it.

"You've settled the matter up to this, so go on with it. I'm an older
man, and perhaps more used to these fellows, but I'm sure you could beat
me in slimness. Now out with it, lad, or those Boers will be on us
before we are ready."

"Very well, then," Jack replied, "let us set to work. We must break up
some of this furniture. We want a couple of hammers, a saw, and some
big nails. Have you got them?"

"Yes, close handy, Jack. Eileen, fetch the bag, like a good girl, and
bring the axe along."

"Now break up the table and nail the boards across the window, Wilfred,"
continued Jack. "Frank and I will see to the door. It must be firmly
closed. Wait a minute, though, our ponies may be of some use to us. I
will slip out and bring them in."

Jack opened the door and ran round to the back of the house. A minute
later he returned and led in the three ponies, taking them to a small
kitchen. Then he brought in two of the Boer ponies, and drove the
others out of the garden on to the veldt. That done, he shut the door,
bolted it, and nailed two heavy uprights against it. A quarter of an
hour later all the windows were firmly barricaded, a niche about three
inches wide having been left between the planks through which the rifles
could be pushed. Then with an auger he drilled a number of holes
through the walls all round the house, driving three of them so as to
form a triangle, the sides of which he completed with a chisel, thus
forming apertures about five inches high and as much in breadth, which
would give them a good view across the veldt.

"Now we're ready," he said, when all was at last completed, "and I
expect we shall have the Boers here soon. Eileen, you had better go
down into the cellar, I think, so as to be out of danger."

"Thank you, Jack!" she answered calmly. "This house will require every
rifle we have to defend it. I have used one many a time, and I shall
stay up here and help you."

"Brave girl, and it's like you, dear!" exclaimed Frank Russel. "Stay if
you wish, for we'll not deny that three is a small number to garrison
this place. I suppose we had better take our posts now. One at each
wall will be the thing. Remember, it's steady, quiet shooting we want,
and only use the magazine when they make a rush. That will be our
trouble. It wants more than three hours before we shall get daylight,
and until then we shall have to trust to our ears to te