f
we fail to shoot them down Eileen will be able to stop them, for she
will take her post half-way up this ladder, so as to be out of the
fire."

"But, Jack," Eileen began to expostulate.

"You will do as I say, or else we will show the white flag at once,"
exclaimed Jack earnestly.

"The lad's right, Eileen," Frank chimed in. "It's going to be hot work
up above, and you can help us far more by doing as Jack says than by
taking a place by our sides. But--look out, lads! It's time we hopped
up again."

All three instantly scrambled out of the cellar and took their places,
while Eileen climbed a few rungs of the ladder and stood there, rifle in
hand, and with her head just below the level of the floor.

Meanwhile Jack had darted to the back, and then to either side of the
house, and having made sure that none of the Boers were in that
direction, rejoined his comrades. Looking out through an aperture, he
saw that about forty men had dismounted and were creeping forward in
extended order, while in the centre was the Maxim, which had just
stopped work for fear of injuring its own side.

"Mark that Maxim!" said Jack sharply. "If we drive off these fellows we
can easily make it next door to impossible for them to remove it, for at
this distance we could shoot down any man who approaches it. But our
duty now is to look after these fellows. Frank, you take those of the
left. I'll look after those directly in front of me, and Wilfred will
manage those on the right. Let them get within sixty yards, and then
fire fast and steady. Keep the magazine for closer quarters."

Lying full-length on the ground, they pushed the muzzles of their rifles
a few inches through the loopholes and waited.

"Now I think we can begin," said Jack, when the Boers were well within
the distance he had named. "Are you ready? Then fire!"

Taking a careful aim, the three pulled their triggers, and as many of
the Boers threw up their hands and fell forward upon their faces. The
remainder at once dropped full-length upon the grass and wriggled
forward, firing after going a few feet, for they were still ignorant of
the force opposed to them behind the shattered walls of the house, and
therefore abstained from rushing. Had they done so, there is little
doubt that they would quickly have overwhelmed the little garrison; but
the average Boer dislikes nothing more intensely than to fight in the
open and attack a position in which the enemy