we all
deserve one."

Now the residue of the relieving force arrived. These were all
dismounted men, prospectors mostly, who had either been warned in time
or had fallen in with the Police during their flight. Nearly all were
known to some one or other of the defenders of the store, and there was
a great interchange of greeting, and more than one story of hairbreadth
escapes, told by some, who, like these, had been succoured only in the
nick of time.

"There's going to be the devil to pay," the police captain was saying.
"The rebellion's a general one, or precious nearly so; at any rate, in
this part of the country. Zazwe's people and Umlugula's have risen, and
Bulawayo was being laagered up for all it was worth when we left. We
can't get any news from Sikumbutana, but Madula's a very shaky customer,
and if he joins in, then I'm afraid Inglefield and Ames will be in a bad
way."

"Roll up, boys! Roll up!" sang out Jekyll, who had gone outside.
"There's free drinks all round this morning. `Skoff,' too. Help get
down some of these tins."

There was no lack of response to this appeal, and the sun rose upon a
busy scene. Glasses and beakers clinked, and men sat or stood around,
devouring "bully" beef or canned tongues and other provisions, some of
the rougher sort now and then shying the empty tins in scornful hate at
the dead bodies of the fallen savages--for, after all, the corpses of
four of their countrymen still lay unburied within.

"You've done for thirty-one all told, Jekyll," presently remarked
Overton, who had set some of his men to count the dead immediately
around the place. "Not a bad bag for seven guns. What?"

"No; but we've lost four," was the grave reply.

Then, having taken in a great deal of much needed refreshment, and
effected the burial of their slain comrades--the latter, by the
exigencies of the circumstances, somewhat hurriedly performed--the force
divided, the Police moving on to warn Hollingworth. With them went
Moseley and Tarrant, while the remainder elected to stay at Jekyll's
until they saw how things were likely to turn.

"I don't know that you're altogether wise, all of you," were the Police
captain's parting words. "You've held your own against tremendous odds
so far; but when it's a case of the whole country being up against you,
I'm afraid you'll have no show."

But to this the reply was there were plenty of them now, and they could
hold their own against every car