ly on me, the 20th on
their own officer. Remember, your line of retreat must be to the
horses."

Then the advance began. Slowly the men toiled up. It seemed impossible
to make the ascent in silence. Men must trip in darkness over rough
ground--tripping men with rifles in their hands make what appears to
be a fearful clatter. By hypothesis it would seem impossible to
surprise even a sleeping picket. But you have only to be on picket
duty once to realise how full the night is of deceptive noises. In
reality the advance was made with praiseworthy silence. Just as the
top was reached, the Kaffir plucked Harvey's arm. His veldt-bred eyes
could see that which was still obscured from the white man. "Near,
near!" he whispered in the captain's ear. Harvey raised both his hands
above his head. Silently, but with the agility of cats, the four lean
Colonials followed him. Six paces on, and under the shelter of a rock
appear the forms of two men, asleep, and rolled in their blankets. It
is not necessary to describe what followed. A leap forward by four
lithe figures with shortened arms, a sinuous flash of steel, a
sickening thud and gurgle, one choking wail, and all was over, and two
farmer-soldiers had paid the extreme penalty for the betrayal of the
trust their comrades had placed in them!

Five minutes for breathing-space. Then the little line was reformed
diagonally along the table-top of the ridge. Half the game had been
won. It now remained to complete the _coup_. If the unexpected did not
happen, there was no reason why the farmhouse should not be surrounded
by daybreak. But in war it is the unexpected which does happen. Slowly
the thirty men worked along the plateau towards the point of the
ridge. Two-thirds had been traversed, when suddenly two figures
appeared against the eastern sky.

"Reliefs for the picket,--d----n!" muttered the Rimington captain, and
as the truth flashed upon him came the challenge in Dutch--

"_Wie dar?_"

"Follow me, Rimington's!" and the nearest men joined their captain in
a dash to reach the men. But it was too late. Up came the Mausers. Two
wild shots, and the relief had turned and was rushing down the hill
towards the farm. If it had been day, all might have yet been saved by
pace. But in night operations you cannot take these risks, especially
when only one man in the force knows the exact position of the
objective. Harvey rallied his men on the ridge, and even before he
could place them