el only by night--we shall find
that nearly everyone is over the border on the way to the siege of
Kimberley, and when we stop at a farm, as we shall be obliged to for
provisions, we shall only find women and children."

"But they'll give warning of our having been there on our way to
Mafeking."

"No, they will not. How will they know that we are going to Mafeking if
we don't tell them? I'm afraid we must make up a tale. Perhaps you'll
be best at that. I'm not clever at fibbing."

"I don't see that we need tell the people lies," said West shortly.

"Then we will not," said his companion. "Perhaps we shall not be asked;
but if we are I shall say that we are going right away from the fighting
because we neither of us want to kill any Boers."

"Humph!" grunted West.

"What, doesn't that suit you? It's true enough. I don't want to kill
any Boers, and I'm sure you don't. Why, when you come to think that we
shall be telling this to women whose husbands, sons, or brothers have
been commandoed, we are sure to be treated as friends."

"We had better act on your plan," said West, "and then we need make up
no tales."

"Wait a minute," said Ingleborough. "Pull up."

West obeyed, and their ponies began to nibble the herbage.

"Now listen: can you hear anything?"

West was silent for nearly a minute, passed in straining his ears to
catch the slightest sound.

"Nothing," he said at last.

"Nothing," said his companion. "Let's jump down!"

West followed his companion's example, and swung himself out of the
saddle.

"Now get between the nags' heads and hold them still. You and they will
form three sides of a square: I'm going to be the fourth."

"What for?"

"To light a match."

"Oh, don't stop to smoke now," said West reproachfully. "Let's get on."

"Who's going to smoke, old Jump-at-conclusions? I'm going to carry out
our plan."

_Scratch_! and a match blazed up, revealing Ingleborough's face as he
bent down over it to examine something bright held in one hand--
something he tried to keep steady till the match burned close to his
fingers and was crushed out.

"Horses' heads are now pointing due north," he said. "Keep where you
are till I'm mounted. That's right! Now then, up you get! That's
right! Now then! Right face--forward!"

"But you're going east."

"Yes," said Ingleborough, with a little laugh, "and I'm going with West
or by West all the same. We must keep on till we get to the