officers' words of encouragement being
quite perfunctory although well-intentioned. In open order with
flankers thrown out the Waffs hurried through the bush, the sound of
continuous rifle-fire growing louder and louder.

"Button's holding out all right," declared the company-major to
Wilmshurst, referring to the lieutenant left in charge of the camp.
"He has MacGregor and young Vipont to back him up and twenty-five
Haussas. Hullo, what's that?"

"German machine-guns, sir," replied Wilmshurst promptly.

"Yes, worse luck," resumed the major. "We've been running after the
shadow and the substance butts in during our absence."

An orderly came dashing up with a written message. The major's face
fell as he read it.

"We're out of it again, Wilmshurst," he remarked, after the runner had
been sent back with a confirmatory report.

"How's that, sir?" asked the subaltern.

"Orders from the colonel for 'A' Company to hold the position shown on
the attached map, and to cut off the retreat of the enemy. Here we
are: see this kloof? Three platoons are to lie in ambush at that spot,
another--yours, Mr. Wilmshurst--will take up a position two miles to
the north-west, in case any stragglers attempt to break through the
smaller defile shown on the map. It looks nothing more than a native
path. We'll find that out later on."

At the word of command "A" Company halted until the rest of the
battalion was almost out of sight. Then the detachment, moving to the
right in column of fours, marched at a rapid pace along a comparatively
clear path through the scrub.

When the three platoons had taken up their position at the indicated
spot Wilmshurst's platoon had still a distance of two miles to
cover--and that two miles was the roughest part of the whole day's
march. It was a disused track possibly dating back to the old days
when the Arab slave-raiders traversed the greater part of Central
Africa in search of "black ivory," and was now greatly overgrown by
cacti and other fibrous plants. Here and there palm trees had fallen
completely across the path, while in no part was it more than a yard in
breadth, being hedged in on both sides by dense tropical vegetation.
And yet the track was distinctly marked upon the German-compiled maps
with which the British troops were working.

It was hardly a route that any European under ordinary circumstances
would tackle under the glaring heat of the afternoon's sun.
Mosquitoes--harb