with the celerity of perfect
discipline every man was at his place within the laager, the battle line
of the savages could be seen sweeping forward through the thorns on the
northern side. Then the rattle of volleys, and the knock-like thud of
the machine guns playing upon them, mingles for a time with the deep,
humming war-hiss of the Matabele and the defiant whoops of individual
excited warriors, leaping in bravado as though challenging the
marksmanship of the defenders.

The line of battle soon wavers, halts, then drops down, only to glide on
again. More and more press on from behind, and soon the line is seen to
be extending, as though for a surround. There are firearms too, within
the savage host, and the bullets begin to whizz and "ping" around the
ears of the defenders.

"They have got another kick in them after all, eh, Grantham?" remarks
Blachland to the officer who had uttered the above disparaging remark.
For a piece of sharp splinter, chipped from the side of a waggon, had
struck the latter, causing his ear to bleed profusely, while the speaker
himself gives an involuntary duck, as another Martini bullet hums right
over his head, and near enough for him to feel its draught.

"Oh damn them, yes!" answers the man apostrophised, grinding his teeth
with the sharp pain, and discharging his rifle--aiming low--into the
enemy's line.

For a while matters are lively. Massing at this and that point the
swarming Matabele will essay a charge, but the deadly machine guns are
turned on with telling precision, breaking up every attempt at organised
movement, and the veldt is strewn with dark bodies, dead, motionless, or
writhing in death--and shields flung around in all directions, for which
their owners will never more have use. But within the laager the
organisation is complete. Every man has his own duty to do and does it,
and has no time or attention to spare for what is going on elsewhere.

"Come along, Blachland!" shouted another member of the scouting section,
in a state of the wildest excitement. "Jump on your gee, man! We've
got to go and turn back those horses, or we'll lose every hoof of them."

He addressed, looked round and took in the situation at a glance, and a
thrilling one it was. A large troop of horses, which had been grazing
outside, by some blundering on the part of the herders, had been headed
off while being driven into the laager, and now were making straight in
the direction of the