mes the wind, sir: what did I say?"

For the soft breeze came with a heavier puff, which made the forked
tongues of flame plunging up amongst the thick smoke begin to roar, and
in a very few seconds the fire was rushing through one of the tilted
wagons as if it were a huge horizontal chimney.

"Did you get singed, sergeant?"

"No, sir. It just felt a bit hot. Hullo! what's that?"

For a horrible shrieking and yelling arose from the direction of the
wounded Boers.

"The crippled men," said Dickenson. "They're afraid they are going to
be burned to death. We ought to go and shout to them that there's
nothing to fear."

"Yes, sir, it would be nice and kind," cried the sergeant sarcastically;
"only if we tried they wouldn't let us--they'd shoot us down before we
were half-way there."

"Yes, I'm afraid so," said Dickenson, who stared almost in wonder at the
terrific rate at which the fire was roaring up and sweeping along,
threatening, as wagon after wagon caught, to cover the kopje with flame.

"Perhaps, sir," said the sergeant, with a grim smile, "it would be a
comfort to the poor fellows' nerves if we sent up the ammunition-wagons
now."

"Whether it would or not, sergeant, we must be sharp and do it, or with
these flakes of fire floating about we shall not dare to go near our
fuse."

"That's what I'm thinking, sir," said the sergeant.

"Forward, then;" and the pair went on at the double to the spot where
the train was laid, the fuses being some distance from the
ammunition-wagons, and on lower ground sheltered by great stones.

The next minute the pair were down on one knee sheltering their
match-boxes from the wind behind a big rock, with the train well in
view, for those who laid it had not scrupled to use an abundance of
powder.

"I did not reckon about this wind," said Dickenson. "As fast as one of
us strikes a light it will be blown out."

"That's right, sir."

"And we shall never get the fuse started."

"We must try, sir."

"Yes," said Dickenson. "Here, it must be one man's job to fire the
train; the explosion will send off the next wagon."

"And no mistake, sir. We ought to have had a lantern to light the fuse
at. But you get lower down, sir, and I'll set off the whole box of
matches I've got here, chuck it into the train, and drop behind this big
stone."

"That seems to be the only way to get it done," replied Dickenson.

"Yes, I'm sure of it, sir," said the sergeant.

"All righ