r. There must have been sixty or
seventy of them; but," added the captain meaningly, "sixty or seventy
have not gone back. How many do you think are down? We've accounted
for a dozen, I should say, _hors de combat_."

"I don't know," said Drew shortly, "and don't want to."

"What do you say, Dickenson?" asked the captain.

"The same as Lennox here."

"Come, come, speak out and don't be so thin-skinned. We've got to
report to Lindley."

"Six haven't moved since," said Dickenson, looking uneasy now that the
excitement of the fight was at an end; "and I should say twice as many
more wounded."

"Serve 'em right. Their own fault," said the captain.

It was decided to be too risky a proceeding to cross the river, for the
Boers were certain to be only a short distance away, sheltered in some
advantageous position, waiting to try and retrieve their dead and
wounded; so a small party was posted by the ford to guard against any
crossing of the river, and then the prisoners were marched off towards
the village a couple of miles distant, where the detachment of infantry
and mounted men had been holding the Boers across the river in check for
some weeks past.

A few shots followed them from a distance at first; but the enemy had
received quite as much punishment as they desired upon that occasion,
and soon ceased the aggressive, being eager for a truce to communicate
with the little rear-guard posted in the scrub by the river so as to
recover their wounded and dead.

On the way back to the village the two young officer's had to relate in
full their experience, which was given in a plain, unvarnished way; and
then as a sharp descent was reached, and the rescued officers caught
sight of the well-guarded prisoners marching on foot, their Bechuana
ponies having been appropriated by their captors, Dickenson began to
grow sarcastic.

"Glad you've made such a nice lot of prisoners, Roby," he said.

"Thanks," said the officer addressed, smiling contentedly. "Not so
bad--eh? The colonel will be delighted. Nice useful lot of ponies--
eh?"

"Ye-es. The old man must be delighted. We're all about starving, and
you're taking him about a score more mouths to feed."

"Eh?" cried the captain, aghast. "Why, of course; I never thought of
that."

"Dickenson did," said Lennox, laughing. "A thing like this touches him
to the heart--I mean lower down."

"You hold your tongue, my fine fellow," growled Dickenson. "You're as