ergeant," said Dickenson calmly.

"Yes, sir. Shall we dismount and give them a taste back?"

"We out here on the open veldt, and they under cover quite out of sight?
No; press on as fast as we can, straight for Groenfontein. They must
have it all their own way now."

"Hadn't we better try a canter again, sir?"

"Yes, sergeant, if we are to save his life. Forward!"

They were nearly half a mile on their way, and slowly increasing the
distance; but it was quite time to take energetic action, for, to
Dickenson's dismay, the Boers were not going to content themselves with
long shots, and all at once ten or a dozen appeared round one end of the
little wood, spreading out as they galloped, and coming straight for
them in an open line.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

HIS DUES.

Burdened as the little party was with an insensible man, escape by
trusting to the speed of their active little mounts was quite out of the
question; and, young officer though he was, Dickenson was old enough in
experience to know what to do.

About a couple of hundred yards ahead was a scattered patch of the
pleasant form of South African growth known locally, from its catching
qualities, as the Wait-a-bit-thorn, and as rapidly as they could go
Dickenson led his men to that, finding, as he expected, just enough
cover in the midst of a perfectly bare plain, if not to shelter
lying-down men, at least to blur and confuse the enemy's marksmen. Here
he gave the order, "Dismount!" Lennox was laid flat upon his back, to
lie without motion, and each man took the best shelter he could; while
the ponies, not being trained like the modern trooper to lie down, were
left to graze and take care of themselves.

The Boers came galloping on, to find, on a small scale, how much
difference there was between attacking in the open and defending a
well-sheltered position. But they had it yet to learn; and, evidently
anticipating an easy victory, they galloped forward bravely enough,
fully intending to hold the party up and expecting surrender at once.

Dickenson waited till they were well within range before giving the
order to fire, adding sternly the instruction that not a single
cartridge was to be wasted, no shot being fired till the holder of the
rifle felt sure.

The order was succeeded by utter silence, broken only by the thudding of
hoofs, and then _crack_! from the sergeant's piece, a puff of
greyish-white smoke, and one of the enemy's ponies went down u