t was a horrible
business; but the men, in their wild excitement, cheered and cheered
again till they were brought up by the first rugged wall and received
with another burst of cheers from the holders of the bristling line of
rifles and bayonets who were lining it.

"Through with you--over with you!" shouted the major.--"Here, help those
poor fellows in.--Where's Captain Edwards?"

"Here he is," panted Dickenson, as he half-carried, half-dragged his
brother officer to an opening in the wall.

"Tut, tut, tut!" ejaculated the major. "Here, Captain Roby, take full
lead there on the left. Captain Roby!--Who has seen Captain Roby?"

"I did," said Captain Edwards faintly. "Shot down at the same time as I
was."

"Ah-h!" roared the major. Then excitedly: "Where about?"

"A hundred yards away, perhaps. Shot down leading the left company in
the charge. I--I was trying to help him along when I went down too."

"Killed?" said the major.

"No; bullet through the thigh."

"We must fetch him in. Here; volunteers!"

Lennox leaped on to the wall in the pale grey light of the fast-coming
day, and as he stood there, stooping ready to leap down, fully a score
of rifles sent forth their deadly pencil-like balls from where to right
and left the Boers were crouching.

Down he went, to pitch head first, and a sound like a fierce snarling
ran along the sheltered side of the stone wall; but as the men saw him
spring to his feet again and begin to run they were silent for a few
moments, as if in doubt as to what their young lieutenant meant; for
Dickenson sprang on to the wall, trying hard to balance himself on the
loose top where bullets kept on spattering, as he roared out, with his
voice plainly heard above the rattle of the Boers' rifles, "Look at the
coward! Running away again! Volunteers, come on!"

There was a curious hysterical ring in his loud laugh as, with the
bullets whirring and whistling about him and a cross fire concentrated
upon where he stood, he too leaped down, to begin running, while a
burly-looking sergeant literally rolled over the wall, followed by two
more men from the rear company, all plainly seen now dashing towards
where Lennox was running here and there among the dead and wounded which
dotted the sloping ground, before stopping suddenly to go down on one
knee and begin lifting a wounded man upon his shoulder.

"Well," cried the major, "he's the queerest coward I ever saw. I wish
the colonel