d Lennox and Dickenson.

"This is cheerful," he said. "Did you over know anything more
exasperating?"

"Horrible!" said the two young men in a breath. "What's the chief going
to do?" added Dickenson.

"I've just come from him," replied Roby. "Nothing. What can he do but
hold the dogs of war in leash until the Boers think they have shelled us
enough, and come on?"

"Nothing, of course," said Dickenson, carrying on the captain's simile;
"but the dogs are grinding their teeth, and when the enemy does come, by
Jingo! he'll find them pretty sharp."

Hour after hour the Boers kept on throwing heavy shells on to the kopje,
while the shelter was so good that not a single life was lost; but the
casualties from the shattering shells provided the doctor and his aids
with quite sufficient work, and it was with a sigh of relief that he
ceased attending to the last man brought in, for with darkness the
firing ceased.

Then came the night full of alarms with the terrible anxiety and
expectation of the assault which did not come. For, as it proved, the
Boers had been furnished with too awful a lesson in the former attack to
venture upon another surprise, with its many accidents and risks to
themselves. They preferred to wait for daylight, and with the first
pale streaks of dawn the bombarding began once more, and went on briskly
till an hour after sunrise, when the lookouts from the top of the kopje
passed the words, "Here they come."

Just about the same time the scouts came running in bearing the same
warning, and now the kopje guns began to play their parts more
effectively.

For from three directions, covered by their own pieces, quite a cloud of
the Boers could be seen approaching fast to get within rifle-range,
dismount, and then begin a careful skirmishing advance, seizing every
spot that afforded cover, completely surrounding the defenders, and
searching the kopje from side to side with a terrific fire.

This was vigorously replied to; but the advance was never for a moment
checked, the manoeuvring of the enemy being excellent, and their skill
in keeping hidden and crawling from place to place exasperating to the
defenders, for in spite of careful aiming and deliberation the Boer
losses were remarkably small.

"They mean it this time, Bob," said Lennox sadly.

"Yes, they mean it; and somehow I don't feel up to the work at all. I
didn't know I was so weak. Feel your wounds much?"

"Horribly. I can only u