an effort to turn aside the wrath of their chief.

"Yes, Mr Roby, I saw that you had some prisoners," replied the colonel
meaningly; "but, excuse me, I had not finished addressing these two
gentlemen."

"I beg pardon, sir."

"That will do," said the colonel. "There, I need say no more. Let's
see the prisoners."

"I don't think I like fishing as a sport, Drew, old man," said
Dickenson, rubbing his ear, and then wincing with pain. "Come on, and
let's see the inspection of the enemy. But the boss needn't have been
so gruff. We acted as bait, and he has caught fifteen Boers and their
horses."

"And how are we to feed them all now we have got them?" said Lennox,
with a quaint smile.

"Oh, that's what made the old man so waxy!" cried the other. "I see
now. Well, let him set them up and have them shot."

"Of course; according to our merciless custom," said Lennox
sarcastically; and directly after the two friends closed up to where the
prisoners were being paraded, their horses, clever, wiry-looking little
cobs, being led up behind them by some of the men.

It was almost the first time that the young men had been in such close
contact with the sturdy, obstinate enemy they had so long kept at bay,
and they stared eagerly at the rough, unshorn, ill-clad, farmer-like
fellows, for the most part big-bearded, sun-tanned, and full of vigour,
who met their gaze defiantly, but kept on directing uneasy glances at
the other officers, more than once looking eagerly at their led horses
as if mentally weighing whether by a bold rush they could reach their
steeds, spring upon them, and gallop away.

But a glance round showed them the impossibility of such a proceeding,
for they were unarmed and surrounded by men with fixed bayonets, while,
in addition, every pony had an armed man holding its bridle; and as
their shifty eyes were turned from one to another in a questioning way,
the prevailing thought seemed to be that any such proceeding would be
mad in the extreme, and could only result in their being shot down.

The inspection did not take long, and the colonel turned away to confer
with the group of officers who followed him.

"The sooner we get rid of these fellows the better," he said, "for we
can't keep them here. What shall I do?" he continued, in response to a
question from the major of the regiment. "Make them take the oaths to
be on parole not to bear arms against us again?"

"Ready for them to go and break t