mine the line, the next morning the track was as usual
microscopically inspected, but the scouts failed to discover the trap
which we had laid.

Two outpost burghers lay at the top of the hill in the grass, and from
their coign of vantage they had a clear view of the railway line.

Ten o'clock in the morning arriving without a train appearing, my men
began to grumble. In the excitement of this adventure they had omitted
to prepare any food, and they were not now allowed to make fires,
because the smoke evolved in culinary operations would have been
immediately noticed by the enemy's outpost. We had therefore to remain
hungry, or our well-laid plans would have been frustrated. Time passed
on, and at 2 o'clock in the afternoon there were still no traces of
the expected train. Our horses were saddled up and had been without
food since the previous afternoon, and the poor animals also began to
show their displeasure by whinnying and stamping their hoofs on the
ground. The enemy's scouts had already inspected the line three or
four times either by going over it on foot or by using a trolley.

The afternoon was well advanced, and fears were growing in our minds
that the mine had been discovered. I should say that it was Sunday
afternoon, and that the mine had been laid on Saturday night. This
train-wrecking scheme of ours was contrary to the practices of our
nation, who regard all such acts on Sunday as a desecration of the
Sabbath, but here I will again apply an English precept, "The better
the day the better the deed."

About four o'clock my outposts notified to me the approach of smoke,
and shortly afterwards we beheld a train coming along. Every man of us
mounted his horse, and we sat calmly in the saddle to observe the
execution of our plan. We held our breaths. Perhaps the British had
detected the mine and removed it, with the result that all our travail
would be in vain; or they might possibly have sent a large force of
soldiers with cannon on the train to give us a "good hiding" to boot.
We watched breathlessly the progress of the train as it rapidly
approached the fatal spot, and our hearts thumped wildly as we waited
to see the success or failure of our enterprise. We had not long to
wait, for with a tremendous shock the mine exploded, overturning the
engine, and bringing the train to a standstill.

We now proceeded to storm the train, but I saw the danger of advancing
in a mass and shouted to my men to go care