thinking it was cholera;
but it was Mr Linton who saved us. He no sooner realised what was the
matter than he slipped out of the tent, and without waiting for orders
made his way to the sergeant's guard, and got the fellow on duty to
collect all the men he could to come up to the tent. How many do you
think he got?"

"Twenty--thirty--how should I know?" said the doctor impatiently. "Go
on."

"Four," said the captain. "All the others were down and half delirious.
Fortunately my Jacks had escaped, and thirty of them seized their
rifles, and followed Mr Linton at the double to the hut.

"They were just in time. That scoundrel Hamet had given an order and
withdrawn from the tent; at one end of which about a hundred of his
cut-throats had gathered, kris in hand, and were only waiting for us to
get a little more helpless before coming upon us to put us out of our
misery.

"Bless your heart, doctor! it would have done you good to see the Jacks
clear that tent at the point of the bayonet! And then, while half of
them kept the enemy at bay, the other half brought in the sick men, and
laid 'em side by side till they were all under canvas.

"It was horrible, I can tell you," continued the captain. "We were all
in great pain, but the dull sleepy sensation was the worst, and it
seemed no use to fight against it. We all, to a man, thought that we
were dying, and so did the sailors, who had not touched the horrible
stuff. And yet we could hear every word as plainly as if our power of
hearing had been increased, though we could not speak.

"`Give them water,' I heard the sergeant say.

"`No, no,' said my boatswain; `you get the rum keg in, my lad, and give
'em a strong dose apiece o' that.'

"The Jacks fetched it in under fire, and they gave us a tremendous dose
apiece, and I believe it saved our lives!"

"I'm sure it did," said the doctor. "It set up a rapid action of the
heart, and that carried off the poison."

"I dare say it did," said the captain, "but it gave me a beautiful
headache. However, the sergeant and the boatswain lost no time, but
took matters in their own hands, cut the ropes, and let the tent go by
the board, for fear the enemy should set it on fire, and then made the
best breast-work they could all round us, a little party charging out
every now and then and bringing in boxes, cases, tubs, everything they
could lay hold of, to strengthen our position. One time they fetched in
half-a-dozen spa