us there looking over the stones, suppose
we slip off our 'elmets, and leave them on the rocks, and creep away for
some distance before we rise, and then go on as fast as we can so as the
'elmets may keep 'em off for a bit, sir."

"Yes; I see what you mean, but the trick is too old. Remember how the
men put their helmets or caps above the breastworks to tempt them to
fire. Depend upon it they would suspect."

"May be, sir, may be not; but we're in a fix, and we must do something."

"But the thing is what?"

"If we wanted to go back, sir--to retreat," began Gedge.

"Which we do not," said Bracy coldly.

"Of course not right away, sir; but to make a fresh start, that dodge
would do."

"What do you mean?"

"Why, this, sir; suppose we put our 'elmets on the tops o' two stones
just as it's getting dark."

"Well, go on," said Bracy impatiently.

"Then we keep our eyes upon our gentlemen to see whether they come in
nigh enough first so as to give us a shot, and if they don't we wait
till it's dark enough."

"And then go on as fast as we can, and without our helmets, to be
exposed to the sun by day, the cold wind and snow by night, if we were
not overtaken and finished. Bah, my lad! that will not do."

"No, sir; but that ain't the way my story goes," said Gedge, grinning.

"Let's have your way, then," said Bracy impatiently, as he scanned the
enemy in the distance with his glass.

"I mean this, sir. We puts our 'elmets as 'fore-said on the rocks,
watches till it's quite dark, and then, instead o' doubling off on our
journey, we just creeps away to right or left, say a hundred yards, and
then lies down."

"Yes?"

"Bimeby, one by one, my gentlemen comes creeping up with their long
knives, ready to cut us up in the dark, supposing that we're there on
the watch. Dessay dozen of 'em would come, front, right, left, and
rear; and then, after they've surrounded our 'elmets, they goes right in
for us, and slashes them instead of us. Next minute there's a reg'lar
hoo-roar, and most likely, if we're lucky, they've chopped one; another
awful. But whether they have or not, they've found out we're not there,
and that they've been done; and on they goes in a passion right away,
hoping to catch up to us again in the morning to carry on the same game
of following us and giving us no rest till we're quite done, and the job
to finish us is as easy as that."

He kissed his hand by way of illustrating the simplicity of