as satisfied of this, the necessary advance-posts were sent out
and stationed, and the men then ordered to lie down on their arms and
get what sleep they could.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

THE SERGEANT'S WOUND.

There were the hard stones for our couches, and the air up in the pass
was sharp and cold; but we were all pretty close together, and in five
minutes it did not seem as if any one was awake, though doubtless the
few poor fellows who had been wounded--I may say wonderfully few
considering what we had gone through--did not get much sleep. I was one
of those who did lie awake for a time, gazing up at the clear, bright
stars which began to peer down through the clearing-off smoke, but only
for a few minutes; then a calm, restful feeling began to steal over me,
and I was sleeping as sound as if on one of the feather-beds at the
farm, where in course of years they had grown plentiful and big.

We were not, however, to pass the night in peace; for directly after, as
it seemed to me, I started up in the darkness, roused by firing. Then
the trumpet-call rang out, and we were all up ready for the rush that
was in progress; while I was startled and confused, and unable to
understand why the now mounted Boers should be guilty of such an insane
action as to attack us there, nestling among the stones. We were all
ready, but no orders came to fire, and all crouched or stood with finger
on trigger, gradually grasping what it all meant, and listening to the
trampling of hoofs going steadily on, till at last the Colonel's
familiar voice was heard from close to where I stood.

"Hold your fire, my lads. We should be doing no good by bringing a few
down. Let them join their friends. They've come to the conclusion that
this is too hard a nut to crack."

This is what happened: the enemy's lower party had waited till nearly
daylight, and then approached quietly till their coming had been noticed
by our outpost sentries, who fired to give the alarm, when they made a
sudden dash to get up the pass to join the detachment of Boers above.
This they were allowed to do unmolested, the Colonel saying that nothing
was to be gained by stopping them, and that an advance up the pass was
work for infantry, not for a mounted force.

Daylight came soon afterwards, I suppose; but I did not watch for the
dawn, for, as soon as the last of the horsemen had passed and the word
was given, I sank down again and slept as a tired lad can sleep. Again