sh_! and set up a cheer. Then other two slabs
were dragged away, to lay bare a roughly squared hole six feet across,
from which the water could be easily drawn up.

"That communicates with our shaft, then?" said Denham to me in a
questioning tone.

"No doubt," I said. "I dare say there are tunnels running in several
directions. Did you tell the Colonel about the gold?"

"Not yet," he replied. "He thinks a good deal more about the water now
than he would do about gold. But, I say, do you think it will be good
drinking-water?"

"Certainly," I said. "Gold isn't copper."

"Thank you," he said sarcastically. "I found that out a long time ago.
I never could do anything like so much with a penny as I could with a
sov.--Here, Sergeant," he cried as the first water-bag was pulled up,
dripping, and with the sound of the water that fell back echoing
musically with many repetitions underground, in what seemed to be a vast
place. "Water good?"

"Beautiful, sir. Clear as crystal and cold as ice."

"Then I'll have a taste," said the Colonel, coming up. "Excellent!" he
continued, after taking a deep draught from the portable cup he took
from his pocket. "Now, what are you going to do?"

"Keep on pouring it into that hollow among the stones, sir," said
Denham, pointing to a little depression. Into this one of our makeshift
bags was emptied, and the impromptu trough proved quite suitable.

Then the men worked away at lowering and raising the nose-bag buckets,
drawing up sufficient in a few minutes for watering half-a-dozen horses
at a time.

While this was progressing the Colonel returned from where he had been
inspecting the top of the wall, and rearranging the men so as to take
the greatest advantage of our position, to make sure the Boers could not
break in through the weakest spot--the opening where the wall had
fallen.

"Ha!" he said to Denham and me, "you two deserve great credit for
hunting out the old underground tank of this ancient fortress. Now,
with plenty of provisions and fodder for the horses, we might hold this
place for any length of time. I think the General ought to know of it,
and place two or three companies of foot here. I see that good shelter
might be contrived by drawing some wagon-sheets across the top of these
double walls."

"Yes, sir--easily," said Denham. "As you say, there would be no horses
to keep if the place were held by foot."

"Exactly," said the Colonel, who seemed mu