in, and wondered what they were all doing there, and
whether the Boers had interfered with my father because he was an
Englishman. This brought up the thought that if the war went against
the Boers they might go so far as to commandeer both my father and Bob.
The thought was horrible.

"It doesn't matter so much about me," I meditated; "but for them to be
dragged off, perhaps to fight against us--oh! it would be terrible."

There had until now been a sad feeling of restfulness about my position;
but as I drew a mental picture of two forces drawn up against each
other, with my father and brother forced to fight on one side, and
myself a volunteer on the other, the rock upon which I was seated began
to feel horribly hard, and I changed my position, to lie down on the
soft sand at my feet.

Well, I had been very hard at work all day; and Nature intended the
lying-down position to be accompanied by sleep. In less than a minute,
I suppose--in spite of home troubles, risks in the future, and, above
all, that one so very close at hand--my eyes closed for what seemed to
be about a moment. Then some one was shaking my shoulder, and the some
one's voice announced that it was Sergeant Briggs going round to all the
men of his troop.

"Come, rouse up, my lad! rouse up!" he whispered. "We're off in less
than half-an-hour."

I sprang to my feet, just as Denham came up. "Oh, there you are," he
said drowsily. "I was just coming to wake you. I say, get right up
beside me. We may as well go through it close together, and give one
another a help--if we can."

That was a weird and strange business, moving about in the darkness,
with the horses snorting and sighing as the saddle-girths were
tightened, and bits and curbs adjusted for a ride where everything
depended upon horse and man being well in accord; but the preparations
did not take long, and we were soon all standing in our places, bridle
upon arm, and in as regular order as the roughness of the stone-littered
court would allow.

I now learned that the men posted upon the walls had been withdrawn, and
that every one was in his place, waiting for the command to start upon a
ride at the end of which many would not answer to their names.

Then, from out of the darkness, the Colonel's voice rose low and clear,
giving the order "March!" and in single file the men moved off, leading
their horses towards the openings, through which they passed; then they
bore off to their r