no use for the chief to try the same ruse again," whispered
Denham. "It was right enough as a surprise; but the enemy is on the
alert now. It seems to me we are as completely surrounded as before."

"Never mind," I said, as cheerily as I could; "we shall do it yet."

"Oh yes, we shall do it yet," replied my companion; "but it must be done
quietly and quickly, while it's dark. I say, though, what about your
black boy? He couldn't have kept up with our mad gallop."

"Joeboy?" I said in an excited whisper. "Joeboy? I forgot all about
him;" and a pang of misery shot through me.

"He was holding on by your saddle--wasn't he?"

"Yes," I said huskily; "but from the moment I drew my sword and we
charged, I never thought about the poor fellow till you spoke."

"Advance at a walk!" was the next order; and as we started, the Colonel
came up to where Denham and I rode at one end of the leading troop.

"Here," cried the Colonel; "where's that Matabele fellow? He may lead
us out of this crowd."

"Gone, sir," said Denham quietly. "We lost him in the gallop."

"Tut, tut, tut!" muttered the Colonel; "he would have been more useful
than ever now. Forward at a walk! They can't see us, nor tell us from
one of their friendly troops riding about the veldt. Silence in the
ranks!"

"He needn't have spoken," said Denham in a low voice, as the Colonel
drew rein and let us pass. "We shall get through yet, as you say."

However, the odds seemed to be terribly against us, for whichever way we
turned large bodies of the enemy were evidently in front; and after
changing our direction again and again during the next two hours, the
Colonel at last halted the corps.

"It's of no use," I heard him say to one of the senior officers. "We're
only tiring out the horses and men. We must stand fast till daybreak,
then select our route, make for it, and try what a good charge will do.
We shall clear ourselves then."

Directly afterwards the order was passed for the men to dismount and
refresh themselves with such water and provisions as they had, and
silence once more reigned among us; for, not far off, large bodies of
the mounted Boers were in motion, and twice we were passed at apparently
some two hundred yards' distance, our presence not being detected.

"We ought to be able to get through," whispered Denham to me soon after
the second body had gone by. "They must be thinking by this time that
we have got right away. Where do