ry tight place?"

"I don't think now, sir," I said: "I dare go."

"Then you shall, Moray."

"To-night, sir?"

"No: have a night's sleep and a quiet day to-morrow to think out your
plans. You will be fresher then. There, I'm in pain, and I want a few
hours' rest to set me up. One minute," he added as I turned to go.
"How many know about this?"

"Only Sergeant Briggs, sir, and the black, of course."

"Keep the black quiet," said the Colonel, "and tell Sergeant Briggs from
me that the expedition is to be kept secret."

"Yes, sir."

"You are not to go on sentry work to-night."

I saluted, and went away with Denham, who began to growl:

"The chief's as cracked over it as you are. But, look here, Val, you
must alter your plans."

"I can't," I replied. "I shall go."

"Of course you will; but you must reshape them so as to take me with
you."

"That's impossible," I replied. "But would you go?"

"Would I go? Of course. I should like the fun of it. Here, you must
go and tell the chief you feel as if you can't curry out the business
properly unless you have my help."

I looked at him, laughing.

"I say, who's cracked now?" I said.

"Well, I believe I am--half," he replied. "I say, Val, I would like to
go with you."

"What! upon such a mad expedition?" I said.

"Yes. It doesn't look so mad when you come to think a little more about
it. Look here; I know. I'll go as a Dutch driver."

"You'll stop along with your troop, and I'll ask the chief to let you
come to my help in the morning when we're coming along with the wagon--
if--if we carry it off."

Denham was silent for a few moments before he said any more. Then, with
a sigh:

"Yes, you might do that; but I should have liked to be in the thick of
the business."

Many of the men went hungry to bed that night, and Denham and I lay
talking for long enough before sleep came; but when it did, nothing
could have been more restful and refreshing.

We rose at the "Wake up" to find that there had been no alarm in the
night, and our first act was to climb to the top of the wall and use a
glass, to see that the Boers wore in the same positions, and the
outposts were just riding in, so that I had some insight as to the way
in which the enemy guarded their front during the night.

"Here, I say, look!" cried Denham suddenly. "You ought to have gone
last night."

"Why?" I asked as I took the glass; and then, "Oh!" I exclaimed in a
tone of di