sappointment.

"Yes, you may well groan," cried my companion. "Why didn't the chief
let you go?"

There was good reason. We could see plainly enough that the Boers were
unloading the wagons, and the Kaffirs hard at work carrying bags which
no doubt contained mealies or flour. To me the sight was maddening, for
it now seemed one of the easiest things in the world for us to have
captured and carried off one of the laden wagons.

"There, it's of no use to cry after spilt milk," said Denham, with a
groan.

"Nor is it of any use to despair," I replied as I watched the unloading.
"Perhaps they may leave one of the wagons full."

"Oh, they will, of course!" said Denham mockingly. "They'll pick out
the best one, containing a nice assortment, and label it, `Reserved for
the use of the Natal Light Horse. To wait until called for by Don
Quixoto Valentino Morayo and his henchman Sancho Panzo Joeboyo.' I
never thought of that."

"Let's go and report what we have seen," I said bitterly; and we went
and found the Colonel.

"Humph!" he said shortly; "unfortunate." That was all.

Then the day glided by, with our men always on the alert, their only
work being to man the walls and keep a sharp lookout while the horses
were driven out to graze; but though the Boers showed in force in
different directions, they made no attack. In spite of a false alarm or
two, the poor brutes managed to pick up a pretty good feed; though,
considering the work they had to do, it was poor and unsustaining as
compared to corn.

As for the men, they made the best of things; but several knots gathered
together trying to allay the desire for different food by the agency of
their pipes. However, instead of endeavouring to get accustomed to the
food pretty plentifully prepared for their meals--other two horses
having to be shot on account of their wounds--some of the men preferred
to fast; and it was these men who discussed the probability of the
Colonel making a dash again that night, to cut a way through and escape.

Sergeant Briggs favoured this idea.

"I hope the chief will make another try to-night," he said to Denham and
me. "The Boers mean to starve us out; and in another day or two all the
fight will be gone out of the poor lads."

However, the sun often peeps out on the cloudiest days; and towards
evening, just when we were feeling most despondent, Joeboy came up to
Denham and me just as we were going up to our old place of observa