inst my own countrymen."

A savage yell greeted my plain words; but Moriarty held up his hand.

"Let him condemn himself out of his own lips, brethren," he cried.--
Then, to me, "You preferred to fight against and shoot down the people
among whom you dwelt?" he cried.

"I joined my own people," I replied; "and this gentleman with me is no
spy."

"What is he, then?" said Moriarty, holding up his hand in the light of
the lantern he kept aloft, so as to secure silence.

"An officer and a gentleman of the Light Horse."

"Indade!" said Moriarty sneeringly. "Then you have both had enough of
the British forces, and have desarted to ours?"

"No," I said coolly. "We have both been badly wounded, as you can see,
and we wanted to break through the lines and get away."

"What for?" said Moriarty fiercely. "What for?"

"We are too weak to fight," I said.

"Bah!" roared Moriarty, "you are both spies; and do you hear? You shall
both be shot by-and-by."

A yell of triumph, which sounded like a chorus of savage beasts in
anticipation of blood, rose from all around.

"Get reins and tie their arms behind them, my brothers. They're
English, and can spake nothing but lies."

As some of the men hurried away to fetch the necessary cords, I turned
to one of the big Boers who held me.

"Is it a lie," I said, "that my friend has been badly wounded? Is it a
lie that I have been hurt?"

There was a low growl for reply from one, and the other--the man who had
first discovered my presence--only said, "But you are spies."

"What are they all saying, Val?" said Denham coolly. "I don't seem to
get on at all in this game."

"They say we're spies," I replied.

"Let 'em. A set of thick-headed pigs. Don't be downhearted over it
all, old chap. We played our game well, and we've lost. We're
prisoners; that's all. They daren't shoot us."

I looked him fixedly in the eyes, but made no reply.

"Well," said Denham hurriedly, "it's murder if they do. But I don't
believe they will. Whatever they do, we won't show the white feather,
Val. I say, shall we give 'em the National Anthem?"

"Hush!" I said. "You're a gentleman; don't do anything to insult them;
we're in their power."

"Yes; but I want them to see that we're ready to die game. I say, Val,
we've made a mess of it this time, and we might have been lying
comfortably asleep over yonder."

"No," I said; "we should have lain awake thinking of how to get help for
ou