ith a lantern. We must sit quite still until they come."

"No," I said eagerly; "don't let's cut the rope till they've been. I
dare say they'll come for the pannikins, and perhaps that Boer has told
them to bring us those rugs again."

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE.

A DAMPER FOR OUR PLANS.

I had hardly ceased speaking when a couple of our guards appeared at the
back of the wagon, and climbed in after they had tossed in the two big
rugs they had taken away when the German doctor came to examine us.

Though anxious to dart a quick glance at Denham, I dared not, for at the
first glance I saw that each man was provided with a rein. Taking our
tins and passing them to two men whose rifle-barrels appeared above the
back of the wagon, they returned to where we sat up and carefully
examined our bonds, one of them giving a grunt and speaking to his
companion as he pointed to them. They next dragged our arms roughly
behind us, slipping our hands through running nooses, which they drew
tight before winding the thongs round and round, securing them as firmly
as ever.

"You needn't have done that," I said angrily to the man who, while tying
me up, had roused my resentment by his brutality.

"We'll take them off in the morning, when the Captain comes," he
replied. The other man laughed. They had finished their task deftly
enough.

"That's the way we tie up a Kaffir," said the first one.

"Yes," replied the other; "and it does just as well for a spy. There,
you may thank the field-cornet, Piet Zouter, for the skin-rugs. You
wouldn't have got them from us."

"Then we won't thank you," I said bitterly.

"And look here; we've six men with loaded rifles about the wagon, and
they've orders to shoot if you try to get away."

I nodded my head. One of the Boers lifted down the lantern, passed it
out, and received a fresh one from a comrade. After this the men
retired; and we were alone, listening to their talk, with the sentries
placed over us. When the conversation ceased I whispered to Denham an
interpretation of all that had passed.

"The brutes!" he muttered. "Lucky we hadn't cut our ropes; they would
have found us out. Now, what's to be done? We must get away."

"How?" I asked sadly.

"Let's draw the rugs over us, lie down, and keep on trying till we can
wriggle out of the thongs."

"How are we to get the rugs over us?"

"As a bird makes a nest--with the beak."

I laughed bitterly. Then we each tried in