you know we were shut up?"

"Not till yesterday morning or this morning at daybreak, sir. The
General knew your corps was missing, and that there was a strong force
of Boers camped out this way; but we were precious badly shut up
ourselves, and could get no proper communications for want of cavalry.
Our officers did nothing but swear about your corps for keeping away
when they would have been so useful."

"But how did you get to know at last?"

"Through a big nigger dressed up in two white ostrich-feathers, a bit of
skin, and an assagai and shield for walking-stick and cloak. He brought
the news, and as soon as the General had proved him a bit, two
foot-regiments, ours and `Yallow Terror Tories,' were sent off to make a
forced march. That black--Joeboy he called himself--brought us up
within striking distance, and then he went off to warn them in that old
ruin that we were coming, so that they might be ready to copyrate with
us."

"But didn't they suspect that the black might be going to lead you into
a trap?"

"At first, sir; but when he took our young lieutenant and some of our
fellows as scouts, with orders to shoot him on the slightest sign of
treachery, and he showed us where the Boers lay in the plain, and where
we could take possession of a kopje on to which our men could march and
act quite unseen, and where we could have defended ourselves against ten
times our number, we knew it was all right."

"And you got there unseen?" said Denham.

"That's right, sir; and then the Colonel in command of both lots let
this Crystal Minstrel go to warn the cavalry."

"He has done his work cleverly, Sergeant, or our corps could not have
worked with you so well."

"That's right again, sir. I quite took to that chap, Joeboy, as he
called himself; but it's a pity he's so jolly black."

I had been listening quietly while all this talk went on; but, with a
heavy and fast-increasing feeling of depression, I could restrain myself
no longer, and exclaimed, "Oh Denham, suppose the poor fellow's killed!"

"What, sir!" cried the Sergeant cheerily. "Killed? Who's to kill a
chap like that on a dark night? Nobody could see where to hit.
Besides, he goes through grass and bushes and rocks like a short, thick
boa-constructor. He'll turn up all right. Hurrah! Hear that?"

We could hear, distinctly enough, repeated bugle-calls and the frantic
cheering of our men. Our little forces had gained a complete victory,
scatt