excitedly. "What shall we do, Somerton? Leave our horses and
follow them, or stay where we are for a time?"

"Let us ask Preston," said Jack, nodding to the Hussar officer who had
befriended them on the previous night, and who galloped up at that
moment.

"Look here, Preston," Farney called out. "Somerton and I want to have a
hand in this battle. What shall we do?"

"If you will take my advice," Preston answered, "you will join us. The
chances are you would be in the way over there with the regulars, and
your ponies would certainly be picked off. We are going to form over by
the shoulder of the hill, and when our boys have set the beggars
running, we will gallop round and break them up. There will be some fun
in it, and you may both of you just as well have a share."

Accordingly Jack and Lord O'Farnel joined the Hussars and a body of
mounted infantry supplied by the Rifle Regiments and by the Dublin
Fusiliers.

Jack was mounted on Prince, and had left Vic behind, as it was unlikely
that he would require two mounts.

They rode forward close in rear of the advancing regiments until the
bullets began to whistle past them, while now and again some poor fellow
tumbled forward on the ground. But undeterred, with never a backward
glance or a thought of flinching, the three British regiments pushed
forward, the nonchalance and absolute coolness of the men being superb.
They acted just as if on a big field-day at home in the Long Valley, and
as if sure that, within a certain time, and after firing so many rounds
and marching a given number of miles, they would return to camp, and to
a comfortable dinner which would await them.

Many of the men smoked pipes and cigarettes, and joked and called to one
another as they advanced, but for all that, beneath all their dogged
pluck and coolness, there was a certain restlessness, a nervous grasp of
the rifle, and a keen look in their eyes which told that they had braced
themselves for a determined effort, and that nothing, not even thoughts
of sweethearts and wives and children at home, or even death, should
deter them from mounting the slopes of the hill in front of them and
putting the Boers to flight.

"By Jove, it's fine to see them!" Farney cried, with a ring of pride in
his voice. "Look at them now! They have opened out, and the foremost
lines have reached the edge of the hill. Ah, now they are giving it to
them! Volley-firing, regular and well delivered. Loo