kind of dodge to end successfully, and we'll do as
you say."

"Ah! I am glad you approve," Jack answered quietly; "and now all we
have to do is to sit down and wait for the convoy to turn up. By the
way, to avoid confusion I will pull your sleeve when the right wagon
comes along, and then, while you jump in behind, I will slip in in
front. Look out in case someone happens to be inside. It would be a
bit of bad luck, and if we failed to silence him, there would be nothing
for it but to bolt back to Ladysmith as fast as our legs would take us."

Poynter gave a low grunt to show that he understood, and a minute later,
having arranged all their plans, the two young fellows crept down to the
edge of the road once more, and hid up in an old and deserted Kafir hut
which stood some hundreds of yards from the sentry. They had scarcely
settled down when the low rumble of wheels in the distance attracted
their attention, and looking back towards Ladysmith, they saw a couple
of lanterns suddenly appear within a short distance of them. There was
a hoarse shout and a gruff reply as the driver answered the challenge,
while at the same moment the rays from the lanterns flashed upon a low,
tented wagon, drawn by a long team of mules, at whose head the figure of
a Kafir was for one brief second silhouetted against the light, to be
swallowed up in the darkness immediately after. Then another wagon came
into view, to be followed by another and another, each one of the long
string which composed the convoy being inspected by the men who carried
the lanterns.

"The first one that comes along is the one for us," whispered Jack.
"The driver is on this side of his team, so we will skip over to the
other side of the road. Wait till the wagon is directly in front, and
then hop in as quickly as you can."

"Right! I understand," was Poynter's answer.

By this time the convoy of stores was close at hand, creeping slowly
along the road, for many of the teams were composed of oxen, and were
consequently incapable of covering much more than two miles in an hour.
There were a few minutes of suspense, and then the mules which were
leading filed past Jack and his friend like so many ghosts, followed by
a lumbering, creaking wagon which groaned and rattled at every
inequality in the road.

Jack pressed Poynter's arm, and instantly both rose from the ground and
darted towards the vehicle. With a spring Jack landed upon the
driving-board, an