girl who had stood so staunchly by them in
Frank Russel's ruined farmstead had survived the trials of a siege which
had lasted now so many weeks.

"Tell me all about her and the others, Tom," he proceeded eagerly. "I
have been over in Ladysmith, and ever since I left Mafeking and was
taken to Pretoria I have heard not a single word of you."

"Goodness, Jack! Pretoria and Ladysmith! whatever do you mean?"
exclaimed Tom in astonishment. "You left us here to carry despatches to
Baden-Powell--and precious sorry hearts you left behind you, my lad, I
can tell you--and since then, as we heard nothing of you save that you
had reached your destination, we quite believed that you had taken up
your quarters with the plucky garrison in Mafeking and were helping them
to keep out the Boers. And now you talk about Pretoria and Ladysmith!
What does it all mean? Out with it, man!"

"Oh, it's a long yarn, Tom!" Jack laughed, "and I'll give it to you
this evening, but just now I should like to see the others."

"Of course you would, old boy!" exclaimed Tom. "Come along, and follow
me closely, or else you will have a shower of millets flying around your
head. Ah, here we are! Hop down into that trench. Now push on and
take the third turn to the right. We are bound to take care of
ourselves here, and as our streets are often swept by bullets, and a
bursting shell is a common thing, we have dug these shelter trenches."

Dropping into a deep trench, Jack and his friend pushed along rapidly,
halting once, however, and crouching low as a huge shell shrieked just
overhead, and, striking a storehouse opposite, shivered it into a
thousand fragments, scattering the ruins on every side.

"That's about the only thing our friends are any good at," said Tom
Salter with a growl. "They've sat outside this town for weeks and
weeks, and all that time they've never given us a chance for a healthy
fight. Bless you, they thought that the taking of Kimberley was a
simple matter, and when they found that they had got men to deal with,
they just sat down to starve us out, or worry us to death with their
shells; but assault us, or make anything like a plucky effort to take
us, they have never done. But here we are; hop up, old boy. Now,
follow me along here to the chamber of horrors; that's what we call our
bomb-proof rooms. There it is; five steps down, and turn to the left."

Jack descended a flight of wooden steps, and, turning to the lef