_Reverting to his original attitude._)
Now you want transport and supply officers. See that depot over there?
(_nodding his head towards the De Aar supply depot._) Go and collect
them there--quote me as your authority. There you are fitted up; you
can round up part of your brigade to-night and be off at daybreak
to-morrow. Wait; you will want an intelligence officer. (_Here he
swung round and ran his eye over the miscellaneous gathering of all
ranks assembled on the platform. He singled out a bedraggled officer
from amongst the group who had arrived the preceding night in the van
of the ill-natured Africander guard._) What are you doing here?"

_Officer._ "Trying to rejoin, sir."

_Chief._ "Where have you come from?"

_Officer._ "Deelfontein--convalescent, sir."

_Chief._ "You'll do. You are intelligence officer to the New Cavalry
Brigade. Here's your brigadier; you will take orders from him.
(_Turning again to the colonel and holding out his hand._) There you
are; you are fitted out. Mind you move out of Richmond Road to-morrow
morning without fail. Good-bye!"

II.

THE MEET!

The driver leaned out of the cab of his engine and gave the brigadier
a little of his mind.

"Look here, I am a civilian; I know my duties. I had my eight bogies
on, and by the rights of things I had no business to take on your
beastly truck--and now I tell you that the line is not safe, and here
I stay for the night. Bear in mind that you are now dealing with
civilian driver John Brown, and he knows his duties."

"My hearty fellow!" answered the brigadier, who had commanded a
Colonial corps too long to be put out by "back-chat" from a
representative of the most independent class in the world, "that is
not the point. If we were all to do our duty rigidly to the letter, we
should get no forwarder. It is not a matter of saving this train, it
is a matter of a gentleman keeping his word. I have given my word that
I will march out of Richmond Road to-morrow at daybreak. You wouldn't
like it on your conscience that not only had you made a pal break his
word, but you had also been the means of leaving a gap in the line for
De Wet. Duty be hanged in the Imperial cause! What did Nelson do at
the battle of Copenhagen? Now this is just a parallel: I know that you
are loyal and sportsman to the backbone; I want you to be the Nelson
of this 'crush.' I know I can't order you--but I know that you are a
sportsman, and as a sportsman you will