obedience
to any single order they might issue. But these men had gone through a
splendid experience together. Quite half of them had never before seen
a life taken, or a shot fired in anger, in their lives; yet when put to
it they had made a gallant running fight, against tremendous odds, with
judgment and pluck such as no similar number of trained soldiers could
have excelled them in. They had succeeded in their object, and had
succeeded brilliantly, and the glow of satisfaction which this inspired
was heightened by the absolute certainty that had they overtaken the
mule-waggon ten minutes later their arrival would have been too late.
All this had implanted in them an instinctive soldierly spirit, and not
a man there would have dreamed of questioning an order issued by Lamont,
or even Peters. Yet the latter now invited some of them to `volunteer.'
The whole corps responded.

"Half a dozen 'll do," was the answer, and those who seemed the most
willing were duly told off. The while the ladies were being looked
after by the storekeeper's wife.

Lamont was helping to look after the wounded. Fortunately, among the
three men who found themselves at Kezane when they arrived was a young
doctor from Buluwayo; and his services being readily and skilfully
given, there was no cause whatever for anxiety on the part of these less
lucky ones.

"Where's the captain?" sang out Jim Steele, as the residue of the corps
were doing full and jovial justice to the hospitable German's
invitation. "We must have the captain. We want to drink his jolly good
health. Here it is. Here's to Captain Lamont, and ripping good luck to
him."

The toast was drunk with a roar of cheering.

"He's helping look after the wounded," said Peters. "There's a doctor
here luckily, and he's having them seen to all right."

A sort of compunctious silence fell upon the others at this
announcement. Here they were, refreshing and making merry and enjoying
themselves, while the man who had led them, and taken a tiger's share in
the fight, had gone straight away to care for their wounded comrades.

"Chaps," said Jim Steele shortly, "we are sweeps. D'you hear? Sweeps."

"It's all right, Jim," said Peters. "Lamont told me to look after you
all, even apart from Grunberger's jolly hospitable invitation. Don't
you bother about him."

"Bother about him?" echoed Jim Steele. "But that's just what we're
going to do. We must have him here and drink his