d
once for all I tell you that while I serve I am not going to put up with
bullying from any man who is a step above me in the ranks."

The first speaker looked at him sternly, and Ingleborough placed his
lips close to West's ear.

"Look here," said Ingleborough, "if we shoot, both take aim at that
obstinate brute, and give the other a chance to run for his life!"

A nod was the only answer, as both listened to what was said further.

"You fellows, because you get made field-cornets by a bit of luck, don't
know how to contain yourselves, and--"

"Back to your horse!" said the first speaker, the veins in whose
forehead stood out in a network beneath his flap-brimmed hat, while his
voice sounded full of suppressed fury.

"Back yourself!" cried the other. "I'll obey your orders in the field,
but we of the Free State are getting tired of the overbearing ways of
you men of the Transvaal. Put down your rifle, sir! By all that's
holy, if you hold it towards me in that threatening way, I'll send a
Mauser bullet through you. If I die for it, I will."

At that moment, just as there seemed to be every possibility of a deadly
encounter between the two men, there was a loud hail from beyond the
rock, and, as it was not replied to, another cry was heard, in company
with loud echoing splashes in the water, and half-a-dozen Boers waded
into sight, evidently in a high state of excitement.

"Hullo there!" shouted the foremost, "didn't you hear us call? We began
to think you had fallen into an ambush! Quick, back with you: there's a
patrol of the rooineks out yonder coming this way, the mounted men with
the spiked poles."

"Many or few?" said the man addressed as the field-cornet, and,
apparently forgetting his anger in the excitement, he began to hurry
away from the cavern mouth, talking loudly the while. "I'll see! If
they'll come on, we'll stay here; if not, we might try and surround them
and capture the whole gang!"

The next minute the walls of the gully were echoing the hurried
splashing made by the party, as the last of them turned the corner and
disappeared across the veldt.

"Phew! What a pity!" said Ingleborough, taking off his hat to wipe his
forehead.

"A pity!" cried West. "What: the news that some of our people are
near?"

"No, no; I meant that the row came to an end. I was in hopes that we
were going to have a new version of the Kilkenny cats, and two enemies
of Old England were going to tear eac