s will it take?"

The answer to that question had not been arrived at when they dropped
asleep, lulled by the sound of rippling water and the _crop, crop, crop_
made by the grazing ponies, and this time their weariness was so great
that sleep overcame them both. Ingleborough was to have watched, but
nature was too strong, and both slept till sundown, to rise up full of a
feeling of self-reproach.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

A LOUD REPORT.

Days of rest and nights of travel succeeded, during which the
despatch-riders began to wonder at the ease with which they progressed.

"I thought it would be twice as hard a task!" said West. "Here have we
been two days without a sign of a Boer! We must be very near Mafeking
now."

"Yes, very," said Ingleborough drily; "nearer than I thought. Halt!"

He drew rein as he spoke, West's pony stopping short at the same time as
its companion.

They had been riding steadily on through the night, and now as the
ponies stood side by side they stretched out their necks in the soft
cool darkness, and the sound of their cropping told that they were
amongst grass.

"Why did you pull up?" said West, in a cautious whisper.

"For you to hear how near we are to Mafeking now."

"Near?"

"Yes; can't you hear the firing?"

"No," said West, after a few moments' pause. "Yes, now I do," he cried
eagerly, for all at once there was a dull concussion as if a blow had
been delivered in the air.

"A heavy gun," cried West excitedly.

"Hist!"

"I forgot," said West softly. "That must be one of the siege guns," he
continued.

"Yes," said Ingleborough, "and it must be near daybreak, with the
bombarding beginning. Be careful; perhaps we are nearer the enemy than
we thought."

At the end of a couple of minutes there was the dull concussion of
another heavy gun, and this was continued at intervals of ten or fifteen
minutes during the next hour, while the adventurers advanced cautiously
at a walk, keeping a sharp look-out through the transparent darkness for
a patch of rocks or woodland which might serve for their next halt. But
day had quite dawned before a suitable place of refuge presented itself,
in the shape of one of the low kopjes.

"Dismount!" whispered Ingleborough sharply, and they spent the next ten
minutes carefully scanning the district round in full expectation of
seeing some sign of the enemy.

But nothing worse was in view than two or three of the scattered farms
of