pretty bit of success; but so far we have been horribly beaten all
round."

"Yes, yes; don't talk about it," said West sharply; "but look over
there. We needn't have been at the trouble of scrambling down this
almost perpendicular place, for there must be a much easier spot where
that fellow is walking up."

"Never mind; we'll find that slope next time, for we shall have to come
down again if we want a wash."

They sat down chatting together about the beautifully peaceful look of
the stream, while Ingleborough lit his pipe and began to smoke.

"It does seem a pity," said Ingleborough thoughtfully, exhaling a cloud
of smoke: "this gully looks as calm and peaceful as a stream on old
Dartmoor at home. My word! I wish I had a rod, a line, and some flies!
There must be fish here. I should like to throw in that pool and
forget all about despatch-bearing and guns and rifles and men using
lances. It would be a treat!"

"It looks deep and black too in there," said West. "Yes, a good day's
fishing in such a peaceful--Ugh! Come away. Let's get back to the
camp."

"Why? What's the matter?" cried Ingleborough, starting up, in the full
expectation of seeing a party of the enemy making their way down the
farther bank to get a shot at them.

But West was only pointing with averted head down at the deep black
pool, and Ingleborough's face contracted as his eyes took in all that
had excited West's horror and disgust.

For there, slowly sailing round and round just beneath the surface, were
the white faces of some half-dozen Boers, wounded to the death or
drowned in their efforts to escape the British cavalry, and washed down
from higher up by the swift stream, to go on gliding round and round the
pool till a sudden rising of the waters from some storm should give the
stream sufficient power to sweep them out.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.

THAT BASE COIN.

"Let's see; this will take us round by the hospital wagons," said
Ingleborough. "I vote we go round the other way, for we don't want any
more horrors now!"

They chose a different direction to return to their temporary quarters
in the camp, one which took them round by the row upon row of captured
wagons and the roughly-made enclosure into which the prisoners had now
been herded, and where they were doubly guarded by a strong party of
mounted infantry, who had stringent orders to fire at the slightest sign
of trying to escape.

"They'll accept their lot now, I