ith sick men, in the center;
the soldiers, in readiness for action, around them.

A soldier now ran up with a slip of paper, upon which Will had
scribbled, in pencil:

"The enemy are apparently in considerable force. The defile opens
here. They are disposed among rocks and boulders, on either side."

Will, on arriving at the advanced party, had found at once that the
force of the enemy was too strong for him to attempt to move
forward, at present. He had posted the men behind boulders by the
wayside, ordering them to pick off any man that showed himself; and
they were soon engaged in a sharp musketry skirmish with the enemy.
One of their number had fallen at the first discharge; and Will,
taking his rifle, used it with effect, until the head of the convoy
arrived.

It was now fast becoming dark, and the flashes of the enemy's fire,
from behind the rocks, showed how numerous were the assailants.

"There must be a couple of thousands of the scoundrels," Will said
to Captain Edwards, as the latter came up to ascertain the state of
affairs. "Hampered with the convoy, the position is an awkward one.
It is fortunate they attacked where they did; for we can hold our
own here while, if they had waited till we got fairly down into
this comparatively open valley, and then attacked us on both
flanks, it would have been very awkward.

"We must try and clear them out. We cannot stop here all night. It
is freezing very sharp, now; and the cold will be intense, in an
hour or two."

"I will take thirty men," Captain Edwards said, "and skirmish along
among the rocks on the left. Do you take as many more, and move
along the right of the path. The remaining forty shall stay here,
under my sergeant, to guard the convoy from an attack in rear, in
case any of the enemy should come down the defile behind us."

The fight soon became exceedingly hot. Making their way along the
rocks, on either side of the path, the Guides slowly drove the
enemy before them. It was hard work, however, for the tribesmen
fought steadily and, as those in front fell back upon those lower
down the valley, their resistance became every moment more
obstinate. Eight of Will's party had already fallen; but although,
sword in hand, he was leading them, encouraging them with voice and
gesture, not a bullet had as yet struck him.

Presently Captain Edwards, having crossed the valley, stood by his
side.

"We are at a standstill," he said. "Nine of my men are ki