uite a simple matter," replied the spy. "I informed the camp
commander--he was a simple sort of leutnant--that I was going to
overtake the column, the column, by the bye, having been sent by me on
a fool's errand to capture an imaginary laager on Gwelba kopje.
According to previous arrangements I fell in with Hauptmann Schmidt's
company, and he obligingly set a squad of his Askaris to work to stage
the last stand of Scout MacGregor. We trampled the grass, left a few
cartridge cases lying about and sent my borrowed horse away with a
bullet-wound in his flank to hurry him up, and to give additional
colour to the effect. I should not be surprised to see the name of
Robert MacGregor posthumously honoured with the British Military Medal
or something of that sort."

The three Huns laughed uproariously. Under the temporarily
exhilarating effect of the rank spirit they were beginning to forget
their physical exhaustion.

"To be on the safe side," continued von Gobendorff, "it will be
necessary for me to get as far away from the Nth-West African Regiment
as I can. I presume that you have no objection to my leaving you, Herr
Oberst?"

Von Lindenfelt grunted assent.

"Can you get clear of the colony?" he asked. "Every frontier is
guarded, while since the _Jaguar_ succeeded in running her cargo of
quick-firers ashore even the coast is rigidly patrolled by those
accursed English cruisers."

"Give me a dozen native carriers, rifles and ammunition, and I'll wager
that before another fortnight I'll be in Rhodesia," declared von
Gobendorff. "Once there the rest will be easy; train to Cape Town,
mail-boat to Plymouth, our splendid unterseebooten permitting; then,
having applied to a certain compatriot in London for a forged passport,
I'll cross to Flushing and be in German territory three months from
now."

"If you do, please don't forget to inform the authorities at Berlin
that I am still doing good work for the Fatherland," remarked the
hauptmann earnestly. "The War Office seems to forget us out here."

"Quite so," agreed von Lindenfelt. "We do not get even Iron Crosses,
although we are still holding out after two years of incessant
guerrilla warfare. Only the other day----"

A junior officer stood in the doorway, his flaccid features working
with excitement.

"Pardon, Herr Oberst," he exclaimed, as he saluted. "An English
aeroplane----"

"Donnerwetter!" interrupted the German excitedly. "Is that so? Von
Arg