ay the boat
was captured by the _Porfurst_."

"I hope I'm not tiring you with too many questions," said Wilmshurst
after he had made several enquiries respecting his brother. The
answers received were far from satisfactory, for MacGregor seemed to
make a point of "switching off" the subject of Rupert Wilmshurst and
dwelling at length on his own adventures.

"Not at all," replied the Rhodesian. "As regards your brother you may
get in touch with him, but German East is a whacking big country. Are
you part of a brigade?" he asked.

"We're just the 'Waffs,'" replied Dudley. "The West African Field
Force, you know. As regards numbers or our scene of action I haven't
the remotest idea at present. I don't believe that even the colonel
knows."

"At any rate," continued MacGregor, "I think I'll see your colonel and
get him to let me proceed in the _Zungeru_. It doesn't very much
matter whether I join the Rhodesian contingent, although I'd prefer to,
or get attached to one of the Boer detachments, or even your crush, if
they'd have me. I don't want to brag, Mr. Wilmshurst, but I'd be
mighty useful, knowing the country as I do."

MacGregor's application met with favourable consideration, although he
did not tell Wilmshurst the result of the interview with the colonel
until the transports dropped anchor in Table Bay and the rest of the
released men went ashore.

Bad weather off Cape Agulhas made the rounding of the southernmost part
of Africa a disagreeable business, but in ideal climatic conditions the
convoy, with two destroyers still on escort duties, approached Cape
Delgado, beyond which the territory of German East commences.

The short tropical dusk was deepening into night when two tramp
steamers were sighted, bearing N.N.E. In obedience to a signal from
one of the destroyers they revealed themselves as two Dutch trading
ships bound from Batavia to Rotterdam, but driven out of their course
by a succession of gales at the commencement of the south-west monsoon.

Commanded to heave-to both vessels were boarded by examination officers
from the destroyer, but their papers being quite in order and nothing
of a suspicious nature discovered amongst the cargo they were allowed
to proceed.

At daybreak the convoy learnt that both vessels had been shelled and
destroyed by a British cruiser, but not in time to prevent them landing
two batteries of 4.1 inch Krupp field-guns at the mouth of the Mohoro
river.

"Roug