declining orb of day.

"Hist, sah!" exclaimed Beta Moshi. "Dey come."

With every sense keenly on the alert Wilmshurst strove to detect the
approach of the foe. Already the men had slipped clips of cartridges
into the magazines of their rifles, and, the exact range being known,
had set sights to eight hundred yards, at which distance the retiring
Huns would be on slightly-sloping ground practically destitute of cover.

A cloud of dust rising sullenly in the still air marked the approach of
the column. The Huns were moving rapidly, although there were no
sounds to indicate that they were fighting a rear-guard action, while
there were no signs of any advance guard.

"We've got them cold," exclaimed Wilmshurst, gleefully, then, "No. 1
Section, volley firing, ready."

Suddenly a shot rang out away on the left front of the concealed
Haussas.

"Who the deuce fired that?" thought the subaltern angrily, vowing to
make it hot for the luckless black who could not keep control over his
itching trigger finger.

The mischief was done. At the warning shot the retiring enemy stopped
short almost in the jaws of the trap that awaited them; then at a hot
pace they disappeared into the bush to be swallowed up in the rapidly
deepening night.

"Find out who fired that shot, sergeant," ordered Wilmshurst.

Bela Moshi's efforts were unavailing. Even when the platoon was
paraded and every man's rifle examined the culprit was not discovered.

"Jolly rummy," mused the subaltern. "It's a dead cert that none of my
men fired. Some one did. Why and for what reason?"

Fired with anger at the futile ending to their tedious efforts the
Haussas sent a deputation to the young officer offering to search the
bush in the direction from which the shot came, for the men of the
extreme left flank were emphatic in their belief that they heard the
sounds of booted feet after the report.

"Off you go, then," replied Wilmshurst. "Hurry back if you hear the
'Fall in.'"

The two men selected--Tari Barl and No Go--lost no time in starting
upon their hazardous quest. Armed only with their bayonets the Haussas
vanished into the darkness.

Another period of tension ensued. The tropical heat of the day gave
place to intense cold as the parched earth rapidly radiated its heat.
Presently the stars began to glimmer in the firmament, their brightness
increasing to their full splendour of an African night.

Still no message came for the platoon t