. Look here, Drew, old chap, you haven't found
me out yet. I'm not half such a nice young angel as you think."

"Hold your row; here's James." For the sergeant came hurrying
in.--"Well?"

"Search party of twenty directly, gentlemen. Colonel sends word that
you two are to come with us."

"Right," cried Lennox excitedly. "What did the colonel say?"

"`Poor fellow!' sir; and then he turned on the captain, sir."

"Yes," cried Dickenson eagerly, "What did he say to him?"

"Why the something or another hadn't he gone to look for Corporal May at
once?"

"Bravo!" said Dickenson; and Lennox, who was buckling on his sword
hurriedly, felt better.

"But how about you, James? Are you going to be degraded for neglect?"
said Dickenson as they hurried out to join the men already assembled.

"No, sir," replied the sergeant, with a broad smile spreading over his
manly countenance. "The colonel heard all I had to say in defence, and
he just says, `Bad job, sergeant--accident.'--You know his short way,
sir?--Then, `Be off and get your men together; find the poor fellow as
soon as you can.'"

Captain Roby was just hurrying to a group of men waiting to make the
start, when Sergeant James came up, carrying all the lanterns he could
muster in a bunch. "Come, gentlemen," he said sharply; "make haste,
please. Have you plenty of matches, sergeant?"

"Yes, sir."

"Fall in, my lads. Here, stop. No rifles; only your bayonets."

The firearms were returned to their quarters, and a couple of minutes
later the search party were on their way to the kopje.

"Beg pardon, sir," said the sergeant, suddenly breaking from his place
to address the captain; "wouldn't it be better to take a long rope with
us?"

"What for?" said Roby angrily. "For the men to hold on by in case any
one should be lost? Absurd!"

The sergeant was returning to his place, and Lennox and Dickenson
exchanging glances, when the captain altered his mind.

"Yes," he said; "on second thoughts, we may as well take a coil. Hurry
back and fetch one, sergeant."

The latter handed his bunch of lanterns to one of the men, and went off
back to quarters at the double, while the party marched on.

"Fasting doesn't do old Cantankerous any good," said Dickenson in a
half-whisper.

"Quiet! Quiet! He'll be hearing you and getting worse," said Lennox.

"Impossible!" grunted Dickenson. "He wants a week's good feeding or a
fit of illness to do him good. He's goin