nd. I can't touch them.
Try at once."

"Don't you hurry me, or I shall muff it, old man," said Dickenson
coolly. "I want a better chance. There's nothing but a bit of
wideawake to fire at now.--Ha! Lie still. He's reaching out to fire at
me, I think."

Dickenson's rifle spurted, and their enemy's was like an echo; but the
muzzle of the Boer's piece was suddenly jerked upward, and the bullet
had an opportunity of proving how far a Mauser rifle would carry with a
high trajectory.

"Thanks, old fellow," said Lennox. "That has halved the risk. Perhaps
the other fellow will think it too dangerous to stay."

"Doesn't seem like it," said Dickenson, drawing in his breath sharply
and clapping his left hand to his ear.

"Don't say you're hit, Bob!" cried Lennox in an agonised tone.

"All right; I won't if you don't want me to."

"But are you?"

"I suppose so. There's a bit taken out of my left ear, and I can feel
something trickling down inside my collar."

"Oh Bob, old fellow!" cried Lennox.

"Lie still, man! What are you going to do?"

"Bind up the place."

"You won't if you stir."

There was pretty good proof of this, for another shot whizzed between
them. But he who sent it had been too venturesome in taking aim to
revenge his comrade's fall, and the result of Dickenson's return shot
was fatal, for he too sprang up into a kneeling posture, and they saw
him for a few moments trying to rise to his feet, but only to fall over
to the left, right in view of the two officers.

Drew uttered a sigh of relief.

"If we are to escape," he said, "we must stop any one from getting into
that position again."

"Look sharp, then," said Dickenson, whose keen eyes detected a movement
on the other side of the river. "There's a chap creeping among the
bushes on all fours."

"I see him," cried Drew; and as he followed the enemy's movements and
took aim, Dickenson, who was in the better position for commanding them,
followed his example.

"Missed!" cried Drew angrily as he fired and the Boer raised a hand and
waved it derisively.

"Hit!" exclaimed Dickenson the next instant. For he too had fired, and
with better aim, the Boer drawing himself together, springing up, and
turning to run, but only to stagger the next minute and fall heavily
among the bushes, which hid him from sight.

"Now for the next," continued Dickenson, coolly reloading. "Look out;
I'm going to watch the other end."

He turned sharply as