."

"Yes, sir," replied Mr Gresham. "I think we have about covered that
distance by now; and our course has been true by compass, I know."

"Yes, yes," said `old Hankey Pankey,' as if thinking over the
matter--"yes. Got the rockets ready, Mr--ahem--Shrapnell?"

"Aye, aye, sir," replied `Gunnery Jack,' who had come up from his guns,
on the halt being cried, to see whether the captain might not have any
special orders for him. "They're close at hand, sir."

"The signal rockets, I mean."

"Yes, sir, I'm speaking of the signal rockets," replied Mr Shrapnell,
with never a movement on his face, but looking grave as a judge. "I
thought you'd want them, sir, so I brought them along with me. Adams
here, sir, has them in his charge. The other rockets with the tube for
firing them are with the guns in the centre of the main column."

"That's right, Mr Shrapnell; tell Adams to get one of the signals ready
for sending up at once, for I expect to see the admiral's every minute,"
said `old Hankey Pankey'; adding, as `Gunnery Jack' stepped back to
prepare the signal rocket with Adams, "That chap thinks himself very
smart with his rocket and tube, as if I didn't know the real difference
between the two! It's just like those gunnery fellows. They think
nobody can be as sharp as themselves; but Mr Shrapnell will find
himself too sharp for himself as well as for me some day, if he doesn't
look out!"

Almost as he said this, we could hear the `whis-s-ish' of a rocket going
up in the distance, the sound seeming to come from a point in the bush
about a mile or so ahead of us; and then, the bright blue and red
globules of fire that followed the burst of the warning signal were seen
the very next moment, high in the air above the trees in front, slowly
sinking as their light died away out of sight.

"Stand by there!" shouted `old Hankey Pankey' to Adams, who had our
return signal rocket all ready, slung on to a handspike for a stick.
"Here's my cigar, set fire to it with that."

He handed him as he thus spoke the manilla which he had been smoking
throughout our march, as if he were going to some picnic and probably
feeling quite as jovial as if he had been; and, Adams at once setting
light to the end of the rocket, it soared aloft like its compeer the
moment before, with a whish and a rush that must have scared all the
stray baboons within earshot of its flight.

Then we heard tom-toms beating close by, and the clash of brass