effective as that still kept up from the hill was maintained. This
completed the stampede of the enemy. They were soon half a mile away,
but even at that distance the Mauser bullets continued to whistle over
and among them, and they continued their flight until lost in the
distance. Chris's whistle gave the signal for ceasing fire, and the two
parties sprang to their feet, gave three hearty cheers, and then ran
towards the farmhouse. In the yard lay five Boers and seven or eight
horses; the riders had jumped up behind companions, for as they passed,
Chris had seen that several of the animals were carrying double. The
little group, so lately prisoners, advanced as they came up, almost
bewildered at the sudden transformation that had taken place, their
surprise being increased on seeing that they had apparently been rescued
by another party of Boers, and still more when on their reaching them
they found that these were all mere lads.

"We are a party of Maritzburg Scouts," Chris said, with a smile at their
astonished faces; "though, as you see, we are got up as Boers so as to
be able to get close to them without exciting suspicion. We were
fortunate in just arriving in time."

"We thank you indeed, sir," the settler said, "for you have saved us the
loss of all our property, and, for aught I know, from being carried off
as prisoners. We were intending to trek down to Ladysmith today, and had
just driven in our herds when the Boers arrived. If they had been
content with stealing them, they would have been away before you
arrived; but they stopped to plunder everything they could carry off,
and, as I should say, from noises that we heard in the house, to smash
up all the furniture they could not carry off. We are indeed grateful to
you."