Part 21 (1/2)

Meanwhile, Wilfred fired at the figures clis, while sharp reports from the side and back of the house told that Frank and Eileen were also engaged

Once their azines were eain they poured a streah the loopholes

But the Boers had already had sufficient With shouts and shrill cries of fear they disappeared in the darkness, leaving arden

”That will make them more careful next time,” muttered Jack ”I wonder what their nextto wait, for al there was a roar of h the house, piercing the walls as if they werein all directions It was decidedly unpleasant, but all escaped by the greatest luck, the only injury sustained being a flesh wound by Jack The bullet had passed through the calf of his leg, but so unimportant was it that a handkerchief tied round it was amply sufficient to staunch the blood which flohile the pain was so little that he scarcely felt it then, though later on he suffered considerably

”Lie down, all of you!” shouted Frank at thisus another volley”

All threw theh which they stared out at the veldt, which was now beco more visible every moment

A second later another storh the house, while others struck the iron roof above, giving rise to an alar noise

For five minutes the fusilade continued, and then suddenly ceased

”To your posts!” cried Jack ”They will hope to have killed or wounded all of us, and will h, a host of Boers now appeared in the growing light, running towards the house, and into them all four rifles poured a streah hastily fired, was carefully aih a few of the bolder spirits ae to reach the house, the majority were either struck down or retired precipitately For those ere atte to kick in the door Jack's Mauser pistol still rest them without pity

At any other ti fellow-beings to a last and sudden account, would have shocked hi remorse But noas different He had seen a crew of powerful irl For that alone they deserved punishment, part of which had been summarily meted out to them But the remainder had escaped, to return with other comrades, all enemies of the queen They would not hesitate to take the lives of those who so gallantly defended the farle one of theazines of his weapons again, in preparation for the next assault

But they had read the Boers a severe lesson, and those of thehbourhood of the little faralloped away across the veldt till well out of range of fire Then they pulled up and collected together, soleht, they would subdue those few English opposed to theeance on their heads The pluck and dauntless deternised and admired; but they had already killed or wounded some forty or more of their brothers, and a price must be exacted for those lives

With sullen and determined looks they parted to surround the house, while a feere despatched for reinforceuns hich to splinter the walls behind which the defenders lay

Meanwhile Jack and his friends stood gri-space allowed the across the veldt At last the day broke co the plain in front of therey low lit up the eastern sky, and in course of ti sun rose above the steep spires and pinnacles of the range of mountains beyond the Vaal River, and poured a flood of warmth across the lonely veldt Instantly the lorious day had dawned

”Now our first duty is to give the enemy permission to remove their dead and wounded,” exclaimed Frank ”Let us pull down one of these boards and shout to thely a plank renched froh the opening A Boer horsearden, reined in opposite the

”You can rereed to act as spokesman, so that Frank Russel should not appear ”Only ten of you must coive you an hour to do the work After that we shall fire on anyone who approaches”

The Boer courteously expressed his thanks, and at once rode away

Five s, and the party who had coarden

Those inside the house sat down at their loopholes and kept a close watch, for they had heard before of Boer treachery and slimness, andhad been clearly exposed during the opening days in Natal As they watched they hastily ate afinished looked to their rifles

All this while the unhappy ons, and Jack and his friends pitied theroan did they utter

They bore their sufferings patiently and in silence, and won the unstinted sympathy and praise of those who, by the fortune of war, had been the cause of their trouble

At last all were re Boer who had at first replied to the white flag trotted up to theand once alloped away, leaving the four inmates of the farle

CHAPTER TEN

DESPERATE ODDS