Part 36 (1/2)
”He can look as long as he likes,” chuckled the young officer, ”but he won't see a single ular outposts I ordered all my fellows to lie flat and reood,” muttered Jack ”Halloa! what's that?”
As Jack spoke, one of the Boer spies gave a loarning hiss between his teeth, and a second later a corporal and twoby in the darkness on their way to relieve an outlying picket They had approached so silently that Piet Maartens was taken by surprise, and was instantly perceived But his coolness did not desert hied
”Relieving picket,” shouted the corporal, and passed on without a halt
”Pass, relieving picket All's well,” Piet Maartens answered, and, having waited a lasses
Five minutes later the corporal and the men he had relieved returned, and silence settled down upon the hilltop
It was a trying ti behind the lued upon the Boer spies in front, they expected theuns at any ed slowly past, and then another, and the officer was on the point of shouting to his ain seen to lasses
”Wait aofficer's arin”
An instant later, having satisfied himself that there was no one about, Piet Maartens slipped stealthily to the side of one of his fellow-spies, and, extracting souns There was a faint click, then a few seconds of silence, which was followed by a ” Once un And all the while Jack and his friends looked on in breathless silence In all, there were twelve weapons belonging to the Field-Artillery, and each in turn Piet Maartens visited Then he returned to his forave a soft whistle At the signal the other spies joined him, and immediately disappeared over the brow of the hill and cli officer rushed up to the guns, acco his revolver, shouted ”Look out,of soldiers leapt to their feet, and with fixed bayonets faced the party of Boer spies
”Lay down your arms, Piet Maartens It's all up, and if you lift a hand you will all be shot like dogs!” Jack shouted, rushi+ng forward at the sa his rifle at his old enee escaped fro his rifle; but long before he could get it free the circle of soldiers rushed in and knocked all three to the ground Aparty in charge of a subaltern
”Noe'll have a look at the guns,” exclai a lantern and a couple of uns till I have inspected thear has placed a charge of dynamite in the breech”
A few moments later a lantern was produced, and, followed by Jack and Guy, the officer looked closely at the breeches of the guns At first there was nothing to be seen But a close inspection revealed a thin piece of wire attached to the handle of the breech, passing from there into the inside of the weapon
”Don't open it, whatever you do,” cried Jack in a warning voice ”It is a regular trap for the gunners, and the opening of the breech would fire the charge inside Snip the wires, and then you will be able to learn all about it”
A wire nipper was now produced, and the piece attached to the handle having been cautiously snipped, the breech was opened and disclosed a charge of gun-cotton inside arranged so that theof the handle would pull the wire and explode the charge, and so destroy the gun immediately
”Ah, I told you there was a plot on hand!” exclaiuns here, and they sent those spies in to arrange matters, so that when the rush cole weapon to fire at theround below Well, I fancy we shall be able to open their eyes It's getting on for ht you are, Somerton,” the officer replied ”There's no ood try to take us, and, thanks to you, we shall be ready for theo off and report the uns loaded with shrapnel By the hat are you going to do?”
”Oh, Guy and I will give a hand, if we may!” answered Jack
”My dear chap, every et the better Come intoso close to the guns”
Jack and his friend eagerly accepted the invitation, and accompanied the officer back to the trench Here they were joined by Mr Hunter, and a few hlanders and Rifleunners trained their weapons upon the flats below, and loaded them with shrapnel Outposts were doubled, and every man waited in dead silence for the assault, prepared to hurl back the attacking Boers at the point of the bayonet
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE GRAND assAULT