We climbed up the rugged stones, which had gradually been arranged till the way was pretty easy, and reached the top of the wall, now protected by a good breastwork high enough to enable our sentries to keep well under cover. It was very bright and breezy up there; but Denham did not seem disposed to sit down quietly and rest in the sun, for he stepped up at once to where he could gaze over the breastwork, resting his elbows on the stones and his chin upon his hands. "Hi, Denham! don't do that," I said. "It's not safe." "Bah! I want to look out for those ammunition-wagons old Briggs was talking about." "But--" I began, and then I was silent, for Joeboy had followed us up, and seeing Denham's perilous position, he stepped up behind him, put his hands to his waist, and lifted him down as if he had been a child. "How dare--Oh, it's you, Blackie," he said, laughing. It was a strange laugh, and I could see that the poor fellow had a peculiar look in his eyes. For as Joeboy snatched more than lifted him down, _ping, whiz_, the humming of two bullets went so close to his head on either side that he winced twice--to right and to left; and _crack_, _crack_ came the reports of the rifles fired from the Boer lines opposite. "Doppie want to shoot Boss Denham," said Joeboy coolly. "Shoot straight." "Yes, they shoot straight," said Denham; "but I didn't think--I don't know, though; perhaps I did think. I say, Val," he added in a strange, inconsequent way, as if rather ashamed of his recklessness, "that was rather near--wasn't it?" "Why do you act like that?" I said reproachfully. "I suppose it was out of bravado," he replied, seeming to return to his old manner again. "I wanted to show the brutes the contempt I feel for them." "You only made them laugh to see how quickly your head disappeared when they fired." "How do you know?" he said sharply. "Because that's exactly what they would do," I replied. Denham frowned, and turned to Joeboy. "Here," he said, "put up that big stone on the edge there." The black obeyed, and then Denham pointed to another. "Put that one beside it, and leave just room between them for me to peer out. I want to see whether it's possible to do as you did, Val, and bring out a wagon of cartridge-boxes." Joeboy raised first one and then another great stone upon the edge as he was told, and Denham stepped up directly to look between them, but bobbed his head and stepped down again directly, for _spat, spat, spat_, three rifle-bullets struck the stones and fell rattling down. Denham looked sharply towards me, frowning angrily; but I met his eyes without shrinking. "I wish I wasn't so nervous," he said, by way of apology. "It's from being weak, I suppose." "It's enough to make a strong man shrink," I said. "Don't look again. The next bullet may come between the stones and hit you." "But I must look," he said angrily. "It's quite time you and I did something to help."