_Brigadier_ (_turning to his staff_) "We shall be fairly in it, if we have any luck, I don't think that these fellows who have passed behind us are De Wet's actual advance-guard. They are probably a patrol that he has thrown out to look after his exposed flank. He knows that we were at Luckhoff, and he would not have moved without telling off some one to watch us. Now, these people have seen us and passed behind us; but as we have luckily struck and covered the trail of the advance squadrons, they don't know that we have a force six hours ahead of us. Probably they have sent back to De Wet, who will be from one to two hours'[41] distant from them, to inform him, if he puts a spurt on, he can be through the Fauresmith passes before us. If only the Mount Nelsons can hold him, we shall get even with him yet." By nine o'clock the Fauresmith hills began to loom up above the dead level of the veldt, and as the trail of the advance squadrons was still steady and we had no news of them, there was every reason to be satisfied that they had successfully made their goal. The situation at least was increasing in interest. A little after ten the column had reached the foot of the Fauresmith hills, and the brigadier wisely called a halt, determined not to commit his troops to the hilly tracts until he had heard something from his advance squadrons. But the next information regarding the enemy was not destined to come in from the advance-guard. The column had just off-saddled when a dishevelled trooper with a blanched face galloped up to the tiny group of trees beneath which the brigadier and his staff had dismounted. _Brigadier._ "Hullo, here's a man who has seen his own ghost. We shall have some news now. Who are you?" _Trooper._ "Please, sir, I belong to Mr Crauford's patrol--it has been annihilated!" _B._ (_soothingly_). "Now dismount, and tell us all about it. What do you belong to!" _T._ (_dismounting_). "Mount Nelson Light Horse, sir." _B._ "I thought so; now let us have the story." _T._ "Well, sir, there was Mr Crauford, and Sergeant Mullins, and----" _B._ "Never mind their names. How many men had Mr Crauford with him?" _T._ "About six, sir; and I am the only one left alive to tell the tale!" _B._ "How truly awful! and if you don't get on with it your tale will outlast all of us as well. (_Roughly_) Now, throw it out,--what happened?" _T._ "Well, sir, you see that farm over there (_pointing to low seam of grey hills about four miles distant on our left flank, at the bottom of which nestled a homestead_), we were riding up to it quiet-like, when suddenly, as we were passing a kraal, up jumps about fifty Boers and calls us to ''ands up.' We wouldn't ''ands up,' and they shot us down to a man, and----!" _B._ "Wait--how did you get away from the general battue?"