"Regret to say that party reported on my rear was Lieutenant Meadows, who should have been in Britstown this morning. He lost his way in the night. I am sending him in to you to explain. I regret that we have shot one of his horses." _Brigadier._ "I thought it was a one-sided battle. I don't know which is the bigger fool, the officer commanding the rear-guard or the youth who has lost his way in the dark. Did you give him a guide, Mr Intelligence?" _Intelligence Officer._ "Yes, sir; I gave him the tame burgher Stephanus whom we roped in at Richmond Road." _B._ "Those crimped men are no good. He slipped them in the dark, I bet. Hullo! here is the boy. His peace of mind, I fancy, wouldn't be worth much at a public auction." A smart-looking, though travel-stained, little dragoon subaltern cantered up, dismounted, and saluted. The brigadier was right; he did not look particularly happy. There was a moment of silence while the brigadier took a spoonful of marmalade, then he turned to the boy. "Well, my pocket Ulysses, what is the extent of your adventure?" _Meadows._ "Got lost, sir!" _Brigadier._ "And your guide?" _M._ "Had to leave him behind, sir!" _B._ "Which means he left you!" _M._ "He tried to, sir; but he didn't get far!" _B._ "What happened?" _M._ "First he took us wrong--took us back along the road we had come by. Then when I talked to him he tried to bolt, and I had to shoot him!" _B._ (_suddenly becoming interested_) "The devil you did! Have you had anything to eat? Sit down and have some food. Did you kill him?" _M._ "No, sir; I left him with that other wounded Boer in the mud hut near the last camp. But he is very sick. We did what we could for him." _B._ "Evidently! Are you sure that he was leading you wrongly?" _M._ "Yes, sir. He was taking us back along the road by which we had come from Richmond Road. We stumbled upon one of my own men's water-bottles which he had dropped earlier in the day. As soon as the guide saw what it was, he tried to do a bolt." _B._ "Circumstantial evidence, I think; verdict and sentence in one. Well, you at least have the satisfaction of knowing that you have brought your man down. But next time don't hit a refractory guide so hard. I have an idea that if you shot less straight you might have been able to carry out your orders even with a refractory guide. Where are the telegrams? Hand them over to your colonel, and tell him to send another officer on with them at once. No; give them to me. Here, Mr Intelligence, off you go. Just get into Britstown as quickly as you can. As we haven't seen any smoke curling up over the landscape, I take it that Brand and Co. have postponed their good offices. But if anything is wrong, mind you manage to get one of your party back to me with the information." * * * * *