The next day Delarey sent in to say that Rustenburg and Zeerust were occupied by Boers, that they presently would be in possession of the whole country, and he further mildly suggested that if they refused to surrender, his 94-pounder "would blow them off the face of the earth." Colonel Hore's reply stated that he was in command of Imperial troops who would not surrender, and the ultimatum was met with renewed bombardment. All day long the tempest of artillery raged. Then, to their joy, and also to their anxiety, they heard the guns of Carrington coming to their relief--the echo of them in the distant hills--and hope grew and grew, and--waned. Carrington, as we know, had heard the report of their surrender, and having given battle to an overwhelming force of Boers for what he thought no purpose, had retired! So, the 3000 Republicans in their hills laughed together, and trained their guns on to the spot where, at night, they knew the gallant men who defied them must water their horses and refresh themselves after their long day's burrowing in the bowels of the earth. But these, emerging parched and sinking from their subterranean holes, were still equal to the ruses of their tormentors. Some took one way--the way towards the longed-for river--while others took another, and went forth on sniping operations which subdued, if they did not vanquish, their enemies, and protected those who had to run through fire to reach the longed-for draught. And so for eleven days the contest between Boer obstinacy and British determination continued, till at last on the horizon the dust rose and a rumour of the approach of Broadwood's Cavalry brought gladness into a scene of desperation. But the little garrison by now was sadly thinned, and the nature of the warlike activities may be guessed by the casualty list. Five were killed, seven were mortally struck down, eleven were wounded, and twenty-seven, though slightly injured, remained combatants to the end! What the losses might have been had not the ingenious Colonials applied their pluck and their wits to the scientific construction of trenches, which defied the six big guns of the enemy, cannot be discussed, for surrender would have been inevitable. However, on the 16th, Colonel Hore and his doughty warriors were still holding out when, to his intense relief, and that of his emaciated band of heroes, the Boers were routed. Lord Kitchener had pressed to their succour from the south-east. How Lord Kitchener contrived to push up and arrive on the scene, may be told in a few words; but, to make the movement intelligible, it is necessary to go back several days. * * * * *