"I'm not talking when I ain't got nothin' to say. When I seed the Colonel of the 94th up by Pluto's Vale--`Who the blazes are you,' he said, `and where the devil you come from?'--I weren't saying much, but I took a pull at his black bottle. He were one of the ole sort were the Colonel--grey an' peppery, an' stiff in the upper lip 's if his face bin fixed in a iron mask. That's the sort of man he were. `The Kaffirs is laying a trap for you,' I said to him. `They darn't do it,' he said. `Lay a trap for the 94th! I never yeard o' sich blamed impertinence,' he said, twisting his grey moustaches, an' glaring at me's if I'd insulted him. `All right,' I said, `if yure too proud to take advice, go an' walk inter the trap like a blunderin' porkipine, an' you'll get stuck full o' assegais,' I said. `You're too free with your tongue,' he said, gettin' red in the face; so I walked out, but bymby he came over to where I sot by the fire, an' he sot down 'longside o' me. He talked an' I ate, but at last he up an' came to the point. `Can you scout?' he said. `Mejum,' says I. `Oh,' he said, `I've got a mejum scout with me. What I want is a fust-class scout.' Well, sonny, I jes' lit my pipe and took a puff. He looked at me under his eyebrows. `My scout tells me the Kaffirs have retreated,' he said. `Soh!' says I, and went on smoking. `Yes,' says he, gettin' angry aller a sudden, `and you've been giving me false news for the sake of getting a reward.' Well, I jes' pulled up my sleeve and showed him where I'd been stabbed. `I beg your pardon,' he said, and riz up to go back to his tent. `Colonel,' says I, laying hold of his sash, `if you want me to scout I'll scout, and you can send a man along with me.' `Leave to-morrer,' he said, `if you feel well enough;' and he marched off jes' as stiff an' unconcerned 's if he'd asked me to supper. Soon after a young chap came up to my fire. `I've received orders to go on scout duty with you,' he said, eyeing me up an' down 's if I'd been some kur'ous kind o' inseck. `When do we start?' says I. `Oh, furst thing in the morning, if you're awake.' `Oh!' says I, `so's the Kaffirs can see us?' `There ain't no Kaffirs,' says he; `'t any rate I ain't seen any.' `I'm startin' at midnight,' I says, and with that turned over to sleep. Well, at midnight I woke up and prepared to leave, thinking that young fellow wouldn't be about. But, blow me, there he were, sitting by the fire watching me. `I'm ready,' he said, standin' up. `What for?' `Why, to scout, of course' `Orright,' says I; `take off that sword then, and that white hat, and that red coat. You ain't anxious for the Kaffirs to see us furst, are you?' He jes' opened his mouth to cheek me; then he ran off, and bymby he came back without them things, with a grey shirt and soft hat. `Is that right?' he said, fetching a grin. I jes' nodded, an' off we stepped inter the dark of the night. Slipping by the sentries without