The three of them jumped to their feet, run across the road, an' slipped inter the kloof. The young chap seed 'em cross his track, and pulled up, then I'm darned if he didn't keep on again. Well, I give him another chance. I cried to him in English to keep to his left, but he jes' lifted his hand and kep' on. Nex' moment he were running along the fringe of the kloof where the dark wood came down to the road, and then he gave a lurch, and rolled over an' over, his gun flying from his hand. I could hear the tinkle of the metal against the stones. The roll carried him to a rock, and over that he went with a splash inter a pool o' water, and as he went in a Kaffir darted from the kloof with his shield and assegai. I knew then the kloof were full of Kaffirs, for none of the other three carried a shield. All this yer happened in a breath almost, and then I ran along the krantz to where a corner of it stood out bold, an' standing there I shouted to the regiment, which lay outstretched down below, the head of it no further than 300 paces from the beginning of the kloof on that side. The Colonel were riding ahead, then followed the pioneers, with their axes and spades sheathed in shiny black leather, and on their chests big black beards, behind them a company of the 94th with the bayonets glittering like running fire, back o' them the band, and ahind them the waggons in the long line, and far behind, a full mile from the Colonel, the balance of the regiment. Sonny! in ten minutes the hull biling of 'em would 'a been in the narrer of the valley without room to turn, and they'd a bin assegaied to a man, I tell you! But Abe Pike were there; and I tell you he gave a shout that went ekering down that valley from side to side. `Halt!' I said. The Colonel he pulled up. I seed him shade his eyes with his hand as he took a look, and I seed some of the soldiers point up at me. The Colonel he shook his reins, and rode on. `Halt!' I said; but he jes' kep' on, calm as possible. `You blamed fool,' I shouted; `stop! There's Kaffirs ahead.' He pulled up, and turned in his saddle. `Ninety-fourth,' he said--and his voice came up clear--`halt!' All along that mile o' men and oxen the order ran down, and the moving column came to a stand. `Number 1 company,' he said, `leading files from your left, two paces to the right. Rear ranks, two paces to your front.' The leading company jest stretched out like a concertina, across the road. `Prepare to fire,' he said, and down came that shining stretch o' bayonets to the level. Then I'm darned if the Colonel didn't walk his horse round the turn in the road till he came to the kloof, and seed the track wind up through the narrer poort up to the ridge beyond, with me on his right far above him. He seed nothin', of course; 'cos why, he couldn't see through the dark o' the woods on his left; but there was hundreds of black eyes glaring at him through the leaves. He