"Are you, now?" said one of his fellows in the company. "I say, speak the truth, old chap; speak the truth." "Oh!" groaned the corporal. "Why am I here--why am I here?" "I dunno," said the bearer he looked at with piteous eyes. "I never was good at riddles, mate. Can't guess. Ask me another.--There you are, lifted as gently as a babby. You're only a slightly; I do know that." The corporal was borne away, still groaning, and the man who had spoken last handed him some water. "Cheer up, corporal," he said; "you'll be back in the ranks in a week." Meanwhile the bearers were busy in the shelter where Captain Roby lay, flushed, fevered, and evidently in great pain, while his brother officers stood round him, eager to do anything to assuage his pangs and see him carefully borne to the wagon in which he was to travel. "How are you, Roby?" said Dickenson, softly laying a powder-blackened hand upon the injured man's arm, while the bearers stood waiting to raise him. The question and the touch acted electrically, Roby started; his eyes opened to their full extent, showing a ring of white all round the iris; and he made an effort to rise, but sank back. "You coward--you miserable cad!" he cried. "You saw me shot down--I implored you to help me to the rear--and you chose that time to show your cowardly hate--you, an officer.--Coward! You ran--you turned and ran to save your beggarly life--coward!--coward! Oh, if I had strength!--I'll denounce you to the colonel. Cur!--coward!--cur!--I'll publish it for all the world to know." Dickenson started at first, and then listened to the end. "All right," he said coolly. "Don't forget when you write your book." "Lift him, my lads, gently; we have no time to spare," said the major sternly; and as Roby was borne away, shouting hoarsely, "Coward!--cur!" Captain Edwards said sharply in a whisper, so that the men should not hear: "Dickenson! Is this true?" "Oh! I don't know," was the reply. "I recollect the bugle sounding, and then I was too busy to know what I did till it sounded `Cease firing!' I know I was out of breath." "Take no notice," said the major quickly. "The poor fellow's raving. Coward! Tchah! Be ready, Dickenson. You've found the sergeant?" "All ready, sir." In a very few minutes the ambulance-wagons were off again, with their attendants ordered to go at a steady walk, and, if an attack was made, to keep the red-cross flag well shown, and avoid the line of fire if possible. And still there was no alarm given from the top of the kopje of the Boers' approach. A short time was allowed for the ambulance to get ahead, during which the officers had another look at the Boer wounded, the major ordering water to be given to the men. Next a few sheaves of abandoned rifles were cast into the wagons to be burned, and a final look was given to the preparations already made for the destruction of the camp.