The sergeant was quite right, for the timid animals responded to the touch of the rein, immediately stepped out at the word "Forward!" and then broke into a trot, which had to be checked. The roar was not heard again, but the yelps of the jackals were; and the party went on and on till suddenly the cautious little beasts began to swerve here and there, picking their way amongst stones which lay pretty thickly. "This is quite fresh, sergeant," said Dickenson. "Yes, sir. I was wondering whether we had hit upon the river-bank." "Ah!" cried Dickenson eagerly, just as his pony stopped short, sighed, and began to browse without reaching down, the others seeming to do the same. "But there's no river here, sir," continued the sergeant. "How do you know?" "Ponies say so, sir. If there'd been a river running by here, they'd be making for it to get a drink." "Yes, of course. Here, sergeant, I can touch high boughs." "Same here, sir." "But there's no wood in our way." "What about the patch where our men surprised the Boers yesterday, sir?" "To be sure. Why, sergeant, we must have wandered there." "That's it, sir, for all I'm worth." "Ha!" said Dickenson, with a sigh of relief. "Then now we have something tangible, and can easily lay our course for Groenfontein." The sergeant coughed a little, short, sharp, dry cough, and said nothing. "Well, don't you think so?" "Can't say I do, sir. I wish I did." "Why, hang it, man! it's simple enough. Here's the coppice, and Groenfontein must lie--" Dickenson stopped short and gave his ear a rub, full of vexation. "Yes, sir, that's it," said the sergeant dryly; "this is the patch of wood, but which side of it we're looking at, or trying to look at, I don't know for the life of me. It seems to me that we're just as likely to strike off straight for the Boers' laager as for home. I don't know how you see it, sir." "See, man!" cried Dickenson angrily. "It's of no use; I only wish I could see. We can do nothing. I was thinking that we had only to skirt round this place, and then face to our left and go straight on, and we should soon reach home." "Yes, sir; I thought something of that sort at first, but I don't now. May I say a word, sir?" "Yes; go on. I should be glad if you would." "Well, sir, it's like this; whenever one's in the dark one's pretty well sure to go wrong, for there's only one right way to about fifty that are not." "Yes, of course." "Then won't it be best to wait till the day begins to show in the east, and rest and graze the ponies for a bit? Better for Mr Lennox too." "You're right, sergeant; and it would have been better if I had given the order to do so at first.--Here, dismount, my lads, and hobble your cobs.--Here, I'll help you to get Mr Lennox down, sergeant. Stop a moment; let's try and find a patch of heath or grass or something first.--Hullo! what's here?" he cried a minute later, after dismounting and feeling about. "What have you found, sir?"