A stand was made in the village, which was obstinately held for a time by two big commandos which had come upon the ground too late to be of much service; but in spite of a pom-pom, a Maxim, and a heavy howitzer, the big gun on the top of the kopje silenced their fire before sundown, by which time their heaviest piece was destroyed, the village burning, and the two commandos in full flight. Then came the flag of truce for permission to carry off the wounded and bury the many dead. It was about this time that Doctor Emden looked to the colonel and said: "Awful! Poor fellows! I don't know where to turn to first." CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT. THE DOCTOR'S DIPLOMACY. It was a couple of days later, when the kopje was dotted with the rough shelters that the uninjured men had worked hard to erect from the ruins of the village, the principal being for the benefit of the wounded. The position was the same, or nearly the same, as it had been before. The Boers had retreated to their laagers, which were more strongly held than ever, and the investment was kept up with more savage determination; while the defenders had only the kopje to hold now, the village being a desolation, and the colonel's forces sadly reduced. The doctor was in better spirits, and showed it, for he had managed to get something like order in his arrangements for his wounded men. But the colonel and the major were in lower spirits, and did not show it, for matters looked very black indeed, relief seeming farther off than ever. "My last orders were to hold this place," said the colonel to the major, "and I'm going to hold it." "Of course! Keep on. Every day we shall be having another man or two back in the ranks. Ah! here is Emden.--Well, how are the lads?" "Getting on splendidly. My dear sirs, I have heard people abuse the Mauser as a diabolical weapon. Nothing of the sort; it is one of the most humane. The wounds are small, cleanly cut, and, so long as a bone is not touched, begin to heal with wonderful rapidity. Come and have a look round." "Yes; we have come on purpose," said the colonel. "By the way, though, before we go into the officers' shelter, I wish you had contrived differently about Roby and Lennox. It seemed very short-sighted, after what has occurred, to place them next to one another." "My dear sir," cried the doctor, "I did all I could to try and save the poor fellows' lives as they were carried in to me, without thinking about their squabbles and quarrels and rank." "Yes, yes; of course, doctor. I beg your pardon. You have done wonders." "Thankye! Done my best, of course. But don't you worry about those two; they'll be all right. Come and see." "But about the men? Nothing more serious, I hope." "N-n-no. Had to take that fellow's leg off to save his life." "What poor fellow? Oh yes--Corporal May?" "Yes. He objected strongly, but it had to be done. He threatens to commence an action against me when he gets home--so I hear."