"Wait a bit," he said to himself. "I'll have it out with the old man as soon as I get better. He's bound to ask poor old Drew's pardon. But fancy Roby turning like this." Meanwhile the colonel had passed on to Lennox's side, to find him far the greatest sufferer of the party present, and unable to do more than smile his thanks and lie back, extremely weak, but with a look of calm restfulness in his eyes that told that there was nothing mental to trouble him and keep him back. "What do you think of them, colonel?" said the doctor as soon as they were outside. "All much better than I expected," said the colonel. "But what about Roby? He is quite delirious from his wound, is he not?" "Perfectly calm, sir, with his _mens_ much more _Sana_ than his _corpus_. I thought he was all wrong at first, but he's only weak-- pulse regular, temperature as cool as a hot iron roof will let it be." [Note: _Mens sana in corpore sano_.] "But, hang it all, doctor! his head's all in a muddle about storming the little kopje and getting the cattle and stores away." "Yes; that's the comical part of it. He's a bit mixed, and in his present state I let him think what he likes, so long as it is not likely to do him any harm." "But really, Doctor Emden, I fail to follow your reasoning," said the colonel rather stiffly. "Never mind, colonel; leave it. I don't follow all your military manoeuvres, so I leave them to you. Let the cobbler stick to his last. There, man, don't look mystified. Let me explain. Roby had bad concussion of the brain from that first shot. There was no fracture, but the bone was, so to speak, a little dented down, and the consequence was that, though he rapidly recovered his health bodily, he did not get his mental balance quite right at the same time." "Then you think that charge of his against Lennox was a trifling aberration that's now over. I hope you are right, doctor; but--" "But me no buts," said the doctor. "I stake my reputation upon it. Surely, man, you can see the proof? The poor fellow showed you that he has not the slightest recollection now of what has been going on since the expedition to the laager." "To be sure," said the major. "I see now. That explains it. He talked as if he thought this was the result of being shot down there." "To be sure he does. He thinks, too, that Edwards is wounded from a skirmish with the Boers during the retreat." "Then there was no nonsense, no unreality, in his display of interest in poor Lennox?" "Not a bit. He's delighted with the poor fellow's gallantry, and talks to me about how much he owes him." "But his charge of cowardice?"