CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
A VERY WILD SCHEME.
"Well," said Denham some two hours later, "it isn't bad when a fellow's hungry." "No," I agreed, speaking a little dubiously; "but it would have been much better if we had not known what we were eating." I did not hear any other opinions; for the men were ravenously hungry when the cooking was over, and we had all so many other things to think about.
It had been a very busy morning.

Wounds had to be dressed, the uninjured had the task of strengthening the force upon the walls, and another party led the horses out a quarter of a mile to graze.

This they were allowed to do in peace, the Boers paying no heed to the proceedings.

Then the lookouts, who were furnished with the officers' glasses, gave warning that strong parties were quietly on the move about a mile away--evidently making a circuit for the purpose of disarming our suspicions--with the intention of swooping round and cutting off the grazing horses.

But, as Denham said, they had not all the cunning on their side, for we had taken our precautions.