“‘Take off the Queen’s coat?’ he sed, going red and white; ‘not me!’
“‘My lad,’ I sed to him quiet; ‘there are Kaffirs in the bush.’
“‘What larx,’ he sed in a whisper, and his eyes opening wide as he stared at me.
“‘And if you keep your coat on they’ll see you.’
“‘Let ’em,’ he said, swallering his throat.
“‘Take it off,’ I said.
“‘Not me.’
“‘Then I leave you.’ And with that I slipped away, but turned on my tracks and come back softly to peer at him. He were still standing behin’ the tree, looking away off at the soldiers, but his coat were buttoned up tight to his throat I went up to him tip-toe and touched him on the soldier, and he gave a low cry and jumped aside with his fists up. When he seed who it were, the tears came into his eyes.
“‘Abe Pike,’ he sed, tremblin’, ‘that’s a mean trick to play on a boy—a mean dirty trick.’
“I allow it were mean, but I thought I’d skeer him into taking off that red rag. Then I give it up. ‘Come on,’ I sed, ‘foller me; stop when I stop, run when I run, and keep quiet.’