“No,” said West coolly. “It’s farther off than I thought. Let’s stop at that clump yonder, and lie behind it to fire back.”
“Very well; but they’ll ring round us and we shall be taken in flank and rear.”
“Not till we’ve brought down two of them,” said West, through his teeth.
“Two apiece,” said Ingleborough. “Now then, put on a spurt, and let’s get to that heap, or they’ll be down upon us before we’re half-way to the shed. Run!”
They did run, with all their might; but out on the open veldt distances are horribly deceiving, especially in the early morning light, and to the despair of the fugitives the Boers came rapidly nearer, while the clump of earth for which they made seemed to be as distant as ever. The only thing they made out was that it became more diffused, and they plainly saw that it was a long ridge of earth freshly thrown up, evidently from a ditch beyond.
“Why, it’s a long rifle-pit,” cried Ingleborough. “Run, lad, run; we must do it now!”
But the pursuing Boers were coming on fast, and the fugitives felt that in a minute or so they would be overtaken.
There was something, though, in their favour, for as the enemy converged upon them the firing from a distance ceased, those who were using their rifles fearing to hit their own friends.
“It’s of no use; we can’t do it!” panted West, as Ingleborough, now that there was no need to try and diminish the mark at which the Boers fired, closed in again.
“Not two hundred yards away now!” said Ingleborough hoarsely.