“Mr Denham!” I cried in astonishment.
“That’s your humble servant, sir.”
“But you’ve got a beard now,” I cried, holding out my hand. “Oh, I say, I am glad to see you!”
“The same here, Val, my lad. I say, how you’ve grown! Here, Colonel, it’s all right. I’ll answer for this fellow. Why, Val, you were commandoed, and cutting away?”
“Yes,” I cried excitedly. “Here, Joeboy, this is Boss Denham.”
“Um!” ejaculated the black, showing his teeth.
“I was running away from the Boers so as not to serve, Mr Denham,” I said eagerly, for I wanted to wipe off the slurs of coward and spy.
“Well, quite right, my lad,” said the Lieutenant. “But what were you going to do?”
“Get into Natal, sir, and join the Light Horse.”
“Well done!” laughed the Colonel, clapping me on the back; “then you’ve regularly fallen upon your legs, my lad. That your horse?”