“Be able to forage a little for game—eh—if we run short of food?”
“Oh, yes, sir!” I cried.
“That will do, then; let him stay with us.”
Joeboy was straining his ears to catch every word, and I saw his face light up as he caught my eye, and he gave his assagai a flourish.
“Yes,” said the Colonel dryly, for he had had his eye upon the big athletic black; “but tell him that he must obey orders, and not be getting up any fighting upon his own account.”
“He’ll obey me, sir,” I said, speaking so that Joeboy could hear; and he looked at me and nodded.
“That incident is over, then,” said the Colonel sharply. “Now, Mr Denham, take a dozen men and continue the advance. We know now the meaning of last night’s firing; but see what you can find out about the strength of the party holding the pass. Be careful of your party. We are good shots; but recollect they are better, and I want information, not to see you bring back half-a-dozen wounded men.”
“I’ll be careful, sir;” and ten minutes later, to my surprise and delight at the way in which my position had altered during the last half-hour, I was riding close behind Lieutenant Denham, while, proud of his position, Joeboy was on in front, his knowledge of the pass we had just descended being most valuable at such a time, the probabilities tending to point out that he might be able to get well up to right or left of the track and gain a pretty good idea of the strength of the Boers without drawing a shot, whereas the sight of the horsemen, we felt, would have been the signal for a shower of bullets.