"Why did I shout? If I had held my tongue, we might have kept this matter from the men. As it is, they are sure to have an attack of nerves."
"Oh, well! don't worry about it. We can't always do absolutely the best thing. It's a mystery how the fellow got in, and what he was up to. We must watch him if he tries it again."
As Challis feared, the men were restless. Nobody had much sleep that night, and the Englishmen were unfeignedly glad when day dawned.
The day passed wearisomely. The enemy were seen moving about among the trees, but there was no attack.
"You see that spur of forest yonder?" said Royce in the afternoon, pointing to a clump on the north-east side of the fort. "It's only about two hundred yards away, and would be a capital vantage point for an attack. Yet it's the only bit of woodland which the enemy don't appear to occupy. I wonder why?"
"Perhaps they think it's a little too near us," suggested Challis. "It's within practically point-blank range of our rifles."
"But there are so many of them that they could afford to try a rush from that point. It's very strange. Barring an occasional sniping shot towards evening, nothing has happened from that quarter, and the sniper has never done any damage."
"The Tubus' main camp is only a little to the north of it. They may not think it worth while to occupy the second and smaller clump.... Tom, I've been thinking."
"The same old problem?"
"Yes, the part we are no nearer to solving—the food supply. It is clear we are in for a siege. The men will soon get weary, as our stores diminish. We shall be starved out inside a fortnight, even if the men don't lose heart and begin to clamour."