Wilmshurst of the Frontier Force

g force of Germans being located by seaplane reconnaissance twenty miles n

a Punjabi regiment that had already done good service in the northern part of the hostile

l cases who perforce had to be left behind; amongst them, to his great disgust, Second Lieutenant Spofforth, who though conval

tation scanty. It was much of the same nature as the veldt in the dry season, kopjes being plentifully in evidence. There were unpleasant traces of Fritz

ard were driving the enemy towards the advancing British, while across the Rovuma Portuguese troops, well suppl

hose of about a hundred booted men. A strong force of German Askaris, supported by a "white" body of troops with machine guns and m

t a small, mobile, and determined body of the enemy would give almost if not quite as much trou

uts hurriedly and stealthily rejoined the advance guard.

stop, sah," re

fight?" asked the

and moved his jaw after the

ub," he exclaimed. "

demanded

o distinct spoors for more than a couple of miles w

the enemy had been there but a few hours previously, for the ashes of the extinguished fires were still hot. That the march had been resumed in a leisurely manner, showing that

f the four platoons joined the advance guard. "Hanged if I fancy bivouacking o

plied the Rhodesian. "They can't go very much farth

rst. Mr. Laxdale, you will please send a runner to the colonel

es with abattis of sharp thorns sufficient to deter and hold up a rush of bare-footed Askaris, since

allowed, and sentries to outlying piquets having be

the bounders?" enquired Wilmshurst of MacGregor

the Rhodesian. "I'm just off to see the major and g

u couldn't see your hand in front of your f

mfuli often used to chaff me, saying that I had eyes like a cat. Believe I have. At an

shots at you when you return-and they are all jolly good marksmen," he added in a tone o

g before MacGr

ust before dawn, you hear the cry of a gnu you'll know it's th

MacGregor vanished into the night. In vain the young officer strained his ears to catch the faint noise of the Rhodesian'

f sentries. "I'd have a shot at it if I were told off for it, of course, but this darkness seems to have w

thing to do with MacGregor's conduct when the lioness charged. But since then the Rhodesian had shown considerable pluck and gr

thin a few inches of his chest-even in the darkness all bayonets seem

at each post-Wilmshurst received the

ussas, Macgreg being the name by which th

t's movements, yet the sentry, fifty yards away, had declar

hat, Brass Pot?" a

s rifle obliquely with the bayonet thrust i

nswered, meaning that the Rho

the rifle. Normally of good hearing he failed to detect wha

lure. "If you hear foot of Macgreg come this way before se

sah," repli

seemed as if he had only just dozed off when he was awakened by Sergeant Beta Moshi, who informed hi

for he had not removed his boots during the last forty-eight hours, and with the e

ck our main camp about an hour or so ago. The colonel's sent to say that we are to attempt an enveloping movement. The Boch

l. The spoor of the right-hand column of the retiring Huns hardly bore o

ked, as the three subalterns prepared

gine. The scrub's a bit thick out there, and a fellow can't cr

ng to the left, both having two hours' start of the remainder of the battalion,

d positions. At a hundred yards they were lost to sight and sound, threading their way with the utmost caution through the long grass like experienced hunters stalking their prey, while the various units ke

he ground was difficult; every spot likely to afford concealment to a hostile sniper had to be carefully examined. The absence of bird life was ominous. It meant that either th

fic violence, the scrub offering scant shelter from its scorching rays. Already the previously-dew-sodden gr

der the slight shadow of a dried thorn bush, and waited, at interval

have been completed an hour ago, but not a sign was given that "B" Company had arrived at

ony features distended in a

ted. "Five Bosh-bosh (his rendering of th

four times, meaning that the hostile post con

u?" asked th

ed the sergeant. "To

far a

rds, sah," decl

Wilmshurst gave the paper to Tari Barl with ins

to be surrounded, but no action taken until the order was giv

rom his new position, less than four hundred yards from the spot where the unsus

g men, whose attention, despite the heat, was mainly directed towards the Askaris. Evidently some of the stores had gone adrift, for the young Huns were browbeating

shi, calmly setting the backsight of his rifle. "Blow Bos

the men to fire one volley over their heads-but not before I give ord

as repeated much nearer, while distinct blasts rose thr

he rifles of his platoon rent the welkin, then with fierce shouts the khaki-cl

d, the Huns stood stock still, gazing stupidly at the converging ring of steel. The Askaris

" shouted

rms with sullen reluctance, his flabby face distorted with rage. The fifth, droppi

ve men he admired courage even in a foe. The fact that running over rough ground and firing a revolver

s, and the German, his head and chest riddled with bullets, toppled over stone dead upon the ground. As he fell his fingers c

g German had been deflected, passing through the fleshy part of his comrade's left arm. It was hard luck on a

d Wilmshurst apologetica

o the Hun's injury and ordering others to round up and disarm the

me from the rocky summit. It required enormous restraint on the part of the foe to withhold their fire, while alr

ient numbers to hold the edges of the flat-topped hill they had concentrated at one sp

fact that their rush had met with no resistance. In extended order they re-formed

iled rocks and earth. Towards this the Waffs charged, their officers mom

bore on, overran the supposed

s platoon. By an evident error of judgment on the part of MacGregor-a non-existent position had been the object of the column's atten

soners under a strong escort. The order to march was about to be

d at the senior m

the unspoken question. "While we've been on