Wilmshurst of the Frontier Force

marched into bivouac. The men dismissed, Wilmshurst wrote

uld be abandoned until the Haussas had recovered their usual form. Meanwhile other columns were on the track of the raiders, who, but for

uns at bay. With rifle, bayonet and bomb the plucky sons of the Empire manned the frail defences, until the

three subalterns of "A" company met just befo

five this morning, and never a chance of a s

the Rovuma. The Portuguese skedaddled, leaving the whole battery of quick-firers intact. I suppose it'll m

usiness is going to end; street fighting in Cape Town. Fritz won't st

egor this morning?"

ft camp-about an hour and a half, I should say-he asked Sutton to let him try and overtake the battalion. Said he didn'

the Huns attacked

u don't suggest that a skilled sco

thing after he followed us he would be on a diverging rout

ual facts and to sow the seeds of distrust against an individual who was not present to defend himself. But somehow the chain of events-the horse's footprints on the kloof road, the warning shot when the hitherto unsu

urn up again soon. Has his absence been reported? I'll mention

canvas. The furniture was composed of a desk (an upturned packing-case) and a couple of chairs (smaller dittos) the former being

erence to that report of yours, don't you know. Take a pew. You'll find that case pretty comfortable, and come in out o

adjutant was quick to

any one? If so, out with it. We can't stand on senti

egor left camp shortly after we

jutant. "Well, what about it? Has that

answered the suba

ged his quest

the scout's disappearance and the timely warning received by the retiring enemy, producing as evidence t

tile have we been harbouring? I'm afraid that what steps we take con

ure, sir," observed the subaltern

at d'you call this?" holding up the cartridge cas

appearance. "Macgreg him horse am co

sun-helmet, hurried to the lines where the horses were picke

t of treachery in the minds of the other officers. They had come to the conclusion

bling. Across the hind quarters was the sear of a bullet that had cut away the hair and left a slight wound in the hide. On

imed the colonel turning to the

re," answered the d

o sit still. Tell off a section and follow the horse's tracks. Perhaps the man

ut little difficulty, notwithstanding the fact that hundreds of men had been trampling the ground, for the Haussas vie with the

At first they were too utterly done up to speak. They were parched with thirst, their drill uniforms torn in their long trek

onnoitring they had discovered a party of Huns and had bombed them very effectually. That was their version, although Wilmshurst had good reason to believe that they were quite under a misapprehension on that score. On the return flight the engine developed ignition troubles, and there was no help for it but

ecially as there were several small rivers to be negotiated. So they decided to find the bivouac of the Waffs which they had spotted on

ally inadequate against the thorns and stony ground. Without water and with only a bar of chocol

at rest, when the colonel promised to send out a fatigue party to dismantle the machine and transport it to the banks

de the necessary labour, and also a covering party, although I don't contemplate any trouble from the Huns. We've just heard that

column operating in the Rovuma valley. The Huns were found to be in a strong natural positi

alone putting up a fight until they were either killed or captured. The native levies in their flight were overtaken and cut up by a squadron of colonial horse, and with slight loss

g split up into two groups, of which the principal force was on the Portuguese border, whil

d. They are in a mortal funk of enveloping movements; but by the time w

opje when the Huns had been reported. Here the trail ended in a medley of hoof-prints, while hard by a rock were traces of the splaying of half a dozen bullets. In the sun-baked grass in front of the rock were found ten used cartridge cases and a stirrup-iron, but a prolonged search fa

nity the adjutant ca

ur suspicions to any o

," repli

t find MacGregor's body. Nor was there any spoor to show which way he went if he did succeed in breaking through the enemy. The third surmise is that he might have been taken prisoner. If so, is it likely that the Huns provided him with a horse? I think not. Knowing Fritz as we do, the sort of t