[Motionmodeling-devel] aucy warm spotted wa

[Burnias <pro...@ya...>]

 at the drift, and the other some little way down the river, each
furnishing one sentry on the river bank. When all had turned in, and the
camp was quite silent, it was almost comforting to hear the half-hourly
cry of the sentries--"Number one--all is well;" "Number two--all is
well." By this sound I was able to locate them, and knew they were at
their proper posts. On going round sentries about midnight, I was
pleased to find that they were both alert, and that, as it was a cold
night, each guard had built a bonfire, silhouetted in the cheerful blaze
of which stood the sentry--a clear-cut monument to all round that here
was a British sentry fully on the _qui-vive_. After impressing them with
their orders, the extent of their "beat," and the direction of their
"front," etc., I turned in. The fires they had built, besides being a
comfort to themselves, were also useful to me, because twice during the
night when I looked out I could, without leaving my tent, plainly see
them at their posts. I finally fell asleep, and dreamt of being
decorated with a crossbelt made of V.C.'s and D.S.O.'s and of wearing
red tabs all down my back. * * * * * I was suddenly awoken, about the
grey of dawn, by a hoarse cry--"Halt! who goes----" cut short by the
unmistakable "plip-plop" of a Mauser rifle. Before I was off my valise,
the reports of Mausers rang around the camp from every side; these,
mingled with the smack of the bullets as they hit the ground and
stripped the "zipzip" of the leaden hail through the tents, and the
curses and groans of men who were hit as they lay or stumbled about
trying to get out, made a hellish din. There was some wild shooting in
return from my men, but it was all over in a moment, and as I managed to
wriggle out of my tent the whole place was swarming with bearded men,
shooting into the heaving canvas. At that moment I must have been
clubbed on the head, for I knew no more until I found myself seated on
an empty case having my head, which was dripping with blood, tied up by
one of my men. * * * * * Our losses were ten men killed, including both
sentries, and twenty-one wounded; the Boers, one killed and two wounded.
* * * * * Later on, as, at the order of the not ill-natured but very
frow