"You did," said the Colonel. "I'm sorry I spoke so hastily to you in my
error. I didn't know you two were friends."
"We are, sir," said Denham warmly.
"Oh, of course; I remember. You shot together some time ago."
"Yes, sir," said Denham, "and I had a grand time with Val Moray, here--
big game shooting."
"Not such big game shooting as you are going to have here," said the
Colonel. "I'm glad to see you so much better, Denham. Be careful, and
mind what the doctor says to you."
He hurried away, and as soon as he had passed out of sight the Sergeant,
with his arm in a sling, came up from where he had been waiting to ask
how his young officer fared, giving me a friendly nod at the same time.
"Oh, there's nothing the matter with me, Briggs," said Denham. "I shall
be all right now. Thank you heartily, though, for what you did for me."
"Did for you, sir?" said the Sergeant gruffly. "I did nothing, only
just in the way of duty."
"Oh, that was it--was it?" said Denham. "Then you did it uncommonly
well--didn't he, Moray?"
"Splendidly," I said, with a fair display of enthusiasm.
"Look here, you, sir," said the Sergeant very gruffly as he turned upon
me; "young recruits to the corps have got all their work cut out to
learn their duty, without criticising their superior officers. So just
you hold your tongue."
"That's a snub, Moray," said Denham; "but never mind.--Look here,
Sergeant, how's your wound?"
"Wound, sir?" he replied. "I haven't got any wound."
"Then why is your arm in a sling?"
"Oh, that, sir? That's a bit of the doctor's nonsense. He said I was
to keep it on, so I suppose I must. But it isn't a wound."
"What is it, then?" said Denham sharply.
"Bullet cut my finger; that's all."
"Did it cut it much?" asked Denham.
"Took a little bit off, and I went to the doctor for a piece o'
sticking-plaster, and he as good as called me a fool."
"What did you say, then, to make him?"
"I said nothing, sir, only that I wanted the plaster."
"Did he give you some?"
"No, sir; but I suppose he wanted to try his new bag o' tools, and got
hold of me. `Hold still,' he says, `or I shall give you chloroform.'
`Can't you make it a drop o' whisky, sir?' I says. `Yes, if you behave
yourself,' he says. `Look here, I can't plaster up a place like this.
Your finger's in rags, and the bone's in splinters.' `Oh, it'll soon
grow together, sir,' I says. `Nothing of the kind, sir,' he says;
`it'll go bad if I don't make a clean job of it. Now then, shut your
eyes, and sit still in that chair. I won't hurt you much.'"
"Did he?" said Denham.
"Pretty tidy, sir; just about as much as he could. He takes out a tool
or two, and before I knew where I was he'd made a clean cut or two and
taken off some more of my finger, right down to the middle joint.
`There,' he says, as soon as he'd put some cotton-wool soaked with nasty
stuff on the place, after sewing and plastering it up--`there, that'll
heal up quickly and well now!'"
"Of course," said Denham. "Made a clean job of it."
"Clean job, sir?" said the Sergeant. "Well, yes, he did it clean
enough, and so was the lint and stuff; but it's made my finger so ugly.
It looks horrid. I say, sir, do you think the finger'll grow again?"
"No, Briggs, I don't; so you must make the best of it."
"But crabs' and lobsters' claws grow again, sir; for I've seen 'em do it
at home, down in Cornwall."
"Yes; but we're not crabs and lobsters, Sergeant. There, never mind
about such a bit of a wound as that."
"I don't, sir--not me; but it do look ugly, and feels as awkward as if
I'd lost an arm. There, I must be off, sir. I've got to see to our
poor fellows who are to go off in a wagon back to the town."
"How many were hurt?" said Denham eagerly.
"Five; and pretty badly, too."
"Any one--" Then Denham stopped short.
"No, sir, not one, thank goodness; but those lads won't be on horseback
again these two months to come. Doctor wanted me to go with the wagon,
but I soon let him know that wouldn't do."
"Poor fellows!" said Denham as soon as the Sergeant had gone. "That's
the horrible part of it, getting wounded and being sent back to
hospital. It's what I dread."
"You won't attempt to mount to-day?" I said. "You'd better follow in
one of the wagons."
"Think so?" he said quietly. "Well, we shall see."
I did see in the course of that morning. For, when the order was given
to march, and the column wound down in and out among the stones of the
pass, Denham was riding with the troop, looking rather white, and no
doubt suffering a good deal; but he would not show it, and we rode away.
For a despatch had been brought to the Colonel from the General in
command of the forces, ordering the Light Horse to join him on the veldt
a dozen miles away as soon as the British regiment of foot reached the
mouth of the pass; and, as I afterwards learned, the Colonel's orders
were to keep away from the kopjes and mountainous passes, where the
Boers had only to lie up and pick off all who approached, and wait for
opportunities to attack them in the open.
It was Denham who told me, and also what the Colonel said, his words
being, "Then we shall do nothing, for the Doppies will take good care
not to give us a chance to cut them up in the plains."
As we rode down the pass we could see some of the enemy's sentries high
up among the mountainous parts; but we were not to attack them there;
and, with a good deal of growling amongst the men, we kept on. Then
every one seemed to cheer up when, a couple of hours later, we came in
sight of a long line of infantry steadily advancing, and the rocks rang
soon afterwards with the men's cheers as they drew up to let us pass.
"No fear of the Boers getting past them," said Denham to me. "I
shouldn't wonder if their orders are to mount the pass, go over the Nek,
and hold it. Maybe we shall meet them again after we've made a circuit
and got round the mountains and on to the plain."