Brereton Frederick Sadleir. With Rifle and Bayonet: A Story of the Boer War
Chapter One. A Sad Mistake
Chapter Two. Good-Bye to Home
Chapter Three. Off To Africa
Chapter Four. A Startling Adventure
Chapter Five. Rise of the Boer Power
Chapter Six. Face to Face with President Kruger
Chapter Seven. Refugees
Chapter Eight. The Battle of Glencoe
Chapter Nine. A Dash for Kimberley
Chapter Ten. Desperate Odds
Chapter Eleven. Tracked by the Enemy
Chapter Twelve. Gallant Mafeking!
Chapter Thirteen. Wounded and a Prisoner
Chapter Fourteen. An Alarming Predicament
Chapter Fifteen. Saved from an Awful Fate
Chapter Sixteen. The Attempt upon the Guns
Chapter Seventeen. The Grand Assault
Chapter Eighteen. Out of the Trap
Chapter Nineteen. Jack Finds a Sweetheart
Chapter Twenty. The Road to Victory
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Jack Somerton was not given to low spirits; to mope and worry about trifles was a foolish habit to which he had never yielded; but had he done so one beautiful evening in May, a few days before his return to school, he might very well have been excused, for matters had been anything but pleasant.
To begin with, he and Frank had fallen out seriously, partly owing to the latter’s selfishness, and also partly, it must be owned, to Jack’s hot-headed impulsiveness, which always caused him to blurt out at once exactly what was on his tongue, before considering the consequences. He was just one of those lads who liked what is called a “row” as little as did anyone, and sooner than sulk, or treasure up a fancied grievance, he preferred to end the matter at once. Not by blows, for he was not pugnacious either, but amicably, if possible, and if not – well in some other way.
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Jack enjoyed the life. The allowance which he was entitled to draw was a comfortable one, which enabled him to meet all his current expenses and still find something in his pocket with which to pay for amusements. His work usually kept him engaged from ten in the morning till four in the afternoon, and every night except Saturday and Sunday he did a couple of hours’ reading.
Between tea-time and dinner-time he generally went for a long walk, as to a boy of his habits constant exercise was essential. Sometimes he would make his way along the Embankment and on past Chelsea, for the river always had an attraction for him; while at other times he would go in the opposite direction.
