"  There  you  have  me,"  replied  Rodd.  "Men  may  shed
much,  but  most  of  them  never  shed  their  professional
honour.  I  shall  do  my  honest  best  to  cure  Mr.  Anscombe,
and  I  tell  you  that  he  will  take  some  curing."

Then  I  woke  up,  and  as  no  one  was  in  sight,  wondered
whether  or  no  I  had  been  dreaming.  The  upshot  of  it  was
that  I  made  up  my  mind  to  send  Footsack  to  Pretoria  for
the  oxen,  not  to  go  myself.
CHAPTER  V
A  GAME  OF  CARDS

I  SLEPT  in  Anscombe's  room  that  night  and  looked  after
him.  He  was  very  feverish  and  the  pain  in  his  leg  kept
him  awake  a  good  deal.  He  told  me  that  he  could  not  bear
Dr.  Rodd  and  wished  to  get  away  at  once,  I  had  to  explain
to  him  that  this  was  impossible  until  his  spare  oxen  arrived
which  I  was  going  to  send  for  to  Pretoria,  but  of  other
matters,  including  that  of  the  dangerous  state  of  his  foot,  I
said  nothing.  I  was  thankful  when,  towards  two  in  the
morning,  he  fell  into  a  sound  sleep  and  allowed  me  to  do  the
same.
Before  breakfast  time,  just  as  I  had  finished  dressing
myself  in  some  of  the  clean  things  which  had  been  brought
from  the  wagon,  Rodd  came  and  made  a  thorough  and
business-like  examination  of  his  patient,  while  I  awaited  the
result  with  anxiety  on  the  stoep.  At  length  he  appeared
and  said —

"  Well,  I  think  that  we  shall  be  able  to  save  the  foot,
though  I  can't  be  quite  sure  for  another  twenty-four  hours.
