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please?"
"Oh, never mind my name," replied Rob, and pushing the gentleman aside
he entered the audience chamber of the great king.
King Edward was engaged in earnest consultation with one of his
ministers, and after a look of surprise in Rob's direction and a grave
bow he bestowed no further attention upon the intruder.
But Rob was not to be baffled now.
"Your Majesty," he interrupted, "I've important news for you. A big
fight is taking place in South Africa and your soldiers will probably
be cut into mince meat."
The minister strode towards the boy angrily.
"Explain this intrusion!" he cried.
"I have explained. The Boers are having a regular killing-bee. Here!
take a look at it yourselves."
He drew the Record from his pocket, and at the movement the minister
shrank back as if he suspected it was an infernal machine and might
blow his head off; but the king stepped quietly to the boy's side and
looked into the box when Rob threw open the lid.
As he comprehended the full wonder of the phenomenon he was observing
Edward uttered a low cry of amazement, but thereafter he silently gazed
upon the fierce battle that still raged far away upon the African VELD.
Before long his keen eye recognized the troops engaged and realized
their imminent danger.
"They'll be utterly annihilated!" he gasped. "What shall we do?"
"Oh, we can't do anything just now," answered Rob. "But it's curious
to watch how bravely the poor fellows fight for their lives."
The minister, who by this time was also peering into the box, groaned
aloud, and then all three forgot their surroundings in the tragedy they
were beholding.
Hemmed in by vastly superior numbers, the English were calmly and
stubbornly resisting every inch of advance and selling their lives as
dearly as possible. Their leader fell pierced by a hundred bullets,
and the king, who had known him from boyhood, passed his hand across
his eyes as if to shut out the awful sight. But the fascination of the
battle forced him to look again, and the next moment he cried aloud:
"Look there! Look there!"
Over the edge of a line of hills appeared the helmets of a file of
English soldiers. They reached the summit, followed by rank after
rank, until the hillside was alive with them. And then, with a ringing
cheer that came like a faint echo to the ears of the three watchers,
they broke into a run and dashed forward to the rescue of their brave
comrades. The Boers faltered, gave back, and the next moment fled
precipitately, while the exhausted survivors of the courageous band
fell sobbing into the arms of their rescuers.
Rob closed the lid of the Record with a sudden snap that betrayed his
deep feeling, and the king pretended to cough behind his handkerchief
and stealthily wiped his eyes.
"'Twasn't so bad, after all," remarked the boy, with assumed
cheerfulness; "but it looked mighty ticklish for your men at one time."
King Edward regarded the boy curiously, remembering his abrupt entrance
and the marvelous device he had exhibited.
"What do you call that?" he asked, pointing at the Record with a finger
that trembled slightly from excitement.
"It is a new electrical invention," replied Rob, replacing it in his
pocket, "and so constructed that events are reproduced at the exact
moment they occur."
"Where can I purchase one?" demanded the king, eagerly.
"They're not for sale," said Rob. "This one of mine is the first that
ever happened."
"Oh!"
"I really think," continued the boy, nodding sagely, "that it wouldn't
be well to have these Records scattered around. Their use would give
some folks unfair advantage over others, you know."
"Certainly."
"I only showed you this battle because I happened to be in London at
the time and thought you'd be interested."
"It was very kind of you," said Edward; "but how did you gain
admittance?"
"Well, to tell the truth, I was obliged to knock over a few of your
tall life-guards. They seem to think you're a good thing and need
looking after, like jam in a
"Oh, never mind my name," replied Rob, and pushing the gentleman aside
he entered the audience chamber of the great king.
King Edward was engaged in earnest consultation with one of his
ministers, and after a look of surprise in Rob's direction and a grave
bow he bestowed no further attention upon the intruder.
But Rob was not to be baffled now.
"Your Majesty," he interrupted, "I've important news for you. A big
fight is taking place in South Africa and your soldiers will probably
be cut into mince meat."
The minister strode towards the boy angrily.
"Explain this intrusion!" he cried.
"I have explained. The Boers are having a regular killing-bee. Here!
take a look at it yourselves."
He drew the Record from his pocket, and at the movement the minister
shrank back as if he suspected it was an infernal machine and might
blow his head off; but the king stepped quietly to the boy's side and
looked into the box when Rob threw open the lid.
As he comprehended the full wonder of the phenomenon he was observing
Edward uttered a low cry of amazement, but thereafter he silently gazed
upon the fierce battle that still raged far away upon the African VELD.
Before long his keen eye recognized the troops engaged and realized
their imminent danger.
"They'll be utterly annihilated!" he gasped. "What shall we do?"
"Oh, we can't do anything just now," answered Rob. "But it's curious
to watch how bravely the poor fellows fight for their lives."
The minister, who by this time was also peering into the box, groaned
aloud, and then all three forgot their surroundings in the tragedy they
were beholding.
Hemmed in by vastly superior numbers, the English were calmly and
stubbornly resisting every inch of advance and selling their lives as
dearly as possible. Their leader fell pierced by a hundred bullets,
and the king, who had known him from boyhood, passed his hand across
his eyes as if to shut out the awful sight. But the fascination of the
battle forced him to look again, and the next moment he cried aloud:
"Look there! Look there!"
Over the edge of a line of hills appeared the helmets of a file of
English soldiers. They reached the summit, followed by rank after
rank, until the hillside was alive with them. And then, with a ringing
cheer that came like a faint echo to the ears of the three watchers,
they broke into a run and dashed forward to the rescue of their brave
comrades. The Boers faltered, gave back, and the next moment fled
precipitately, while the exhausted survivors of the courageous band
fell sobbing into the arms of their rescuers.
Rob closed the lid of the Record with a sudden snap that betrayed his
deep feeling, and the king pretended to cough behind his handkerchief
and stealthily wiped his eyes.
"'Twasn't so bad, after all," remarked the boy, with assumed
cheerfulness; "but it looked mighty ticklish for your men at one time."
King Edward regarded the boy curiously, remembering his abrupt entrance
and the marvelous device he had exhibited.
"What do you call that?" he asked, pointing at the Record with a finger
that trembled slightly from excitement.
"It is a new electrical invention," replied Rob, replacing it in his
pocket, "and so constructed that events are reproduced at the exact
moment they occur."
"Where can I purchase one?" demanded the king, eagerly.
"They're not for sale," said Rob. "This one of mine is the first that
ever happened."
"Oh!"
"I really think," continued the boy, nodding sagely, "that it wouldn't
be well to have these Records scattered around. Their use would give
some folks unfair advantage over others, you know."
"Certainly."
"I only showed you this battle because I happened to be in London at
the time and thought you'd be interested."
"It was very kind of you," said Edward; "but how did you gain
admittance?"
"Well, to tell the truth, I was obliged to knock over a few of your
tall life-guards. They seem to think you're a good thing and need
looking after, like jam in a
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