"’Be as good to him as you can,’ Vassell ordered. ’But if he should come to his end before I return,’ then be careful to bury him deeper than jackals or hyenas dig. Bury him carefully by’—no matter where; Vassell showed Tante Anna precisely the place.
"The woman wept and fell on her husband’s neck, and cried: ’Farewell, and fight well; and God bring you and the boys back to me, Vassell, my old heart. You need have no fear but I will carefully bury the Kaffir!’
"_Gentlemen!_" We all sprang up at the change in the old voice. "_Gentlemen_—you are my prisoners." The burgher rose up, very hard of face.
Deschamps drew his pistol. I thrust mine almost into the burgher’s face. But he spoke firmly:
"What! Shoot your prisoner, with his commando surrounding you. Fifty Mausers are levelled on you. Pooh! No! It would be the end of you all. Lieutenant, your horses are seized. Your vedettes are prisoners. They were knocked off their saddles long ago, when you heard nothing but the horses stamping. There was a Boer among them then. He provoked that stamping. It was the signal to strike down your vedettes. Fifty burghers are listening to my voice now. Here, men!" And at the word the Boer surprise came on. "Oom Emanuel! Oh, Oom Emanuel!" was the cry.
"I truly grieve for you, gentlemen," said the old burgher ten minutes later. "You were such good listeners—you had ears for nothing but my story. And because of that I leave you food for a whole day. It will be sufficient, if you march well on foot, to take you to my old friend General Pole. I beg you to give him my compliments. But he will not be in good humour to-morrow. Every one of his patrols within twenty miles has been captured to-night, unless something has gone wrong with De Wet, which is unlikely. Do not be cast down, lieutenant. You were not to blame. Your ears were not trained to the veldt. Good-bye. I invite you to visit me, lieutenant, after this war ends, at my Swartzdorp farm. Then I will tell you the rest of the diamond story."
"But that is not fair, sir," said Deschamps, whimsically. "I have interest in de story, and I want to know how she end."
"It has no end yet." The old burgher smiled broadly. "I was on my way to end it when you stopped me. I hoped to get through more easily without my burghers’ aid, but I told them to follow if they saw me stopped. You missed us in searching the spruit this morning.