came to a full stop.

"A nervous-natured man," remarked Mr. Anscombe. "Perhaps he
thinks that those gentlemen are going to shoot."

"That wouldn't trouble him," I answered, who knew him well. "His
fears are purely mental."

That was true since I know that this same Sir Melmoth Osborn as
he is now, as I have told in the book I called _Child of Storm_,
swam the Tugela alone to watch the battle of Indondakasuka raging
round him, and on another occasion killed two Kaffirs rushing at
him with a right and left shot without turning a hair. It was
reading this paper that paralyzed him, not any fear of what might
happen.

There followed a very awkward pause such as occurs when a man
breaks down in a speech. The members of the Staff looked at him
and at each other, then behold! you, my friend, grabbed the paper
from his hand and went on reading it in a loud clear voice.

"That young man has plenty of nerve," said Mr. Anscombe.

"Yes," I replied in a whisper. "Quite right though. Would have
been a bad omen if the thing had come to a stop."

Well, there were no more breakdowns, and at last the long
document was finished and the Transvaal annexed. The Britishers
began to cheer but stopped to listen to the formal protest of the
Boer Government, if it could be called a government when
everything had collapsed and the officials were being paid in
postage stamps. I can't remember whether this was read by
President Burgers himself or by the officer who was called State
Secretary. Anyway, it was read, after which there came an
awkward pause as though people were waiting to see something
happen. I looked round at the Boers who were muttering and
handling their rifles uneasily. Had they found a leader I really
think that some of the wilder spirits among them would have begun
to shoot, but none appeared and the crisis passed.

The crowd began to disperse, the English among them cheering and
throwing up their hats, the Dutch with very sullen faces. The
Commissioner's staff went away as it had come, back to the
building with blue gums in front of it, which afterwards became
Government House, that is all except you. You started across the
square alone with a bundle of printed proclamations in your hand
which evidently you had been charged to leave at the various
public offices.

"Let us follow him," I said to Mr. Anscombe. "He might get into
trouble and want a friend."

He nodded and we strolled after you unostentat