its female ancestry. How he wasn't shot or run
through I can't imagine, except that the lieutenant loudly proclaimed
that he was a crazy Boer. Anyhow the upshot was that Peter was marched
off to gaol, and I was left in a pretty pickle.

'I don't believe a word of it,' I said firmly. I had most of my
clothes on now and felt more courageous. 'It is all a plot to get him
into disgrace and draft him off to the front.'

Stumm did not storm as I expected, but smiled.

'That was always his destiny,' he said, 'ever since I saw him. He was
no use to us except as a man with a rifle. Cannon-fodder, nothing
else. Do you imagine, you fool, that this great Empire in the thick of
a world-war is going to trouble its head to lay snares for an ignorant
_taakhaar_?'

'I wash my hands of him,' I said. 'If what you say of his folly is
true I have no part in it. But he was my companion and I wish him
well. What do you propose to do with him?'

'We will keep him under our eye,' he said, with a wicked twist of the
mouth. 'I have a notion that there is more at the back of this than
appears. We will investigate the antecedents of Herr Pienaar. And you,
too, my friend. On you also we have our eye.'

I did the best thing I could have done, for what with anxiety and
disgust I lost my temper.

'Look here, Sir,' I cried, 'I've had about enough of this. I came to
Germany abominating the English and burning to strike a blow for you.
But you haven't given me much cause to love you. For the last two days
I've had nothing from you but suspicion and insult. The only decent man
I've met is Herr Gaudian. It's because I believe that there are many
in Germany like him that I'm prepared to go on with this business and
do the best I can. But, by God, I wouldn't raise my little finger for
your sake.'

He looked at me very steadily for a minute. 'That sounds like
honesty,' he said at last in a civil voice. 'You had better come down
and get your coffee.'

I was safe for the moment but in very low spirits. What on earth would
happen to poor old Peter? I could do nothing even if I wanted, and,
besides, my first duty was to my mission. I had made this very clear
to him at Lisbon and he had agreed, but all the same it was a beastly
reflection. Here was that ancient worthy left to the tender mercies of
the people he most detested on earth. My only comfort was that they
couldn't do very much with him. If they sent him to the front, whi