mortality, and, encouraged by his sympathetic attitude, she
pleaded for "poor Middelburg."

"I have just been told that there were 503 deaths in that Camp during
last month [July]. Can that be possible?"

"I am afraid it is only too true," he answered, sighing heavily. "The
people on the High Veld are very badly off during this bitter
weather."

"Will you allow me to send the warm clothing and blankets which I
intended to distribute in the Camps?" she asked.

"Certainly, the more the better. Every facility will be afforded you
in this."

Hansie felt happier after this conversation with the Governor, more
convinced that something would be done to alleviate the sufferings in
the Camps.

* * * * *

Now, if our heroine had been allowed to carry out her tour of
inspection, she would have been out of "mischief's way" for many
months, and much of what I am about to relate would not have taken
place at all.

"Fair play is bonny play," and a breach of faith is bound, at some
time or other, to be followed by undesirable consequences.

Hansie made up her mind to serve her country in another, perhaps
better way, and in this she was assisted by the resistless hand of
Fate, as we shall see in the following chapters.

That she was never "caught" is a marvel indeed, for she was most
reckless of danger.

There were a number of intimate and trusted friends with whom she came
into frequent contact, but who had no idea of the work which was being
carried on at Harmony.

To these friends, however, she went with her "reliable war news" (more
especially news brought into town by the spies, of the Boer victories)
when anything of importance became known, and in time her friends
found out that her news could always be depended upon as reliable
indeed, although they had no inkling of the source whence it had been
derived. There was danger of her becoming altogether too "cocksure,"
when she was one day pulled up sharply by the following occurrence:

Captain Naude was in town again, was, if I remember rightly, under her
very roof, when she visited a man for whom she entertained feelings of
great affection and esteem, with the object of gladdening his heart
with news of a particularly gratifying nature from the front.

He listened attentively, he asked a number of questions, nodding with
the greatest satisfaction at her direct and definite replies.

"I must go," Hansie exclaimed suddenly, "I only c