ill be forced to listen to
the question:

"How is the boot-making trade?"

CHAPTER XXVI

BITTEN BY OUR OWN DOGS

The events about to be recorded in this chapter have just reminded me
of an incident which took place immediately after the occupation of
the capital.

An old Kaffir, who had been with the English just before Pretoria was
taken, told Mrs. van Warmelo that three Boer men had ridden out on
bicycles to the English lines, and held consultation with
them--traitors evidently, in secret understanding with the enemy, to
whom they took information of some sort.

The old Kaffir wound up his remarks by saying:

"Missis, you are bitten by your own dogs."

How true this was, was soon to be brought home to us in the most
forcible way; but before we go on to the next developments in our
story I must not forget to tell you, good reader, that the three spies
from whom Hansie parted on the evening of August 15th had quite an
escape as they left the town.

They were driven in a cab, with their numerous parcels, as far as the
wire enclosure, by a friend who always escorted them through the most
dangerous parts of the town.

This friend, a young Mr. van der Westhuizen, played an important but
unobtrusive role in the history of the men with whom we are
concerned.

When Hansie met him first he was in the Pretoria hospital with a badly
wounded arm, of which some of the muscles had been completely severed.
As he never recovered the entire use of that arm, he was detained in
Pretoria with other men unable to escape, and, carrying his left arm
in a sling, he was made use of by the Secret Committee and by Mrs.
Joubert, who employed him as her coachman.

He carried a residential pass, which he produced on every imaginable
occasion, and was able to render untold services to the spies by
conveying them with their parcels to the wire fence. But on this
occasion they nearly got into serious trouble, for, just as the cab
was nearing the enclosure, a searchlight from one of the forts was
turned full on them. In consternation, one of the men ordered the
driver to turn to the left, another to the right, but with great
presence of mind he ignored them both, and drove straight on, thus
disarming a group of soldiers, standing near, of any suspicions they
might have had at seeing a cab so near the fence at night.

Fortunately, the light was soon turned in another direction.

The spies descended with their parcels, and wer