e on Harmony will now be removed, at least to some extent,
and the danger to Captain Naude, when he comes in again, considerably
lessened."

That this was the case we shall see in our next chapter.

CHAPTER XXXIX

THE WATCHWORD. OILING THE HINGES

Three weeks went uneventfully by.

Visitors at Harmony were few and far between, for the story of the
"raid" went quickly through the town, and many people who had been in
the habit of visiting the van Warmelos, all unsuspecting of the cloud
under which they rested, took alarm at this first open hint of danger
and discreetly withdrew from the scene.

When Hansie thought of them it was with some contempt and bitterness,
but her mind was, at the time, occupied with more important matters,
and her fair-weather friends soon passed from her life, never to
return again.

Only about a dozen remained, mostly women, friends staunch and true,
upon whom one could depend through days of the most crushing
adversity.

How close we came to one another in those days only those who have
been through similar experiences can ever realise.

Those three uneventful weeks were by no means the least trying of the
long war. Sorely tested nervous systems were giving way, fine
constitutions were being broken down, and powers of resistance had
reached their limit. It needed but the acute anxiety and intense
strain of the last adventure which I am about to relate, to reduce our
heroines to a state bordering on the hysterical.

The phases of the moon were watched in suspense, and when the time
drew near for the next visit from the spies, Mrs. van Warmelo took the
precaution of locking Carlo up in the kitchen before retiring for the
night. Although she let him out very early every morning in order not
to arouse the suspicions of the servants, "Gentleman Jim," ever on the
alert, soon found out that something unusual was taking place.

"Why you lock up the dog every night, missis?" he inquired one
morning.

Mrs. van Warmelo was completely taken by surprise, but answered with
great presence of mind:

"Oh, because he barks so much that we cannot sleep. But I think I will
have to let him out again, because thieves will help themselves to the
fruit if there is no watch-dog about."

The ruse had been found out and Carlo had to be released, although his
vigilance added greatly to the dangers of the situation.

The grapes were ripe, great luxurious bunches of purple and golden
fruit were