o
know nothing. "I don't know," was the answer to every question. They
were, of course, on the safe side. But many committed themselves, if not
in deeds, then in words. To cite a few cases:--

One of our officers, Captain Pretorius, dismounted one evening at the
farm of a Mr. B. in the district of Bethulie. The farmer, hearing a tap
at the door, went and opened it. Pretorius, who posed as an English
officer, asked Mr. B., "Where are the Boers?" The latter, pointing to
certain ridges in the distance, said in rather broken English, "Do you
see those kopjes yonder? They are full of Boers." But asked at the same
time, "Do tell me, are you really an Englishman? I must be clear on this
point before I can speak to you. There must be no mistake." On being
assured by Pretorius and his party that they were not Boers and did not
belong to the Boer forces, he told them very confidently all, and
perhaps more than they wanted to know, for he began to express himself
very strongly against the so-called marauding bands of Boers still
roaming at large. He promised the supposed English officer that, as soon
as possible, he would report the Boers; he would, he said, have done so
already had the opportunity come his way. Just think how confused and
embarrassed Mr. B. was when the English officer suddenly changed into a
Boer, lifted his gun and said in his most harsh tone, "I feel inclined
to send a bullet through your brains. Are you not ashamed to slander
your own people in this way? It is because we have such Africanders as
you in our midst that we suffer so much." This revelation proved almost
too much for the farmer, who was of a timid and nervous disposition. The
Boers left his farm the following day for regions so distant that it was
impossible to trap him again. Once was enough for him.

The next victim resided in the same district. Commandant Joubert, having
crossed the Bethulie-Springfontein line, touched at the farm of a
certain Mr. X. Joubert, accompanied by a burgher, went to wake up Mr. X.
They knocked loudly at the door; knocks failing, they were followed by
a kick. But there was no response. Inside it was as still as the grave.
Thinking that Mr. X. was out, the Commandant went to his brother's room,
where he learnt that Mr. X. was in, sure enough. When Joubert heard this
he went back to his room, tapped loudly once more, and then said, "Bring
the dynamite, and let us blow up the show," while the other burgher
said, "Never m