Free State, but
even that he did not know for certain, nor whether the girls were at
home or not.

"But how did Frank manage to get captured, Morkel? Was he fighting?"

"No. They went to his place, and started in to commandeer all his
stuff. You know what a violent beggar he is when his monkey is up--and
he started punching heads by the half-dozen. What could he do against a
crowd? The wonder to me is they didn't shoot him then and there. But
they broke up everything in the house, and turned the old lady out of
doors and locked her own doors on her. Good job that pretty sister of
his was away from home, for they were the lowest down type of Boer--of
the Mani Delport sample."

Both men puffed gloomily at their pipes for some minutes in silence.
Then Colvin said:

"Look here, Morkel. I am going to have another try at old Schoeman.
You must persuade him to see me. So cut along, old chap, and do so. By
the way, if the worst comes to the worst, he must let me see Frank."

"I'll try, Kershaw," said Morkel. "I'll try my darnedest, but I'm not
over sanguine."

Nor was Colvin, and his despondency was fully justified when, after
nearly an hour, Morkel returned. Commandant Schoeman flatly refused to
see him that night, nor would he authorise him to hold an interview with
the prisoner, or any communication whatever, on peril of the utmost
penalty.

"The infernal old brute!" was the only comment Colvin could make.

"Yes, he is," rejoined Morkel gloomily. "And now I must clear out--for
he has a lot of `secretarial' work for me to-night, he says. Well, we
have done all we could, and if we can't help the poor chap we can't.
It's the fortune of war. Good-night."

Left to himself Colvin sat for a while thinking hard, and as he did so
his despondency deepened. Poor Frank! Was there no way out of it? His
memory went back over the period of their acquaintance--over the old
days when they had campaigned together as comrades--over the times they
had spent together since, under more peaceful auspices--by what a mere
chance it had come about that they were not much more nearly related.
With all his weaknesses, Frank was far too good a fellow to come to such
pitiable grief as this. What could be done? And still the inexorable
answer--Nothing.

Rising in the sheer restlessness of desperation, he went outside the
tent. It was nearly dark now, and the cooking fires of the camp were
ablaze in all directions, and the