good little woman, who would gladly see all this
trouble over and a British government here, with the usual peace and
good order.

"At the present moment my stables are cleared of everything save your
two ponies, and they will be safe till you start, for the Boers have
twice paid me a visit, and have commandeered every saddle and horse I
had left."

"I'm glad to hear about the team and cart," said Jack thoughtfully.
"But why not take the train down to the border. Surely Kruger and his
friends will grant all refugees a safe-conduct?"

"Safe-conduct! A precious fine conduct they are giving us! Thousands
of poor creatures are clamouring to be taken down, and have been doing
so for these past three days. But what can you expect, Jack? It is a
single line to Natal, and every inch of it is occupied in passing down
trains laden with burghers. The refugees are quite a secondary matter,
and by all accounts are experiencing cruel times. All available
carriages are packed with Boers, and our poor country-people have to do
as best they can in open cattle trucks or coal wagons.

"Then every station is crammed with armed and excited Transvaallers, who
have committed all sorts of detestable acts. I know this is the case,
for Joe Pearson, who works on the railway in ordinary times, watched
train after train of refugees passing through one of the stations. The
older Boers are quiet and well conducted, but it is the younger men who
have committed these excesses. Threatening to shoot helpless passengers
is the least of them. They have actually kept the poor people in the
sidings for as many as twenty-four hours, absolutely preventing their
leaving the trucks to obtain food or water. It is really terrible. The
unhappy women and children, who form a good proportion of the refugees,
have been exposed to the weather for three days between here and Laing's
Nek, and you can imagine what that has meant, for you yourself
experienced the heavy rain last night. I hear one or two of the
children died on the way down.

"It is dreadfully sad, terribly sad. But there is one consolation,
England will demand a just retribution when the time comes.

"That is why I have decided to send Mrs Hunter down by road, rather
than let her run the risks of the journey by train. The horses are good
ones, and ought to get you to Volksrust quicker than the rail; that is,
of course, if they are not commandeered. If that were to happen, I
suppose