he other day at the dinner in Potchefstroom? Why, that the country
would never be given up, because no Government, Conservative, Liberal,
or Radical, would dare to do it. And now this new Gladstone Government
has telegraphed the same thing, so what is the use of all the talk and
childishness? Tell me that, Frank Muller."

Muller laughed as he answered, "You are all very simple people, you
English. Don't you know that a government is like a woman who cries
'No, no, no,' and kisses you all the time? If there is noise enough your
British Government will eat its words and give Wolseley, and Shepstone,
and Bartle Frere, and Lanyon, and all of them the lie. This is a bigger
business than you think for, _Oom_ Silas. Of course all these meetings
and talk are got up. The people are angry because of the English way of
dealing with the natives, and because they have to pay taxes; and
they think, now that you British have paid their debts and smashed up
Sikukuni and Cetewayo, that they would like to have the land back. They
were glad enough for you to take it at first; now it is another matter.
But still that is not much. If they were left to themselves nothing
would come of it except talk, for many of them are very glad that the
land should be English. But the men who pull the strings are down in
the Cape. They want to drive every Englishman out of South Africa. When
Shepstone annexed the Transvaal he turned the scale against the Dutch
element and broke up the plans they have been laying for years to make a
big anti-English republic of the whole country. If the Transvaal remains
British there is an end of their hopes, for only the Free State is left,
and it is hemmed in. That is why they are so angry, and that is why
their tools are stirring up the people. They mean to make them fight
now, and I think that they will succeed. If the Boers win the day, they
will declare themselves; if not, you will hear nothing of them, and the
Boers will bear the brunt of it. They are very cunning people the Cape
'patriots,' but they look well after themselves."

Silas Croft looked troubled, but made no answer, and Frank Muller rose
and stared out of the window.

CHAPTER XIII

FRANK MULLER SHOWS HIS HAND

Presently Muller turned round. "Do you know why I have told you all
this, _Oom_ Silas?" he asked.

"No."

"Because I want you to understand that you and all the Englishmen in
this country are in a very dangerous position. The war is co