The Petticoat Commando Part 24

Now, whether this unfortunate conversation had anything to do with the next developments I do not know. I do not _think_ so, for the Governor was a broadminded and just man, not to be deterred from his purpose by any small consideration, but the fact remains that Hansie received a curt note from him four days later, informing her that he had changed his mind about allowing her to inspect the Camps, and that all her permits had been cancelled. No word of apology or regret, but a curt request to return to him the pa.s.sports and letters of introduction she had received from him.

"Serves you right," her mother said, "for showing your enemy your hand."

"Oh no," Hansie said, "I am positive that has nothing to do with it; in fact, I don't believe General Maxwell is responsible for this at all. He is acting under orders, and if I am not mistaken Lord Kitchener is at the bottom of it. _He_ has put down that awful foot of his, mother, and there is nothing more to be done."

"Perhaps"--Mrs. van Warmelo looked grave--"perhaps they have found out something. I have often wondered at finding myself still at large after the commotion made about the pet.i.tions and the report of the Consuls. I can't forget how critical things seemed to me when three Consuls came to Harmony late at night, while you were at Irene, to warn me that the whole detective force was on the track of the pet.i.tioners. Poor Mr. Cinatti was frightfully excited and said that it was his duty to see that his pet.i.tioners' names did not become known.

He warned me that everything would be done to find us out, traps would be set for us, and he advised me, if ever any one came to Harmony and said that my name had been revealed, I was to say No! No!! No!!! and he danced about the room, striking his left hand with his clenched right fist at every 'No!'"

Hansie laughed and said, "There is no fear of your being found out.

The pet.i.tioners won't talk of that, you may be quite sure, and all the Consuls are to be trusted."

"What are you going to do about this?" her mother asked, touching the General's note.

"Oh, I am going to wait a few days to make him 'feel bad' and then, I suppose, I must return my pa.s.sports to him."

She waited three days, and then the General's behaviour strengthened her in her belief that he was not to blame for the shabby way in which he had treated her.

He was most penitent, begged her to forgive him for having caused her so much inconvenience, and said he had been "very weak" in entertaining the idea of her visiting the Camps.

They talked about certain improvements which Hansie had suggested, and on which she had intended to lay much stress in her reports.

He promised that everything in his power would be done to arrest the high mortality, and, encouraged by his sympathetic att.i.tude, she pleaded for "poor Middelburg."

"I have just been told that there were 503 deaths in that Camp during last month [July]. Can that be possible?"

"I am afraid it is only too true," he answered, sighing heavily. "The people on the High Veld are very badly off during this bitter weather."

"Will you allow me to send the warm clothing and blankets which I intended to distribute in the Camps?" she asked.

"Certainly, the more the better. Every facility will be afforded you in this."

Hansie felt happier after this conversation with the Governor, more convinced that something would be done to alleviate the sufferings in the Camps.

Now, if our heroine had been allowed to carry out her tour of inspection, she would have been out of "mischief's way" for many months, and much of what I am about to relate would not have taken place at all.

"Fair play is bonny play," and a breach of faith is bound, at some time or other, to be followed by undesirable consequences.

Hansie made up her mind to serve her country in another, perhaps better way, and in this she was a.s.sisted by the resistless hand of Fate, as we shall see in the following chapters.

That she was never "caught" is a marvel indeed, for she was most reckless of danger.

There were a number of intimate and trusted friends with whom she came into frequent contact, but who had no idea of the work which was being carried on at Harmony.

To these friends, however, she went with her "reliable war news" (more especially news brought into town by the spies, of the Boer victories) when anything of importance became known, and in time her friends found out that her news could always be depended upon as reliable indeed, although they had no inkling of the source whence it had been derived. There was danger of her becoming altogether too "c.o.c.ksure,"

when she was one day pulled up sharply by the following occurrence:

Captain Naude was in town again, was, if I remember rightly, under her very roof, when she visited a man for whom she entertained feelings of great affection and esteem, with the object of gladdening his heart with news of a particularly gratifying nature from the front.

He listened attentively, he asked a number of questions, nodding with the greatest satisfaction at her direct and definite replies.

"I must go," Hansie exclaimed suddenly, "I only came in for a few moments. We have to see some friends off to-night."

"Ah! Just wait a minute, please, will you?"

He hastened from the room, returning shortly with a parcel which he placed in her hands without a word.

"What is this?" she asked curiously.

"Five pounds of the best Boer tobacco."

"For me?" in amazement.

He approached her and whispered in her ear:

"For the spy!"

Hansie fled from that house, laughing as she went, and patting her parcel of tobacco rapturously.

"Oh, mother, wasn't it funny of him?"

"Yes, but when will you learn to be more careful? Hansie, you are frightfully reckless. You will not listen to reason, I suppose, until we find ourselves across the border and Harmony confiscated!"

The Captain was delighted with the present and willingly added the extra five pounds weight to his c.u.mbrous and heavy burdens.

Somebody, leaving the country for Holland, offered to take doc.u.ments and letters from the van Warmelos to the President on condition that they could guarantee that he would not be "found out."

This offer came at a most opportune moment, for there was information of the greatest importance to be sent to Mr. W.T. Stead.

For some weeks past Mrs. van Warmelo had been anxious to smuggle through to him copies of the two pet.i.tions to the Consuls and a copy of their report on the Concentration Camps. For this the White Envelope was not considered satisfactory enough--the doc.u.ments were too bulky and the post during those days not to be depended upon.

The information, therefore, was written on tissue paper (the usual method) and packed in a small bottle of Dr. Williams's Pink Pills, to be handed to a relative of Mrs. van Warmelo's in Holland, with instructions that he should read the contents and forward them without delay to Mr. Stead for publication in the _Review of Reviews_.

The "medicine" was faithfully delivered in Holland, but alas! the recipient, with unheard-of presumption, after having read the doc.u.ments, decided in his own mind that they were not of sufficient importance to be published in London and quietly kept them to himself!

Kept them to himself, at a time when their publication to the world would have been of inestimable value to the Boers and would perhaps have saved thousands of lives!

Of course this breach of trust was not known at Harmony for many months--not, in fact, until so long after it took place that the war was drawing to a close, and it was too late to repeat the attempt.

When one thinks that but for one man's indifference to duty the report of the Consuls would have been published in London at a time when all England was shaken with the revelations made by Miss Hobhouse and the agitation of the pro-Boers was at its height, then one cannot help realising the futility of fighting against Fate.

Not yet had the time of salvation arrived for the victims of the Concentration Camps--not yet--not until the toll of life had been paid to the uttermost.

Other schemes for supplying that section of the British public, desirous of being acquainted with _the truth_, with trustworthy information from South Africa, met with greater success, and I relate the following instance for the sake of the interesting circ.u.mstances connected with it, not for its own sake, for obvious reasons.

Many of my readers will remember the case of Mr. Spoelstra, a Hollander, which caused such a commotion in the Transvaal during the war.