The Intelligence officer and the Tiger had not left the column a mile behind them when they met a Cape cart coming along the dusty road from Britstown. It was driven by a youth of some eighteen summers, who stopped his pair of mules with the greatest unconcern to the signal from the Tiger. _Tiger._ "Good morning. What is your name?" _Driver._ "Good morning. Naude." _T._ "Where have you come from?" _D._ "Britstown!" _T._ (_who was now close up to the cart and busy in examination of it_) "What have you been doing in Britstown, and how long have you been there?" _D._ "I have been there about ten days: my wife has been confined there!" _T._ "So you have taken her out for a drive to-day?" _D._ "No. How could I?" _T._ "Then you have been driving another lady?" _D._ "No." _T._ "What have you got those two cushions on the seat for? What's the good of lying? Where are you going now?" _D._ "Back to my home!" _T._ "Where is that?" _D._ "Drieputs, two hours[20] on." _T._ (_decidedly_) "Now, look here; it is no use lying any more. I will tell you what you have been doing and who you are. You are the son of old Pretorius of Richmond Road. Yesterday you were on commando with Lotter; your brother was shot and taken by us. I don't know where you slept last night; but this I do know, that yesterday you drove a wounded man into Britstown, and probably a lady as well. The lady came from Nieuwjaarsfontein. For you see those cushions you have on your front seat came out of the Nieuwjaarsfontein _sitkomer_.[21] I have got a similar one, which I took myself from the farm. So don't lie any more. Tell me who is in Britstown?" _D._ (_who had lost his air of stolid indifference, and was beginning to move uncomfortably_) "Britstown is full of Kharkis; they are coming in now fast." _Intelligence Officer._ "Is this road clear into the _dorp_?"[22] _D._ (_with polite sarcasm_) "You may ride along this road in perfect safety." _T._ (_cheerily_) "That is more than you can, my friend. (_Turning to Intelligence Officer._) This man has evidently, sir, carried information to Brand's people and a wounded man into Britstown; see the blood on the back of the seat. I should keep him a prisoner, sir--send him back to the column with a man. Besides, if I am to stay with you, sir, I should like his cart and mules. They are good mules, you see. They have been into the town and back, and have scarcely turned a hair!"... There was no doubt as to the occupation of Britstown when the Intelligence officer and his escort crossed the vlei, which is the principal outlying feature of that typical little South African township. The De Aar road was one block of moving transport, and the usually quiet main street of the village was alive with troops. Of a truth a concentration was taking place, and the Dutch were not amiss in their simile when they likened a British concentration to a flight of locusts.