_I. O._ "No; I ought to be if I had my deserts; but I am the next best thing. I'm the general's secretary." (Thereupon the old man grunted approval, while the chorus of gaping maids nodded an endorsement behind him.) _F._ "Can I see the general, Mister Secretary?" _I. O._ "That depends upon the information which you give me now. Why do you wish to see him?" _F._ "My children have never seen an English general; besides, this is the first time that the English have ever been to the house; we should like to cook a dinner for the English general!" _I. O._ "But your children have seen Burgher generals?" _F._ "Oh, yes; they are nothing. We had Commandant Brand here yesterday!" _I. O._ "When did he leave?" _F._ "Early this morning!" _I. O._ "Which way did he go?" _F._ "He went out on the veldt; they took the Strydenburg road. But they were Free Staters; you cannot say where they were going. They would tell us Strydenburg, and then go somewhere else. You see, they knew that you were close!" _I. O._ "How many men had he with him?" _F._ "Only a few. It was a small horse commando, perhaps twenty. All Free Staters!" The old patriarch, who had been fumbling in his pocket, now produced a slip of paper which he presented to the Intelligence officer. The writing on the paper ran as follows:-- "_O.V.S. Receipt for Property Commandeered._ "Taken from Jan Van Herden, of Melk Kraal, Cape Colony, two sacks of mealies, 500 bundles of oat forage, two mules, four sheep, for the use of O.V.S. commando. "This receipt to be presented for repayment at the end of the war to the O.V.S. Government. (Signed) "ADRIAN FISCHER, _Corporal, O.V.S. Forces._ Dated "_February_ ----." _I. O._ "Who is Fischer?" _F._ "He is Brand's adjutant!" _I. O._ "I thought that you said there were only about twenty in the commando. They and their horses must have been hungry to eat four sheep and 500 bundles of oat hay. I should say that there must have been more like fifty of them!" _F._ "That may be, we did not count them. But can we ask the general to dinner?" _I. O._ "That depends. First, I must go through your rooms." Followed by the whole family, the Intelligence officer passed through to the various rooms, furnished and upholstered in the stereotyped Dutch fashion, till they came to the end of the long house. Here a closed door barred their way. _I. O._ "What is in there?" _F._ "Nothing--it is only my daughter and her 'man'; they have only been married a few days, so we let them live apart. (_Throwing the door open._) You may go in, of course. We are jingoes, we have nothing to conceal."