Captain Naude had a young wife and two children in one of the Camps in Natal, and Mrs. Malan had procured, as a surprise for him, snapshots of his dear ones taken in the Camp. When they were placed in his hands he gazed on them for a long time in silence, finally muttering under his breath, "For this the English must die!" and from that moment he was moody and silent. His thirst for information on the condition of the Irene Camp, as Hansie had found it, was insatiable, and hours were spent in discussing the subject and its probable effect on the duration of the war. "What do the men think of the Concentration Camps?" Hansie asked. "Will they give in for the sake of the women and children?" "No," was the emphatic answer--"never. We all feel that our first duty is to fight until our independence is assured. _We_ are not responsible for the fate of our women and children, and they let no opportunity pass of urging us to be brave and steadfast in the fulfilment of our duty to our country. Our spies come from the Camps continually with messages of encouragement and hope; but that the mortality among them is more bitter to bear than anything else, you can understand...." There was a long pause, and then, the Captain continued gloomily: "I did not recognise my wife on that photo--she has become an old, old woman.... Sometimes on commando we actually enjoy ourselves. You must not think that it is all hardship and trouble! I gave a concert, quite a good one, on the President's birthday, and occasionally, when we come to a farm where there are still some girls left, we take them out riding and driving." CHAPTER XXXVI A SILENT DEPARTURE. "FARE THEE WELL" As the afternoon wore on, an extreme nervousness came over all at Harmony, a feeling of tense anxiety which no words can describe, and was betrayed in a restless flitting through the house, arranging something here, peering through the blinds at the camp of the Military Mounted Police. Unconsciously voices were lowered and final instructions given in hushed tones. Only a few hours remained of the Captain's visit to Harmony and much had still to be arranged. The tension was broken by the arrival of Mrs. Malan, with large parcels containing the articles of clothing, etc., ordered by Naude--hats, boots, riding-suits, soap, matches, salt, and a number of the small necessities of life. This gave the women something to do, for everything had to be sorted and made up into smaller parcels as compactly as possible, while Naude donned a surprising quantity of clothing and disposed of various articles about his person. In the excitement of the moment Captain Naude, while he was dressing, must have forgotten to take off a waistcoat lent to him by Mrs. van Warmelo and clearly marked D.S. van Warmelo. This caused her a great deal of anxiety for some days after the departure of the spies.