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 assisted 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 "cocksure," 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 cumbrous and heavy burdens. * * * * * Somebody, leaving the country for Holland, offered to take documents 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.