Part 12 (1/2)
”The president desires to knoho you are, and for whoo,” he said courteously ”Who employed you? Was it the British Govern Joubert straight in the face ”It was purely by accident that I discovered the azine down by Volksrust, and since the men there were positive that I was a spy and talked of shooting me, I was forced to escape for my life That is all I know about the ht I aht here as a prisoner
I am a British subject, co I a to stand my trial in the courts”
”Tush, boy!” Joubert replied harshly ”What do we care about subjects of England here? You have acted as a spy, and that is why you are a prisoner”
”Ask hi the truth,” President Kruger broke in at this erness to put the question ”Ask him on his honour,”
he repeated ”All of his country pride themselves on that, and when they are put upon it they will tell the truth”
”I am no spy,” Jack said calmly ”I have told you the truth, and will swear to it on my honour”
”Will you o and send you outside the Transvaal?” asked the president, now fully awake, leaning forward and favouring Jack with a piercing gaze
”I cannot promise not to,” replied Jack, after a land, as seems most probable, it will be my duty to inform the Governor of Cape Colony of it, and I shall do so”
”Ah, you will!” growled Oorily Then he turned to General Joubert, and the two conversed volubly for a fewon the table with his hand in thedown the law
”Bah!” he exclaimed at last ”What does it matter? It would do more harm to us to injure this lad than for our secret to be known The British are already aware that we are purchasing arh to act so as to cause the prisoner's friends to ht precipitate o! Release hist these hated Rooineks, and he deserves to go free as a reward for his boldness
See to it, Joubert!”
Jack was overjoyed, for he had quite expected that the rash avowal of his intention to divulge his secret would make matters even more unpleasant And noas free He was on the point of thanking the president and of retiring when his eyes lit upon Piet Maarten's angry scowling face, and he at once reether would have to be reckoned with
”Your honour,” he said, facing Ooain, ”I have a request to make You have commanded that I shall have ether with a Ger froazine, have threatened to deal with me should I receive rant me some kind of an escort to the frontier”
”Have I not ordered that you shall have your freedoh Should anyone attempt to molest you he shall account for it”
Satisfied with his answer, Jack mure of two Boers whom he had never seen before, and was driven off into the veldt again About an hour later an engine and a single carriage steaet in Then they hirled away to Johannesburg just in ti run to Port Elizabeth
One of the guards re hi with him constantly
Many hours later he shook hands with hiood-bye
”Don't come back to us,” he said shortly, as the train ran into Norval's Pont, the southern border of the Orange Free State ”You have escaped with your life, but you would not do so a second time Here is money which the president told me to hand to you It is just sufficient to pay for your journey and comfort to Port Elizabeth, and here also is your ticket”
Jack thanked him, pressed his hand, and then watched hiain At Naauwpoort, the next stopping point, there is a junction, with a connecting line running ard to De Aar to join the Cape Town line to Kie and boarded another train Late the next evening he had reached the diamond city, and had called on Tom Salter, an old friend of Mr Hunter's
”Hallo, Jack!” exclais you here? Your place should be alongside of the Hunters, for they are likely to want every man they can lay hands on soon”
”Yes, I've heard that,” Jack answered, ”but unfortunately I have got into hot water in Johnny's Burg, and have consequently coood of hed To colonist ”You've been punching that fellow's head again, I suppose? What's his na of that sort, isn't it? Ah, it's you quiet, har into a warm corner!”
”Well, no, it's not quite that,” Jack replied, with a sh, had a hand in it all the same I'll tell you all about it if you like Mr Hunter told iveto do”
”Of course I will, Jack,” said Tom Salter heartily ”And you will take up your quarters with me There's plenty of roolad to see you Now tell me the yarn”
”That was a close shave, old boy,” he said, when he had heard Jack's adventures ”Phew! You ithin an ace of being shot by those fellows in theto have an ugly trouble with the ready Special-service officers have coh you'd scarcely think it, a in Ah! we've one of them here as sli, by naive that old crafty schemer a start, and lick him easily