Undoubtedly as the evening went on it was only the possession of this revolver and his evident determination to use it that saved his life.
At last things grew very bad indeed, so bad that John found it absolutely necessary to keep his eyes continually fixed, now on one and now on another, to prevent their putting a bullet through him unawares.
He had twice appealed to the old woman, but she sat in her big chair with a sweet smile upon her fat face and refused to interfere.

It is not every day that a Boer _frau_ has the chance of seeing a real live English _rooibaatje_ baited like an ant-bear on the flat.
Presently, just as John in desperation was making up his mind to begin shooting right and left, and take his chance of cutting his way out, the saturnine Carolus, whose temper had never recovered the bowl of coffee, and who was besides very drunk, rushed forward with an oath and dealt a tremendous blow at him with the butt-end of his rifle.

John dodged the blow, which fell upon the back of the chair and smashed it to bits, and in another second Carolus's gentle soul would have departed to a better sphere, had not the old _frau_, seeing that the game had gone beyond a joke, waddled down the room with marvellous activity and thrown herself between them.
"There, there," she said, cuffing right and left with her fat fists, "be off with you, every one.

I can't have this noise going on here.

Come, off you all go, and get the horses into the stable; they will be right away by morning if you trust them to the Kafirs." Carolus collapsed, and the other men also hesitated and drew back, whereupon, following up her advantage, the old woman, to John's astonishment and relief, bundled the whole tribe of them bodily out of the front door.
"Now then, _rooibaatje_," said the old lady briskly when they had gone, "I like you because you are a brave man, and were not afraid when they mobbed you.