Then he turned into the waggon-shed, and laid his burden down on the saw-bench where Frank Muller had sat as judge upon the previous day.
Now at last John spoke in a hoarse voice: "Where is the old man ?" One of them pointed to the door of the little room.
"Open it!" he said, so fiercely that again they fell back and obeyed him without a word.
"John! John!" cried Silas Croft, rising amazed from his seat upon a sack.

"Thank God--you have come back to us from the dead!" and trembling with joy and surprise he would have fallen on his neck.
"Hush!" he answered; "I have brought the dead with me." And he led him to where Jess lay.
During the day all the Boers went away and left them alone.

Now that Frank Muller lay dead there was no thought among them of carrying out the sentence upon their old neighbour.

Besides, there was no warrant for the execution, even had they desired so to do, for their commandant died leaving it unsigned.

So they held an informal inquest upon their leader's body, and buried him in the little graveyard that was walled in on the hill-side at the back of where the house had stood, and planted with the four red gums, one at each corner.