Then came Frank Muller himself, looking white and very terrible, and as he came the men stopped their jokes and talking.

Indeed it was curious to observe how strong was his ascendancy over them.

As a rule, the weak part of Boer organisation is that it is practically impossible to persuade one Boer to pay deference to or obey another; but this was certainly not the case where Frank Muller was concerned.
Muller advanced without hesitation to the saw-bench at the top of the open space, and sat down on it, placing his rifle between his knees.
After this there was a pause, and then Bessie saw her old uncle led forward by two armed Boers, who halted in the middle of the space, about three paces from the saw-bench, and stood one on either side of their prisoner.

At the same time Hans Coetzee climbed into the Scotch cart, and Muller drew a note-book and a pencil from his pocket.
"Silence!" he said.

"We are assembled here to try the Englishman, Silas Croft, by court-martial.