They have a tremendous arsenal there, and they mean to fight, as you'll see before long." The hissing and threatening sounds ceased, for there was so much conviction in the tone adopted by the speaker that his hearers began to feel uneasy and as if there might be something in the declarations, while, upon Ingleborough turning to West with: "Come Oliver, let's get home!" the little crowd of volunteers hedged the pair in, and the man who had been the most ready to laugh laid a hand upon his arm.
"Hold hard a minute," he cried frankly.

"I felt ready to laugh at you and chaff all your words; but I'm not going to be a dunder-headed fool and shut my eyes to danger if there really is any.

Look here, Ingleborough: are you an alarmist, or is there really any truth in what you have said ?" "It is all true," replied the young man calmly.
"Well, then, I for one will believe you, my lad; for, now you have spoken out as you have, I begin to put that and that together and I feel that the Boers have been playing dark." "They have been playing dark," said Ingleborough warmly, "and I should not be surprised to hear any day that they had declared war and found us anything but prepared." "They only want to be free," said a voice.
"Free ?" cried Ingleborough.

"Yes, free to do exactly what they please: to tax every stranger, or outlander, as they call us, for their own benefit: to rob and enslave the unfortunate natives, and even murder them if it suits their hand.

Free?
Yes, look at their history from the first.