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funeral, with a sorrowing following of 10,000, took the place of the
public demonstration the Americans were getting up for me.
These prisoners are strong men, prominent men, and I believe they are
all educated men. They are well off; some of them are wealthy. They have
a lot of books to read, they play games and smoke, and for awhile they
will be able to bear up in their captivity; but not for long, not for
very long, I take it. I am told they have times of deadly brooding and
depression. I made them a speech--sitting down. It just happened so. I
don't prefer that attitude. Still, it has one advantage--it is only a
talk, it doesn't take the form of a speech. I have tried it once before
on this trip. However, if a body wants to make sure of having "liberty,"
and feeling at home, he had better stand up, of course. I advised them
at considerable length to stay where they were--they would get used to
it and like it presently; if they got out they would only get in again
somewhere else, by the look of their countenances; and I promised to
go and see the President and do what I could to get him to double their
jail-terms.
We had a very good sociable time till the permitted time was up and a
little over, and we outsiders had to go. I went again to-day, but the
Rev. Mr. Gray had just arrived, and the warden, a genial, elderly Boer
named Du Plessis--explained that his orders wouldn't allow him to
admit saint and sinner at the same time, particularly on a Sunday. Du
Plessis--descended from the Huguenot fugitives, you see, of 200 years
ago--but he hasn't any French left in him now--all Dutch.
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