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It was crucial, therefore, to select the right man at the beginning, and one burgher said, 'Naturally, we would want you to carry on as commandant, De Groot, a former general and all. But you're an old man now, and I doubt you could stand the chases.'

'He can ride better than me,' Jakob said.

'We need someone who can think quickly,' another said. 'You know, the English are going to throw their best generals into this fight.' It was uncertain whether this speaker was for old Paulus or against him, but before he could clarify his statement, another said warmly, 'If De Groot did so well at Majuba, and when the Uitlander raiders came . . .'

'I think he's too old.'

Without a vote having been taken, it seemed that sentiment ran something like 180-89 in favor of the old man, but one of the complainants said with some force, 'This won't be Majuba or untrained Uitlanders. We need someone young, with strength in the saddle.'

The commando decided not to vote that night, but to think some more about the touchy problem; each burgher was convinced that war with England was only days away, that it would be demanding, and that they must have the best leader possible.

Some of the men wished to consult with Jakob, since he had been to both Cape Town and Pretoria: 'How does it look with the Boers at the Cape?'

'I found three boys who'll be cleaning their rifles tonight. But we can forget about real help from the south. They will not fight. Say they'll win their war on the floor of their Parliament, and that we're wasting our time with commandos.'

'Verdomp! We'll show them. God alone knows, we'll show the whole damn world, too.'

'Tell me, Van Doorn,' a thoughtful burgher asked. 'Who do you want as commandant?'

'We already have onePaulus. He's a true leader.'

They left it at that, and De Groot slept that night at the Van Doorns'; before going to bed he said fervently, 'I would like to serve, Jakob. I have ideas about how to handle the English.'

'We'll have to wait and see. A lot of them think you're too old.'

'I am,' De Groot conceded quickly. 'But I'm the one with ideas.'

Next morning the burghers resumed discussion, and sentiment swung strongly to a vigorous young man who farmed east of Vrymeer, but someone pointed out that he was always talking about how clever the Hollanders in Pretoria were and how the Boers could learn some culture from them. That finished him, for while most Boers supported Oom Paul in anything he did, they distrusted the Amsterdam clique around him, the hundreds who had been imported to serve in the Boer government. Some Venloo men said, 'The damned Hollanders are almost as bad as the Uitlanders.'

The vote was taken that afternoon, and old Paulus de Groot was retained as commandant, 201-68, grudgingly by some, who mumbled, 'We wanted someone younger. But we'll give you a chance.' All he said was 'Get your saddles ready.'

At Vrymeer the old man gathered everyone in the farmhouse kitchen, and with his hands resting on the ancient Van Doorn Bible, he said, 'When God chooses a people to do His work, He places on that people many demands, but in our response He watches over us and always brings us victory. Sybilla, are you ready?' The old woman, her hair drawn tight across her head, nodded. 'Sara, will you guard the farm and the children?' The younger woman nodded, bringing her young son closer to her side. 'Girls, will you defend this home against the Englishmen, if they come?'

'We will,' the twins said gravely, but Johanna, the older girl, merely nodded.

'Then your father and I can go to war with easy hearts. Let us pray,' and in the farmhouse, so far removed from conflict, the eight farm people bowed their heads and clasped their hands:

'Almighty God, we know that You have called us to this battle. We know that as Your chosen people we must obey the covenant You handed down to us. We are Your instrument in bringing Your kingdom into being on this earth, and we submit ourselves to Your care. Bring us the victory