If
the method of writing between the lines in chemicals presented itself to
Mrs. van Warmelo's mind for a moment, it was dismissed as too crude and
well-known, and, in consequence, too dangerous.
And yet she found her thoughts reverting persistently to chemicals as the
only solution to the problem before her. One day she took the strained juice
of a lemon and wrote a few words with it on a sheet of white paper. When
dry, there was no trace of the written words to be seen until she had passed
a hot iron over them. Imagine her joy and satisfaction when they showed up
clear and distinct, in a colour of yellowish brown. Well satisfied with her
experiment, she sought and found a square white envelope of thick paper and
good quality, which she carefully opened out, by inserting and rolling the
thin end of a penholder along the part that was glued. Spreading the
envelope before her on the table, she wrote some sentences in lemon juice on
the inside, folding it into shape again and pasting it down with great care
and neatness. This envelope she placed in Hansie's hands, with an expectant
look, when the latter came home that afternoon.
Hansie turned it over, examined it on all sides and shook her head, puzzled.
"Open it," her mother suggested, "and look inside."
Hansie opened it and, peering into it, shook her head again, more mystified
than ever.
"I
give it up, mother," she said. "Come, don't be so mysterious—tell me what it
all means."
Mrs. van Warmelo then took the envelope, opened it with the penholder again,
and, producing the hot iron which she had been keeping in readiness for the
psychological moment, she ironed out the flattened sheet and revealed to the
astonished gaze of her daughter the written words within.
At
first Hansie was speechless with admiration; then she threw her arms round
her mother and hugged her vigorously.
"Really, mother," she exclaimed, "I am proud of you. How we shall be able to
dupe 'Miserable Renegade' now!"
The full importance of this discovery was not realised at the time, for all
their smuggling had hitherto been carried on merely for pleasure and they
had had no information of any importance to communicate to their friends
across the seas; but, in the light of after-events, they realised that they
had been led to make their preparations and to have their methods in full
working order before the time came to use them in conveying dispatches from
the Boer Secret Service to President Kruger in Holland.
They were now in the possession of a scheme which defied detection, and the
next thing to be done was to inform some distant conspirator of this
valuable discovery and instruct him in the use of it.
That this could not be done through the post, my reader will understand, and
as reliable opportunities were becoming more rare, Hansie had to wait some
months and to possess her soul in patience until at last some trusted
friend, leaving the country, could be persuaded to convey the important
instructions.
When and how they were eventually sent I cannot tell with positive
certainty. There is a difference of opinion on this point between Mrs. van
Warmelo and her daughter, and there is no way of settling the dispute,
because Hansie's diary contains no word about the White Envelope, for
reasons which it will hardly be necessary to explain.
Mrs. van Warmelo says the instructions were dispatched in a false
double-bottom of an ordinary safety match-box. Hansie thinks they were
either hidden behind a photo-frame or in a tin of insect-powder, both these
methods having been employed on various occasions, but at present we are
only concerned with the fact that the instructions reached their destination
safely, and from that day until the end of the war a gloriously free and
uninterrupted communication was kept up between Harmony and Alphen and one
spot in the north of Holland, of which we shall hear more as our story
unfolds itself.
Further experimenting showed that the lemon-juice became visible after a few
days when written on certain papers, while on others there was nothing to be
seen after many weeks, and this danger was immediately communicated to
Holland as a very serious one, for it stands to reason that the danger
connected with the sending of the White Envelope from South Africa was
nothing compared to the danger of receiving one and having it censored three
weeks after it had been written.
One had to keep in mind that letters leaving the country would be censored
immediately and would not be subjected to further scrutiny in Europe,
whereas letters for South Africa ran every risk of being betrayed on
examination, after a three-weeks' journey by land and sea.
When the smuggled instructions were well on their way, the first White
Envelope was written to Holland, and carelessly thrust amongst a pile of
other letters by the quaking Hansie when next she handed her mail to
"Miserable Renegade."
He
glanced through them all without examining them, merely putting the mark of
the censor on them and assuring Hansie that they would be forwarded that
very day.
No
seven weeks could have been longer or more full of suspense than those which
followed, and the excitement at Harmony when in due time a square white
envelope in the well-known hand arrived from Holland can better be imagined
than described.
With what anxiety it was opened and how eagerly examined before the hot iron
was applied! how keen the delight when nothing legible was found, even on
the closest inspection! What relief, at last, when the written messages
became not only legible, but clear and distinct!
So
this method was going to answer beyond their wildest expectations!
To
make assurance doubly sure, and because Hansie did not trust "Miserable
Renegade" one jot, she sometimes made use of friends, going to Johannesburg,
to post her White Envelope there, giving as her reason for doing so the
difficulties she had had with the Pretoria censor.
Of
course the secret of the White Envelope was not confided even to her most
intimate friends.
This correspondence having been fairly established, there was nothing to
prevent Hansie from using the European mail every week; but to avoid
needless risks and the possible exposure of the valuable secret, it was
agreed to use it only in cases of extreme necessity.
The sign of the White Envelope became an understood thing between the
conspirators, and for all other correspondence grey and coloured envelopes
were used.
The correspondent in the north of Holland was a young minister of the Gospel
who had taken for years an unusual interest in Hansie's career.
At
this point of our story the two young people, after some years of
estrangement, brought about by an unfortunate misunderstanding on his part,
pride and self-will on hers, had reached the delightfully unsettling stage
of exchanging photographs, the sequel of which took place under the most
romantic circumstances, not to be related in this volume.
"It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good," the young man must often
have thought, as he faithfully carried out every instruction from the scene
of action.
All communications for the President and Dr. Leyds were sent to him (through
the White Envelope), because it was not considered safe to correspond with
them direct, even through the medium of the lemon-juice discovery.
As
time went on, this method of communication was used for many purposes and
always with success, but some time after the war, when it was Hansie's right
and privilege to go through the war correspondence of the young minister of
religion, she came upon a letter from Dr. Leyds to him, in which she read,
with growing interest, the following information:
"I
cannot conceal from you that I was startled when I opened the last white
envelope, for I was able to read the whole report, though the writing was
faint, without applying the heating process to it. Perhaps this letter lay
in a warm place near the engine-rooms on the voyage. Will you not send a
timely warning? You could, for instance, say that the measles have come out
and are plainly visible, even without the application of hot compresses.
Those people are quite clever enough to understand what you wish to convey
to them."
This warning did not reach Harmony at the time. Perhaps the censor, trained
as he must have been in the art of reading dangerous meanings into seemingly
harmless sentences, decided in his own mind that it would be advisable to
keep the information about the measles to himself, and consigned the letter
to the waste-paper basket.
In
time experience taught the conspirators at Harmony that the greatest care
would be necessary in the use of the White Envelope, and to this they
probably owe the fact that it was never found out by the enemy.
The reproductions given here of specimens of the White Envelope, showing the
address on one side and the written messages on the other, will give the
reader an idea of how this correspondence was carried on. We do not vouch
for the accuracy of the information conveyed in the following translation of
the contents of this envelope. The figures were quoted from memory, but the
general impression conveyed in this report, of the condition of the
commandos at the time, is reliable and correct. On the side flaps of the
envelope certain love messages were written. These have been covered over
with blank paper and are not for publication.
(I) LETTER FROM HEAD OF SECRET SERVICE TO PRESIDENT.
(2) LETTER FROM HEAD OF SECRET SERVICE TO PRESIDENT.
(3) LETTER FROM HEAD OF SECRET SERVICE TO PRESIDENT.
[Translation]
CONTENTS OF WHITE ENVELOPE
From Head of Secret Service to President
PRETORIA, February 12th, 1902.
With Commandos all is still about the same as when I was here in December.
Much ammunition has been taken from the enemy recently.
No
want of food, horses fairly good, but clothing very scarce.
Three weeks ago I was with the Commandant-General. All well with him.
Government in good health, burghers full of courage. Good tidings received
from President Steyn.
Everything plentiful in Free State.
General Botha is now in Ermelo district with 1,000 men; de la Rey between
Klerksdorp and Rustenburg, 1,500 men; Beyers near Pietersberg, 1,000 men;
Muller near Pilgrim's Rest, on Delagoa line, with 600 or 700 men; Piet
Viljoen between Heidelberg and Middelburg, 1,200; Christian Botha, district
Utrecht, 600; Smuts has gone to the Colony with 1,500. These are the big
Commandos only. There are many small forces of 100 or a few hundred men
under petty officers. Engagements: January 15th General Botha defeated
enemy. Three wounded on our side. Enemy's loss, 46 killed, 92 wounded, 150
prisoners. 200 horses taken, 15,000 rounds of ammunition. Great victory by
Commandant-General on the 3rd inst. No full report received yet.
Everywhere small engagements.
Many prisoners taken from our ranks lately, through the poor condition of
our horses. Things better now. De la Rey has had a few small victories. On
December 25th engagement under de Wet near Frankfort. Our side victorious. A
camp of 500 men taken, 150 killed and wounded, 200 captures, 2 Armstrongs
taken with 400 shells; 1 Nordenbeldt with 2,500 maxim pompoms; rifle
ammunition 150,000; all the horses and cattle. The enemy is plundered daily.
Health of burghers excellent. Plenty of fruit. Our losses, as usual,
miraculously small.
Through perseverance and faith we hope to gain a certain victory.
