ten o’clock
Therefore , as a matter of precaution , they had been put under arrest and their arms taken from them as mine had been . What the commandant said , however , was that he took these somewhat high-handed measures in order to be sure that they , the Prinsloos and the Meyers , should be ready on the following morning to ride with him and the prisoner to the main camp , where the great council might wish to interrogate them . One concession , however , the vrouw had won from the commandant , who , knowing what was about to happen to me , had not , I suppose , the heart to refuse . It was that my wife and she might visit me and give me food on the stipulation that they both left the house where I was confined by ten o'clock that night . So it came to this , that if anything was to be done , these two women and a Hottentot must do it , since they could hope for no help in their plans . Here I should add that the vrouw told Marie in Hans 's presence that she had thought of attacking the commandant as to this matter of my proposed shooting by Pereira . On reflection , however , she refrained for two reasons , first because she feared lest she might only make matters worse and rob me of my sole helpers , and secondly for fear lest she should bring about the death of Hans , to whom the story would certainly be traced .