Mr. Nicholls, however, though so merely tempted, absolntely refused to
invent a plot which had never existed and to bring in innocent men. Next Commandant Schalk tried another plan, and told Nicholls that even his own side had turned against him and wanted to shoot him, and one of his fellow- prisoners came to him and said, "If there is not a chief invent one." "He also said that the English of the Rand would shoot me if they caught me; and Tremlett said, 'If the English did not the Boers would,' and then all after- wards united in saying that it was certain anyhow 'that I should be hanged in Pretoria Gaol." We cannot recount the whole of these mediteval attempts to get Nicholls to invent a plot which would implicate the South African League, the capitalists, and the British Govern- ment, but we may mention that the letter written by Nicholls to Mr. Conyngham Greene, the British Agett, was kept back for eight days. Now, if this and the rest of the story of Nrcholls's treatment, after proper inquiry and investigation, can be shown to be true, it seems to us that our Government should demand the fullest explanation from the Boer Government. In the case of no other country should we allow such treatment of British subjects to go unohallenged. If, however, Nicholls's word is not to be relied on, then the Times has made a great mistake in giving publicity to the matter, but we can hardly think they would have taken such a step unless they were satisfied of his bona-fides.
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