Chapter 2

The waves lap against the rocky beach around the hind legs of the lion of Lion Mountain. On the white sand of Table Bay beach, it washes softly up and down, and the evening breeze blowing inland drives fine droplets against the castle's cliff walls. No light burns in any window. Only the streetlamps cast a dull glow against the mist that blankets the city.

In the darkness, just around the corner of one of the large granaries near the beach, five men stand against the wall. A black mask is tied over each one's eyes and nose. They are dressed in ordinary clothing, but it is made of dark material.

The front one signals, and they sneak silently along the building and slip across a cross-street. On the corner stands a residential house, but they pass it. In front of the second house is a white-washed wall, about four feet high. One by one, they jump over it after briefly looking around. They step through the garden as if they know every step of it. In the backyard, a dog starts to bark.

They freeze. Motionless, they stand under the fruit trees next to the house. The dog barks continuously.

In a room with a window in the back wall, a trigger is pulled. The shutters are closed, but they can see the flashes of light through them. Then the light disappears.

"He will most likely come out to look from the stoep," one of the five whispers. Without hesitation, he runs closer and lightly jumps onto the stoep in front of the house. It is dark under the awning, but when they reach the front door, they can already see a glimmer of light behind it. They stand stiffly against the wall on either side of the door.

A latch is pushed back. The door swings open, and a man with a lamp in his right hand peeks out.

One of the masked men throws his arm around the man's neck and presses a hand over his mouth. A second grabs the lamp so that it does not fall on the stone steps. A third grabs him by the waist and pins his arms to his sides. They act hastily but orderly. Barely five seconds after the door was opened, they have already dragged him back into the hallway and slammed the front door shut.

"What is it, Hannes?" a woman from a room adjacent to the hallway asks.

The man who is being held so tightly turns his eyes from one masked face to another. Five pairs of eyes peer through the slits in the black material. Then one of them speaks.

"Tell her not to be scared," he commands softly. "If you shout or make any noise, you will die!"

An expression of fear fills the man's eyes. He tries to nod, but the arm around his neck tightens. Yet the masked man understands the gesture. He removes his hand from the man's mouth.

"It. it is nothing, dear," he stammers. "I have visitors."

"Oh. It is so late."

"Tell her it is urgent. She should just keep sleeping," the masked man who spoke first orders him.

"These are urgent matters, madam. Just keep sleeping."

They push him into the first door on the right, immediately check if the shutters of the living room are locked, and close the curtains. One of them has already closed the hallway door behind them. The lamp stands on the table, and the terrified resident of the house stands next to it.

"What, what... do you want?"

"We have come to talk to you, Hannes de Walt."

"About what?" De Walt's voice trembles.

"If you have a clear conscience, then why are you behaving this way?" The five stand in a half-circle in front of him. Their lips are tightly pressed together.

"My conscience does not bother me! What do you want?"

"All the money you have in the house."

"You are robbers!" the man exclaims, but they silence him.

"We are not robbers. Rather, call us the justice beyond the law. There are certain crimes for which you would not normally be punished. It is to combat such injustices that we exist."

Hannes de Walt's eyes widen. The color suddenly leaves his face. What was previously fear is transformed into deadly terror.

"You are the Masked Robber... the Masked Robber and his gang."

The masked one laughs. He looks at the others. They also smile.

"It does not matter who we are," says the speaker. "You have been found guilty in your absence. We will flatten every stone of this house unless you hand over all the money you have on hand to us."

"But why?" the man asks. "Why...?"

"Because that way you will save your life," interrupts the masked one. "If you prefer to die, just say so."

"But what am I guilty of?"

"You should know that yourself, De Walt. Many of the farmers have already been completely ruined due to the release of slaves. The ridiculous amount they can demand for each slave in London will not even pay a tenth of their travel expenses. And what are you doing? Instead of being moved by this injustice, you use the opportunity to enrich yourself and cause them further losses. For a month now, you have been buying up all the evidence from the farmers. And you do not even pay them a quarter of what it is worth!

One of these days, you will take a pleasure trip to England and come back with sacks full of money."

"But... but, I am doing them a favor. Without my help, they would not even be able to get a single rix-dollar of their money back."

"There are other methods," snarls the mouthpiece of the masked ones. "There are groups of farmers who conspire to send one of their own to London. But there are a few of you so-called do-gooders who want to speculate with the effects. You buy it dirt-cheap after convincing the poor farmers that it is their only chance to get something back for their slaves."

"But I am telling you!" De Walt cries out anxiously. "I pay them as much as I possibly can... otherwise I will lose myself."

"We have made careful calculations. You can easily pay them three times as much. We repeat, we want all the money in your house. Hurry up!"

"But I have nothing in the house. I do not keep my money..."

"Then you leave us no choice," says the masked one ominously.

"What do you mean? What are you going to do with me?"

"Nothing, if you are smart enough to pay us enough money so we can compensate the farmers with it."

"I will say it again," De Walt starts, his hand waving as he wipes the sweat off his forehead, "I tell you..."

"Then you will have to come with us. Take him, guys."

"No! Wait!" De Walt cries out. "I will bring it."

"We will go together."

"But my wife... the money is in my bedroom."

"Tell her at the door not to be scared and call for help. It may only cause both of you harm."

With a pitiful sigh, Hannes de Walt turns around. One of the masked men opens the hallway door for him. Another brings the lamp. He stands in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Do not be scared, wife," he says hoarsely. "We are being robbed by... by the Masked Robber and his men."

"The Masked Robber!" She must have dozed off because her voice is faint, as if she does not quite understand. Then she suddenly sits up. "The Masked Robber!" she repeats and from the sound of the words, it seems like she is about to scream.

"Please, wife," De Walt begs. "Just stay still. They will kill me."

The five masked men follow him into the room. The woman has pulled the sheets up to her shoulders. Terrified, she stares at them. De Walt bends down and pulls a small box from under the bed. One of the five kneels down beside him. He finds a second wooden box. The speculator takes out a key from under his pillow. As the masked man sees his hands moving, he grabs the key and opens both boxes. Both are filled with paper money.

"Great!" he exclaims. "This should compensate them."

"But you cannot take everything. It is all I own."

"You forget, friend," the speaker sharply interrupts him, "you still own your life. Be grateful." He hands the two boxes to the others. Then he turns back to Hannes de Walt. "You will have to walk with us for a while. If we leave you here, you might trigger the alarm."

"I would not. I will stay quiet."

"She will come with us." He looks at the woman. "If you love your husband's life, you will not call for help before he comes back."

"Will... will he?"

"He will return!"

They leave the lamp next to the bed and take De Walt with them to the dark stoep. It is as if the fresh outdoor air gives the poor devil new courage.

"For this, you will be punished. I know you are the Masked Robber and his gang because I know you always stand up for the farmers. It is a recognized fact. But someday they will find out who you are and then I will be the one who..."

"What do you want?" the masked man sharply interrupts him. "Then you will be the one laughing, right?" He pushes De Walt off the stoep. "Walk!" he commands softly.

In the backyard, the dog starts barking again. They go out through the garden gate and advance over the cross street next to the side walls of the grain shed. Around the corner on the beach side, they peek cautiously because it is open to the white sand here. Hannes de Walt walks between them to the other side, where he sees five horses near some rocks.

Suddenly, he is grabbed from behind. Terrified, he cries out, but a hand covers his mouth.

"We warned you not to shout."

"But why do not you let me go now?" De Walt pleads as the hand is removed from his mouth.

"We forgot to tell...