River among the first of the wounded brought in was one of the many
foreign officers fighting on the Boer side. It was Kim who found him.
This officer's wound was fairly serious and necessitated close
attention. Through chance remarks dropped here and there, the officer
placed my identity correctly. It developed that he was Major Freiherr
von Reitzenstein, one of the few who knew the real reasons of my
exile.

In one of our innumerable chats that grew out of our growing intimacy,
he suggested my entering the service of Germany in a political
capacity. He urged that with my training and social connections I had
exceptional equipment for such work. Moreover, he suggested that my
service on political missions would give me the knowledge and
influence necessary to checkmate the intriguers who were keeping me
from my own. This was the compelling reason that made me ultimately
accept his proposal to become a Secret Agent of Germany. No doubt, if
the Count had lived, I would have gained my ends through his guidance
and influence, but he was killed in a riding race, three years after
our meeting in the Veldt, and I lost my best friend. By that time I
was too deep in the Secret Service to pull out, although it was my
intention more than once to do so. And certain promises regarding my
restoration in our house were never kept.

Coming to a partial understanding with Count Reitzenstein, I began to
work in his interests. The Boer War taught Germany many things about
the English army and a few of these I contributed. As a physician I
was allowed to go most anywhere and no questions asked. I began to
collect little inside scraps of information regarding the discipline,
spirit and equipment of the British troops. I observed that many
Colonial officers were outspoken in their criticisms. All these