"Would that I could say so, too," muttered Panda; "but it is not
possible."
Then followed a long pause, during which all were silent, for every man
there felt that the hour was big with doom. At length Panda rose with
difficulty, because of his unwieldy weight, and uttered these fateful
words, that were none the less ominous because of the homely idiom in
which they were couched: "When two young bulls quarrel they must fight it out."
Instantly in one tremendous roar volleyed forth the royal salute of
"Bayéte", a signal of the acceptance of the King's word--the word that
meant civil war and the death of many thousands.
Then Panda turned and, so feebly that I thought he would fall, walked
through the gateway behind him, followed by the rival queens. Each of
these ladies struggled to be first after him in the gate, thinking that
it would be an omen of success for her son. Finally, however, to the
disappointment of the multitude, they only succeeded in passing it side
by side.
When they had gone the great audience began to break up, the men of
each party marching away together as though by common consent, without
offering any insult or molestation to their adversaries. I think that
this peaceable attitude arose, however, from the knowledge that matters
had now passed from the stage of private quarrel into that of public
war. It was felt that their dispute awaited decision, not with sticks
outside the Nodwengu kraal, but with spears upon some great battlefield,
for which they went to prepare.
Within two days, except for those regiments which Panda kept to guard
his person, scarcely a soldier was to be seen in the neighbourhood of
Nodwengu. The princes also departed to muster their adherents, Cetewayo
establishing himself among the Mandhlakazi that he commanded, and
Umbelazi returning to the kraal of Umbezi, which happened to stand
almost in the centre of that part of the nation which adhered to him.
Whether he took Mameena with him there I am not certain. I believe,
however, that, fearing lest her welcome at her birthplace should be
warmer than she wished, she settled herself at some retired and outlying
kraal in the neighbourhood, and there awaited the crisis of her fortune.
At any rate, I saw nothing of her, for she was careful to keep out of my
way.
With Umbelazi and Saduko, however, I did have an interview. Before they
left Nodwengu they called on me together, apparently on the best of
terms, and said in effect that they hoped for my support in the coming
war.
I answered that, however well I might like them personally, a Zulu civil
war was no affair of mine, and that, indeed, for every reason, including
the supreme one of my own safety, I had better get out of the way at
once.