"And are you safe now?" I asked of the captain.

"Oh, yes," he answered. "You see, we were the King's men, not

Umbelazi's, so Cetewayo bears us no grudge. Indeed, he is obliged to us,

because we gave the Usutu their stomachs full of good fighting, which

is more than did those cows of Umbelazi's. It is towards Saduko that

he bears a grudge, for you know, my father, one should never pull a

drowning man out of the stream--which is what Saduko did, for had it not

been for his treachery, Cetewayo would have sunk beneath the water of

Death--especially if it is only to spite a woman who hates him. Still,

perhaps Saduko will escape with his life, because he is Nandie's

husband, and Cetewayo fears Nandie, his sister, if he does not love her.

But here we are, and those who have to watch the sky all day will be

able to tell of the evening weather" (in other words, those who live

will learn).

As he spoke we passed into the private enclosure of the isi-gohlo,

outside of which a great many people were gathered, shouting, talking

and quarrelling, for in those days all the usual discipline of the Great

Place was relaxed. Within the fence, however, that was strongly guarded

on its exterior side, were only about a score of councillors, the

King, the Prince Cetewayo, who sat upon his right, the Princess Nandie,

Saduko's wife, a few attendants, two great, silent fellows armed with

clubs, whom I guessed to be executioners, and, seated in the shade in a

corner, that ancient dwarf, Zikali, though how he came to be there I did

not know.

Obviously the trial was to be quite a private affair, which accounted

for the unusual presence of the two "slayers." Even my Amawombe guard

was left outside the gate, although I was significantly informed that if

I chose to call upon them they would hear me, which was another way of

saying that in such a small gathering I was absolutely safe.

Walking forward boldly towards Panda, who, though he was as fat as ever,

looked very worn and much older than when I had last seen him, I made

my bow, whereon he took my hand and asked after my health. Then I shook

Cetewayo's hand also, as I saw that it was stretched out to me. He

seized the opportunity to remark that he was told that I had suffered

a knock on the head in some scrimmage down by the Tugela, and he hoped

that I felt no ill effects. I answered: No, though I feared that there

were a few others who had not been so fortunate, especially those who

had stumbled against the Amawombe regiment, with whom I chanced to be

travelling upon a peaceful mission of inquiry.




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