Child of Storm

"I daresay," I exclaimed; "but, at any rate, she is done with, so what

is the use of talking about her?"

"Ah! Macumazahn, she is done with, or so you think, though that is a

strange saying for a white man who believes in much that we do not know;

but at least her work remains, and it has been a great work. Consider

now. Umbelazi and most of the princes, and thousands upon thousands

of the Zulus, whom I, the Dwande, hate, dead, dead! Mameena's work,

Macumazahn! Panda's hand grown strengthless with sorrow and his eyes

blind with tears. Mameena's work, Macumazahn! Cetewayo, king in all

but name; Cetewayo, who shall bring the House of Senzangakona to the

dust. Mameena's work, Macumazahn! Oh! a mighty work. Surely she has

lived a great and worthy life, and she died a great and worthy death!

And how well she did it! Had you eyes to see her take the poison which I

gave her--a good poison, was it not?--between her kisses, Macumazahn?"

"I believe it was your work, and not hers," I blurted out, ignoring

his mocking questions. "You pulled the strings; you were the wind that

caused the grass to bend till the fire caught it and set the town in

flames--the town of your foes."

"How clever you are, Macumazahn! If your wits grow so sharp, one day

they will cut your throat, as, indeed, they have nearly done several

times already. Yes, yes, I know how to pull strings till the trap falls,

and to blow grass until the flame catches it, and how to puff at that

flame until it burns the House of Kings. And yet this trap would have

fallen without me, only then it might have snared other rats; and this

grass would have caught fire if I had not blown, only then it might have

burnt another House. I did not make these forces, Macumazahn; I did but

guide them towards a great end, for which the White House [that is, the

English] should thank me one day." He brooded a while, then went on:

"But what need is there to talk to you of these matters, Macumazahn,

seeing that in a time to come you will have your share in them and see

them for yourself? After they are finished, then we will talk."

"I do not wish to talk of them," I answered. "I have said so already.

But for what other purpose did you take the trouble to come here?"

"Oh, to bid you farewell for a little while, Macumazahn. Also to tell

you that Panda, or rather Cetewayo, for now Panda is but his Voice,

since the Head must go where the Feet carry it, has spared Saduko at the

prayer of Nandie and banished him from the land, giving him his cattle

and any people who care to go with him to wherever he may choose to live

from henceforth. At least, Cetewayo says it was at Nandie's prayer,

and at mine and yours, but what he means is that, after all that has

happened, he thought it wise that Saduko should die of himself."