I was about to follow in a great hurry, having had enough of this very

unpleasant scene, when poor old Umbezi sprang at me and clasped me by

the arm.

"O Macumazana," he exclaimed, weeping in his terror, "O Macumazana,

if ever I have been a friend to you, help me out of this deep pit into

which I have fallen through the tricks of that monkey of a daughter of

mine, who I think is a witch born to bring trouble upon men. Macumazahn,

if she had been your daughter and a powerful chief had appeared with a

hundred and twenty head of such beautiful cattle, you would have given

her to him, would you not, although he is of mixed blood and not very

young, especially as she did not mind who only cares for place and

wealth?"

"I think not," I answered; "but then it is not our custom to sell women

in that fashion."

"No, no, I forgot; in this as in other matters you white men are mad

and, Macumazahn, to tell you the truth, I believe it is you she really

cares for; she said as much to me once or twice. Well, why did you not

take her away when I was not looking? We could have settled matters

afterwards, and I should have been free of her witcheries and not up to

my neck in this hole as I am now."

"Because some people don't do that kind of thing, Umbezi."

"No, no, I forgot. Oh! why can I not remember that you are quite mad

and therefore that it must not be expected of you to act as though you

were sane. Well, at least you are that tiger Saduko's friend, which

again shows that you must be very mad, for most people would sooner try

to milk a cow buffalo than walk hand in hand with him. Don't you see,

Macumazahn, that he means to kill me, Macumazahn, to bray me like a

green hide? Ugh! to beat me to death with sticks. Ugh! And what is more,

that unless you prevent him, he will certainly do it, perhaps to-morrow

or the next day. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"

"Yes, I see, Umbezi, and I think that he will do it. But what I do not

see is how I am to prevent him. Remember that you let Mameena grow into

his heart and behaved badly to him, Umbezi."

"I never promised her to him, Macumazahn. I only said that if he brought

a hundred cattle, then I might promise."

"Well, he has wiped out the Amakoba, the enemies of his House, and there

are the hundred cattle whereof he has many more, and now it is too late

for you to keep your share of the bargain. So I think you must make

yourself as comfortable as you can in the hole that your hands dug,

Umbezi, which I would not share for all the cattle in Zululand."




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