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."