"You grow too fat, my brother," I heard Cetewayo say, and saw him scowl

as he spoke. "If I had held an assegai in my hand you would have been

cut."

"I know it, my brother," answered Umbelazi, with a good-humoured laugh,

"but I knew also that none may appear before the King armed. Had it been

otherwise, I would rather have followed after you."

Now, at this hint of Umbelazi's, that he would not trust his brother

behind his back with a spear, although it seemed to be conveyed in jest,

I saw Panda shift uneasily on his seat, while Cetewayo scowled even more

ominously than before. However, no further words passed between them,

and, walking up to the King side by side, they saluted him with raised

hands, calling out "Baba!"--that is, Father.

"Greeting, my children," said Panda, adding hastily, for he foresaw a

quarrel as to which of them should take the seat of honour on his right:

"Sit there in front of me, both of you, and, Macumazahn, do you come

hither," and he pointed to the coveted place. "I am a little deaf in my

left ear this morning."

So these brothers sat themselves down in front of the King; nor were

they, I think, grieved to find this way out of their rivalry; but first

they shook hands with me, for I knew them both, though not well, and

even in this small matter the old trouble arose, since there was

some difficulty as to which of them should first offer me his hand.

Ultimately, I remember, Cetewayo won this trick.

When these preliminaries were finished, Panda addressed the princes,

saying: "My sons, I have sent for you to ask your counsel upon a certain

matter--not a large matter, but one that may grow." And he paused to

take snuff, whereon both of them ejaculated: "We hear you, Father."

"Well, my sons, the matter is that of Saduko, the son of Matiwane, chief

of the Amangwane, whom Bangu, chief of the Amakoba, ate up years ago by

leave of Him who went before me. Now, this Bangu, as you know, has for

some time been a thorn in my foot--a thorn that caused it to fester--and

yet I did not wish to make war on him. So I spoke a word in the ear of

Saduko, saying, 'He is yours, if you can kill him; and his cattle are

yours.' Well, Saduko is not dull. With the help of this white man,

Macumazahn, our friend from of old, he has killed Bangu and taken his

cattle, and already my foot is beginning to heal."

"We have heard it," said Cetewayo.

"It was a great deed," added Umbelazi, a more generous critic.

"Yes," continued Panda, "I, too, think it was a great deed, seeing that

Saduko had but a small regiment of wanderers to back him--"




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