"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--"