Child of Storm

"Oh, well, well, Macumazahn. For is she not the head lady of the

Amasomi? There is nothing wrong with her--nothing at all, except that as

yet she has no child; also that--," and he paused.

"That what?" I asked.

"That she hates the very sight of her husband, Masapo, and says that

she would rather be married to a baboon--yes, to a baboon--than to him,

which gives him offence, after he has paid so many cattle for her.

But what of this, Macumazahn? There is always a grain missing upon

the finest head of corn. Nothing is quite perfect in the world,

Macumazahn, and if Mameena does not chance to love her husband--" and he

shrugged his shoulders and drank some "squareface."

"Of course it does not matter in the least, Umbezi, except to Mameena

and her husband, who no doubt will settle down in time, now that Saduko

is married to a princess of the Zulu House."

"I hope so, Macumazahn, but, to tell the truth, I wish you had brought

more guns, for I live amongst a terrible lot of people. Masapo, who is

furious with Mameena because she will have none of him, and therefore

with me, as though I could control Mameena; Mameena, who is mad with

Masapo, and therefore with me, because I gave her in marriage to him;

Saduko, who foams at the mouth at the name of Masapo, because he has

married Mameena, whom, it is said, he still loves, and therefore at me,

because I am her father and did my best to settle her in the world. Oh,

give me some more of that fire-water, Macumazahn, for it makes me forget

all these things, and especially that my guardian spirit made me the

father of Mameena, with whom you would not run away when you might have

done so. Oh, Macumazahn, why did you not run away with Mameena, and turn

her into a quiet white woman who ties herself up in sacks, sings songs

to the 'Great-Great' in the sky--[that is, hymns to the Power above

us]--and never thinks of any man who is not her husband?"

"Because if I had done so, Umbezi, I should have ceased to be a quiet

white man. Yes, yes, my friend, I should have been in some such place as

yours to-day, and that is the last thing that I wish. And now, Umbezi,

you have had quite enough 'squareface,' so I will take the bottle away

with me. Good-night."

On the following morning I trekked very early from Umbezi's

kraal--before he was up indeed, for the "squareface" made him sleep

sound. My destination was Nodwengu, Panda's Great Place, where I hoped

to do some trading, but, as I was in no particular hurry, my plan was

to go round by Masapo's, and see for myself how it fared between him and

Mameena. Indeed, I reached the borders of the Amasomi territory, whereof

Masapo was chief, by evening, and camped there. But with the night came

reflection, and reflection told me that I should do well to keep clear

of Mameena and her domestic complications, if she had any. So I changed

my mind, and next morning trekked on to Nodwengu by the only route

that my guides reported to be practicable, one which took me a long way

round.