Part 7 (1/2)
”It seems to me,” he went on, after I had uttered my thanks for his word of approval, ”it see near to the country of the Chief of the Blue Cattle, yet the choicest of those cattle have not travelled our way, nor have their owners sent to beg to be allowed to live How do you explain this, Untuswa?”
”The Bakoni are a nation of fools, Great Great One Their warriors are numerous, but they do not look ht of the all-devouring Aht their town, there shall not be a man left”
”Thou art a lion-cub, indeed, Untuswa,” said the King, with a laugh
”No I have another mind in this matter I will not destroy these people, for I think to ive them one more chance I will send to their chief, that he delay not to come in and place his neck beneath my foot But who to send? None but these slaves speak with the tongue of those people--and who can trust a slave?--and Masuka is too old, and tosaid rather to hi
”Send me, Father,” I said ”I am able to converse with these people, and who better can explain thein such athee to thy death; for, if these people are ing in their folly to the extent of refusing to _konza_ to er And it is not a very great death for a fighting captain”
”When a reat death,” I answered ”Send me, Black Elephant”
Umzilikazi took snuff a moment and pondered
”I will send thee, son of Ntelani,” he said ”Who now is there to bear thee coo alone, with one other, and four slaves to carry thy gao before the chief of a nu had said, a dangerous service The Bakoni, I kneere relying on their numbers It was extremely probable they would put me to death in the first instance, and, at any rate, certain that they would do so later, when they realised that our _i near to sweep them off the face of the earth Yet I felt sure that the Great Great One had so me; and, even had I not, never was I known to think then ordered to any post of danger I was the only _induna_ with the King there in our advanced cauard was that aforewali, son of the sa himself to be overpowered at his post Hi
”It is well,” said Umzilikazi ”Go now to this chief naue of his race, 'A Young Lion,' and say that not many days off draweth near an old lion, whose roar is louder-- that unless I behold the usual tribute, brought by himself in person, before we are within a day's march of his town, he and his people are already dead Go!”
I stood before the King, cried aloud the _Bayete_, and strode off I ar assegais, and a heavy knobstick Then I took in wali
”Pick out four of the slaves, load the !”
I stepped forth froone far I heard a sound of singing, and footsteps behind me, and immediately I was overtaken byloads
”Whither are we bound, son of my father?” he asked, now that he had ti sending two men to take a whole nation by the beard!” he said, with a joyous laugh ”Yet, Untuswa, I alad to be one of those chosen, for know that I a instead of it Moreover, thou sayest that these Bakoni wali Yet it rimmer embrace awaits us both in their town How likest thou that, son of my father?”
”I care not _Hau! Ibubese_!” he cried, hurling an assegai with the quickness of lightning at a long, yellow gliding shape, which had darted frohtened yelp, and made off unhurt The spear had fallen short
”No er ”We are on the King's service, boy No tiaerous than the slaying of lions”
Not many days had we to travel before we drew near the Great Place of the Bakoni; and, fro the inhabitants of such outlying kraals as we passed, we felt pretty sure that the news of our approach had already been conveyed to the chief And such, indeed, was the case; for on the last rise, which should bring us within sight of the toere surrounded by two large bands of arhtily, with a wave of the hand, as these h they would have drawn up across our path ”Delay us not
We carry the 'word' of the Black Elephant to the Chief of the Blue Cattle”
We did not halt, we did not slacken our pace We ht into the h none were there They gave way in silence, but formed up on either side of us in the manner of an escort, and in this order we drew near to the town--not exchanging a word, though we could hear the slaves behind, who bore our burdens, whispering to each other excitedly Thus we entered, and as we did so the saht was in both our ain?
The plain for some distance outside the toas dotted about with people: woroups,the sleek, blue-coloured cattle, but all gazing with unbounded curiosity upon two s over them, and such indeed we felt
In those days, _Nkose_, I was at the very height of th and manhood Now I aeness of limb in proportion to my lofty stature My body was a framework of hard muscles, and indeed there was not a th or surpass wali, was soiant in coh in othera race of fools Indeed, I have thought since that the King may have had such a contrast in his eye when he sentthese people