Part 8 (1/2)
”Did she?” I answered ”Well, I do not altogether wonder at it; but please continue your story”
”There is none, Inkoosi They brought you here, they told me how the evil brute of a buffalo had nearly killed you in the pool; that is all”
”Yes, yes, Maet out of the pool?”
”Oh, it seems that your servant, Sikauli, the bastard, leapt into the water and engaged the attention of the buffalo which was kneading you into the ai down between its shoulders to the heart, so that it died Then they pulled you out of the ht you to life again But afterwards you beca in your speech until this hour”
”Ah, he is a brave man, is Saduko”
”Like others, neitherof her rounded shoulders ”Would you have had hiot in front of the bull and twisted its nose, not he who sat on its back and poked at it with a spear”
At this period in our conversation I becas, even of the interesting Maone, and in her place was old Umbezi, who, I noticed, took down a mat from the side of the hut and folded it up to serve as a cushi+on before he sat hi, Macumazahn,” he said when he saw that I ake; ”how are you?”
”As well as can be hoped,” I answered; ”and how are you, Umbezi?”
”Oh, bad, Macumazahn; even now I can scarcely sit down, for that bull had a very hard nose; also I am swollen up in front where Sikauli struck me when he tumbled out of the tree Also my heart is cut in two because of our losses”
”What losses, Umbezi?”
”Wow! Macuot to our ca--the meat, the skins, and even the ivory, which it cracked so that it is useless That was an unlucky hunt, for although it began so well, we have co at all except the head of the bull with the cleft horn, that I thought you ht like to keep”
”Well, Umbezi, let us be thankful that we have co to live,” I added
”Oh, Macumazahn, you will live without doubt, and be none the worse Two of our doctors--very clever men--have looked at you and said so One of them tied you up in all those skins, and I proave hioat on account But you must lie here for a month or more, so he says Meanwhile Panda has sent for the hides which he demanded of ed to kill twenty-five of my beasts to provide them--that is, of my own and of those of my headmen”
”Then I wish you and your headroaned, forme very much
”Send Saduko and Sikauli here; I would thank the, I think, and I thanked theh
”There, there, Baas,” said Scoas literally weeping tears of joy at ht of life and reason; not tears of Ma down his snub nose, that still bore le's claws ”There, there, say noto die, I wished to die, too, who, if you had left it, should only have wandered through the world without a heart That is why I jumped into the pool, not because I arew moist Oh, it is the fashi+on to abuse natives, but from whom do we meet with more fidelity and love than from these poor wild Kafirs that so many of us talk of as black dirt which chances to be fashi+oned to the shape of man?
”As for myself, Inkoosi,” added Saduko, ”I only did ain if the bull had killed you while I walked away alive? Why, the very girls would have ht that assegai would never get through it”
Observe the difference between these two h no hero in daily life, i-like fidelity to a ing in punishratify his pride, also perhaps because my death would have interfered with his plans and ambitions in which I had a part to play No, that is a hard saying; still, there is no doubt that Saduko always first took his own interests into consideration, and hohat he did would reflect upon his prospects and repute, or influence the attainment of his desires I think this was so even when Mah certainly he always loved her with a single-hearted passion that is very rare a Zulus
Presently Scowl left the hut to prepare me some broth, whereon Saduko at once turned the talk to this subject of Mameena
He understood that I had seen her Did I not think her very beautiful?
”Yes, very beautiful,” I answered; ”indeed, the most beautiful Zulu woman I have ever seen”
And very clever--almost as clever as a white?
”Yes, and very clever-- else?