Part 12 (1/2)
”Saduko's wild men,” he answered in the sa the rocks”
Now I scanned theht my pipe and so forth, and certainly they seeaunt felloith tangled hair, ore tattered skins upon their shoulders and see- shi+elds, hardwood kerries or knob-sticks, and broad ixwas, or stabbing assegais Such was the look of theels--as the Dutch call vultures--sit round a dying ox
Still I sth, as I expected, Saduko greeary of wane tribe, Macuu left alive, for when their fathers were killed, the women escaped with so kraals I have gathered theht of blood”
”Quite so,” I answered ”I see that you have gathered theu at the risk of their own lives?”
”We do, white Inkoosi,” came the deep-throated answer froe you, Saduko, to be their chief?”
”We do,” again came the answer Then a spokes thee of Saduko, or even younger
”O Watcher-by-Night,” he said, ”I am Tshoza, the brother of Matiwane, Saduko's father, the only one of his brothers that escaped the slaughter on the night of the Great Killing Is it not so?”
”It is so,” exclaie Saduko as my chief, and so do we all,” went on Tshoza
”So do we all,” echoed the ranks
”Since Matiwane died we have lived as we could, O Macu the rocks, without cattle, often without a hut to shelter us; here one, there one Still, we have lived, awaiting the hour of vengeance upon Bangu, that hour which Zikali the Wise, who is of our blood, has promised to us Noe believe that it has come, and one and all, froathered at the suu and to conquer hiwane?”
”It is, it is so!” came the deep, unanimous answer, that caused the stirless leaves to shake in the still air
”I understand, O Tshoza, brother of Matiwane and uncle of Saduko the chief,” I replied ”But Bangu is a strong o; for have you not said that you co to lose; and if you conquer, you conquer; and if you die, you die and the tale is told But supposing that you conquer What will Panda, King of the Zulus, say to you, and to wane looked behind theer fro!”
Before his words had ceased to echo I saw a little, withered aunt for:
”Hail, Macumazahn Do you remember me?”
”Aye,” I answered, ”I remember you as Maputa, one of Panda's indunas”
”Quite so, Macumazahn; I am Maputa, one of his indunas, a member of his Council, a captain of his ione, whose names it is not lawful that I should na has sent e”
”How do I know that you are a true htunder his cloak, he produced so wrapped in dried leaves, which he undid and handed to :
”This is the token that Panda sends to you, Macu ain; also that you are welcome to it, since the two little bullets which he sed as you directed made him very ill, and he needs noit in the nised it at once
It was a cardboard box of strong calomel pills, on the top of which ritten: ”Allan Quatermain, Esq: One _only_ to be taken as directed”