Part 14 (1/2)

”Nay,” answered Saduko ”If you are weary I au, and ill fight”

So they fought there in the ht fiercely while all watched, till presently I saw Bangu throw his ared I have always been glad that he slew his eneht have been expected that he would do

CHAPTER VII SADUKO BRINGS THE MARRIAGE GIFT

We reachedwith us the cattle and our wounded Thus encumbered it was a most toilsome march, and an anxious one also, for it was always possible that the reht attempt pursuit This, however, they did not do, for very many of them were dead or wounded, and those who remained had no heart left in them They went back to their mountain home and lived there in shame and wretchedness, for I do not believe there were fifty head of cattle left a Still, they did not starve, since there were plenty of women to work the fields, and we had not touched their corn The end of theave them to their conqueror, Saduko, and he incorporated thewane But that did not happen until some tions the captured beasts werecounted were found to nu aniht, which we killed for beef It was a noble prize, truly, and, notwithstanding the wound in his thigh, which hurt hiood deal now that it had stiffened, Saduko stood up and surveyed the eyes No wonder, for he who had been so poor was now rich, and would remain so even after he had paid over whatever number of cows Umbezi chose to demand as the price of Mameena's hand Moreover, he was sure, and I shared his confidence, that in these changed circu woman and her father would look upon his suit with very favourable eyes He had, so to speak, succeeded to the title and the faht in the ”Court of the assegai,” and therefore there was hardly a father in Zululand ould shut his kraal gate upon hiot, both of us, the proverb that points out how numerous are the slips between the cup and the lip, which, by the way, is one that has its Zulu equivalents One of theht at the moment, is: ”However loud the hen cackles, the housewife does not always get the egg”

As it chanced, although Saduko's hen was cackling very loudly just at this ti But of that matter I will speak in its place

I, too, looked at those cattle, wondering whether Saduko would reain, under which soed tothem at 5 apiece all round--and as oxen were very scarce just at that time, they orth quite as er sum of money than I had ever owned at one time in all my life Truly the paths of violence were profitable!

But would he reht probably not, since Kafirs are not fond of parting with cattle

Well, I did him an injustice, for presently he turned and said, with so of an effort:

”Macu to you, and truly you have earned theained us the victory Noill choose them beast by beast”

So I chose a fine ox, then Saduko chose one; and so it went on till I had eight of hth was taken I turned to Saduko and said:

”There, that will do These oxen I must have to replace those in my teams which died on the trek, but I want no more”

”Wow!” said Saduko, and all those who stood with him, while one of them added--I think it was old Tshoza:

”He refuses six hundred cattle which are fairly his! He must be mad!”

”No friends,” I answered, ”I am not mad, but neither am I bad I accompanied Saduko on this raid because he is dear to er But I do not love killing men hom I have no quarrel, and I will not take the price of blood”

”Wow!” said old Tshoza again, for Saduko seemed too astonished to speak, ”he is a spirit, not a man He is _holy!_”

”Not a bit of it,” I answered ”If you think that, ask Ma which they did not understand ”Now, listen I will not take those cattle because I do not think as you Kafirs think But as they areto dispose of theive ten head to each of my hunters, and fifteen head to the relations of hiive to Tshoza and to the otherthee in the event of any quarrel arising”

Now theseup, old Tshoza seized ,” he cried; ”you drop fatness! Although you are so s lives in you, and the wisdom of the heavens”

Thus he praised me, while all the others joined in, till the din ful Saduko thanked nificent ether pleased, althoughup the spoil with his companions

The truth was, or so I believe, that he understood that henceforth the Aould love me better than they loved him This, indeed, proved to be the case, for I a all those wild felloould not have servedthe of a proverb a all those Kafirs who know the story