Part 20 (1/2)
These remarks, I may add, seemed to take Saduko very much aback At any rate, he found no reply to the, and so that Zulus enjoy soone whom they consider an upstart set in his place
Well, a couple of hours afterwards, just as the sun was sinking, who should walk up to ons but Saduko hinised at once as his wife, the Princess Nandie, who carried a fine baby boy in her ar, I saluted Nandie and offered her my camp-stool, which she looked at suspiciously and declined, preferring to seat herself on the ground after the native fashi+on So I took it back again, and after I had sat down on it, not before, stretched out my hand to Saduko, who by this time was quite hurees, without see too much interested in them, I was furnished with a list of all the advance the past year In their way they were reh soland had been promoted in that short space of tidoreat offices and estates When he had finished the count of theratulate him But all I said was:
”By the Heavens above I am sorry for you, Saduko! Howway there will be for you to fall one night!”--a reh that I think pleased her husband even less than ot a baby, which is much better than all these titles May I look at it, Inkosazana?”
Of course she was delighted, and we proceeded to inspect the baby, which evidently she lovedthe child and chatting about it, Saduko sitting by meanwhile in the sulks, who on earth should appear but Ma husband, the chief Masapo
”Oh, Macu to notice no one else, ”how pleased I a year!”
I stared at her andshe must have made a mistake and meant to say ”week”
”Twelve one by but I have thought of you several tiain Where have you been all this while?”
”In st others at the Black Kloof, where I called upon the dwarf, Zikali, and lost a, Zikali! Oh, how often have I wished to see him But, of course, I cannot, for I am told he will not receive any woht try; perhaps he would make an exception in your favour”
”I think I will, Macumazahn,” she s were getting beyond me
When I recoveredSaduko withhim on his rise in life, which she said she had always foreseen This remark seemed to bowl out Saduko also, for he h I noticed that he could not take his eyes off Mameena's beautiful face Presently, however, he seemed to becoed, for it grew proud and even terrible Masapo tendered hi; whereon Saduko turned upon hiive the good-day to an uy hyena? Why do you do this? Is it because the low uy hyena has put on a tiger's coat?” And he glared at hier
Masaposo so--quite innocently, I think--struck Nandie, knocking her over on to her back and causing the child to fall out of her arainst a pebble with sufficient force to cause it to bleed
Saduko leapt at hi him across the shoulders with the little stick that he carried For ato show fight If he had any such intention, however, he changed hisany resentment at the insult which he had received, he broke into a heavy run and vanished a shadows Ma else, na yet not brave,” she said, ”but I do not think he meant to hurt you, woman”
”Do you speak to nity, as she gained her feet and picked up the stunned child ”If so, hter of the Black One and wife of the lord Saduko”
”Your pardon,” replied Mameena humbly, for she was cowed at once ”I did not knoho you were, Inkosazana”
”It is granted, wife of Masapo Macuive me water, I pray you, that I ht, and presently, when the little one seeain, for it had only received a scratch, Nandie thankedwith a smile to her husband as she passed that there was no need for hiate So Saduko stayed behind, and Ma while, for he had h all the time I felt that his heart was not in his talk His heart ith Mameena, who sat there and s in a word now and again, as though to excuse her presence
At length she rose and said with a sigh that sheback to where the Amasomi were in camp, as Masapo would need her to see to his food By noas quite dark, although I rehtning, for a stor that he would seelike one who dreaons in order to inspect one of the oxen which was tied up by itself at a distance, because it had shown signs of so quietly, as I always do from a hunter's habit, I walked alone to the place where the beast was tethered behind sohtning shone out vividly, and showedshape of Ma her passionately
Then I turned and went back to the wagons even more quietly than I had come
I should add that on theserious the matter with my ox
CHAPTER X THE SMELLING-OUT