"WELL, UNTUSWA, I BELIEVE NOW, AT ANY RATE, THAT ALL THE GOLD THIS
WAGGON COULD CARRY WOULD NOT PURCHASE THAT ASSEGAI FROM YOU," I SAID, AS
SOON AS THE OLD MAN HAD FINISHED. "BUT WHAT OF NANGEZA? WAS SHE PUT TO
DEATH?"
"She was not. The King pardoned her, too; and when I put on the
head-ring he gave her to me to wife."
"And did she make a good _Inkosikazi_?"
"_Wou_!" and the old man brought his hand to his mouth, while his rugged
face lighted up with sly fun. "I had better have placed my head beneath
the paw of the lion for some other girl. Nangeza wanted to be chief and
chieftainess, too. That would not do. We Zulus never allow our wives
to be chiefs over us."
"What became of her?" I said.
But he looked at me a moment, and the mirth dancing in his eyes changed
to a flash of satire as he only repeated:
"We Zulus never allow our wives to be chiefs over us, _Nkose_."
Then he took snuff.
"And what became of the old Mosutu witch-doctor?" I said, judiciously
allowing the fate of Nangeza to remain shrouded in mystery.
"Masuka? Ha! After I was allowed to _tunga_ he came to me and declared
that I must give him cattle, for his was the _muti_ which made me great;
and, indeed, he told no lie there, for as far as a man's thoughts can
speak, while his tongue must keep silence, old Masuka's thoughts spoke
to me through his eyes that day that I should remind the King of his
promise. So I gave him cattle, and from time to time more, for it was a
great day for me, that whereon I had saved his life; and the King
favoured him, and the old Mosutu lived to a great age and died
peacefully."
"And why did you leave the Amandebili, Untuswa?" I said.
"The man who is high in favour with one King is not always high in
favour with him who reigns next, nor with those who sit at his right
hand," he answered. "Umzilikazi has long been dead. Then I heard that
a great and merciful King sat in Zululand in the seat of Tshaka. So I
returned to _konza_ to Cetywayo, who received me well; nor was I too old
to strike a blow for him, for I was enrolled in the Undi regiment, and
fought against you English _Kwa Jim_ [at Rorke's Drift], and again at
Kambula. Yes, after all my wanderings, I returned to die in Zululand.
And now, _Nkose_, the sun is getting low, and I have some distance to
travel, wherefore I must be gone."
The like held good as regarded myself. The heat of the day was over,
and my "boys," who all this time had been asleep beneath the waggon,
were waking up and preparing to in span for the evening trek. So I
loaded up Untuswa with sundry unconsidered trifles, but very precious in
Zulu eyes at that time. He was loud in his thanks.
"The story I have told, _Nkose_, is but that of a small portion of my
own life--of a small portion of the earlier wanderings of the
Amandebili. Afterwards, how we met and fought the Boers and other
peoples--_au_! that would take long in telling. But if you are in this
part again before leaving the Zulu country, it may be that we shall
meet, and other strange tales and wonders I shall relate."
And, uttering a sonorous farewell, the fine old warrior turned, and soon
his tall, straight form was out of sight.
Such was the story of the King's Assegai, as told by Untuswa, the son of
Ntelani, and as an episode in the early stages of the Amandebili
migration it seems worthy of being retold.
The End.