As I have told you, I love you also, but if you refuse to listen to me there is nothing more to be said, and after all, perhaps it would be better that you should marry one of your own people. But, Nanea, you will never marry him, for the king will take you; and, if he does not give you to some other man, either you will become one of his 'sisters,' or to be free of him, as you say, you will die. Now hear me, for it is because I love you and wish your welfare that I speak thus. Why do you not escape into Natal, taking Nahoon with you, for there as you know you may live in peace out of reach of the arm of Cetywayo?""That is my desire, /Inkoos/, but Nahoon will not consent. He says that there is to be war between us and you white men, and he will not break the command of the king and desert from his army.""Then he cannot love you much, Nahoon, and at least you have to think of yourself. Whisper into the ear of your father and fly together, for be sure that Nahoon will soon follow you. Ay! and I myself with fly with you, for I too believe that there must be war, and then a white man in this country will be as a lamb among the eagles.""If Nahoon will come, I will go, /Inkoos/, but I cannot fly without Nahoon; it is better I should stay here and kill myself.""Surely then being so fair and loving him so well, you can teach him to forget his folly and to escape with you. In four days' time we must start for the king's kraal, and if you win over Nahoon, it will be easy for us to turn our faces southwards and across the river that lies between the land of the Amazulu and Natal. For the sake of all of us, but most of all for your own sake, try to do this, Nanea, whom Ihave loved and whom I now would save. See him and plead with him as you know how, but as yet do not tell him that I dream of flight, for then I should be watched.""In truth, I will, /Inkoos/," she answered earnestly, "and oh! I thank you for your goodness. Fear not that I will betray you--first would Idie. Farewell."
"Farewell, Nanea," and taking her hand he raised it to his lips.
Late that night, just as Hadden was beginning to prepare himself for sleep, he heard a gentle tapping at the board which closed the entrance to his hut.
"Enter," he said, unfastening the door, and presently by the light of the little lantern that he had with him, he saw Nanea creep into the hut, followed by the great form of Nahoon.
"/Inkoos/," she said in a whisper when the door was closed again, "Ihave pleaded with Nahoon, and he has consented to fly; moreover, my father will come also.""Is it so, Nahoon?" asked Hadden.
"It is so," answered the Zulu, looking down shamefacedly; "to save this girl from the king, and because the love of her eats out my heart, I have bartered away my honour. But I tell you, Nanea, and you, White Man, as I told Umgona just now, that I think no good will come of this flight, and if we are caught or betrayed, we shall be killed every one of us.""Caught we can scarcely be," broke in Nanea anxiously, "for who could betray us, except the /Inkoos/ here----""Which he is not likely to do," said Hadden quietly, "seeing that he desires to escape with you, and that his life is also at stake.""That is so, Black Heart," said Nahoon, "otherwise I tell you that Ishould not have trusted you."
Hadden took no notice of this outspoken saying, but until very late that night they sat there together making their plans.
On the following morning Hadden was awakened by sounds of violent altercation. Going out of his hut he found that the disputants were Umgona and a fat and evil-looking Kaffir chief who had arrived at the kraal on a pony. This chief, he soon discovered, was named Maputa, being none other than the man who had sought Nanea in marriage and brought about Nahoon's and Umgona's unfortunate appeal to the king. At present he was engaged in abusing Umgona furiously, charging him with having stolen certain of his oxen and bewitched his cows so that they would not give milk. The alleged theft it was comparatively easy to disprove, but the wizardry remained a matter of argument.
"You are a dog, and a son of a dog," shouted Maputa, shaking his fat fist in the face of the trembling but indignant Umgona. "You promised me your daughter in marriage, then having vowed her to that /umfagozan/--that low lout of a soldier, Nahoon, the son of Zomba--you went, the two of you, and poisoned the king's ear against me, bringing me into trouble with the king, and now you have bewitched my cattle.
Well, wait, I will be even with you, Wizard; wait till you wake up in the cold morning to find your fence red with fire, and the slayers standing outside your gates to eat up you and yours with spears----"At this juncture Nahoon, who till now had been listening in silence, intervened with effect.
"Good," he said, "we will wait, but not in your company, Chief Maputa.
/Hamba!/ (go)----" and seizing the fat old ruffian by the scruff of his neck, he flung him backwards with such violence that he rolled over and over down the little slope.
Hadden laughed, and passed on towards the stream where he proposed to bathe. Just as he reached it, he caught sight of Maputa riding along the footpath, his head-ring covered with mud, his lips purple and his black face livid with rage.
