"  Are  you  ?  So  am  I. Yet  his  coimsel  must  be  asked,
and  better  that  it  should  be  here  in  my  presence  than  yonder
secretly  at  the  Black  Kloof. I  would  kill  him  if  I  dared,
but  I  dare  not,  who  am  sure — why  I  may  not  say — that  the
same  sim  will  see  his  death  and  mine."

He  waved  his  hand  to  show  that  the  talk  on  this  matter
was  ended,  then  added —

"  Macumazahn,  you  are  my  prisoner  for  a  while,  but  give
me  your  word  that  you  will  not  try  to  escape  and  you  may
go  where  you  will  within  an  hour's  ride  of  Ulundi. I  would
pay  you  well  to  stop  here  with  me,  but  this  I  know  you
would  never  do  should  there  be  trouble  between  us  and
your  people. Therefore  I  promise  you  that  if  war  breaks
out  I  will  send  you  safely  to  Natal,  or  perhaps  soon^er,  as  my
messenger,  whence  doubtless  you  will  return  to  fight  against
me. Know  that  I  have  given  orders  that  every  other  white


i8o  FINISHED

man  or  woman  who  is  found  in  Zululand  shall  be  killed  as  a
spy. Even  John  Dunn  has  fled  or  is  flying,  or  so  I  hear,
John  Dunn  who  has  fed  out  of  my  hand  and  grown  rich  on
my  gifts. You  yourself  would  have  been  killed  as  you
came  from  Swazi-Land  in  your  cart,  had  not  command
been  sent  to  those  chiefs  through  whose  lands  you  passed
that  neither  they  nor  their  people  were  so  much  as  to  look
at  you."

Now  for  one  intense  moment  I  thought,  as  hard  as  ever
I  had  done  in  my  life. It  was  evident — unless  he  were
dealing  very  cunningly  with  me,  which  I  did  not  believe —
that  Cetewayo  knew  nothing  of  Anscombe  and  Heda,  but
thought  that  I  had  come  into  Zululand  alone. Should  I  or
should  I  not  tell  him  and  beg  his  protection  for  them  ?  If
I  did  so  he  might  refuse  or  be  unable  to  give  it  to  them  far
away  in  the  midst  of  a  savage  population  aflame  with  the
lust  of  war. As  the  incident  of  the  morning  showed,  it  was
as  much  as  he  could  do  to  protect  myself,  although  the
Zulus  knew  me  for  their  friend. 