"Ha! I will see them, then," said Dingane, somewhat eagerly. "Bring them hither. The cattle I will inspect some other time. But--hold.
Whom have ye there?" he broke off, as his glance now fell upon me, where I sat among the warriors, conspicuous by the lack of plumes and war adornments. "Is it the chief dog of this tribe of dogs ye have exterminated? Yet no, for he is armed."
"He is a stranger, O Elephant, who seeks audience of the Ruler of the World," answered Nomapela.
"He is from the North, Serpent of Wisdom. _Au_! and a great tale should he have to tell," struck in Mfulwana.
"Ha! From the North? He has the look of one who could wield yon broad spear he holds," said Dingane, with that piercing glance of his full upon me. Then louder, "Come hither, stranger."
I understood the ways of kings, _Nkose_, none better; and so, disarming, I crept forward, the words of _bonga_ rolling out thick and fast the while. Arriving before the Great Great One, I prostrated myself, and then, seating myself upon the ground, waited for him to speak. Still he kept silence, and seemed to be looking me through and through; and, _Nkose_, I, who knew little of fear, felt it was no light thing to be there thus, awaiting the word of this mighty one, at whose frown tribes and peoples fell dead.
"_Whau_! but I think thou dost understand somewhat of the ways of war?"
he said, at last.
"That do I, indeed, Father of the Nations," I answered.
"Who art thou, and what is thy name?"
"I am Untuswa, the son of Ntelani, of the tribe of Umtetwa, Black Elephant," I answered.
As I said these words, a great exclamation volleyed forth from the warriors; from all within hearing, that is, for the place was large, and my words could not reach everybody. The _izinduna_ seated around the King bent eagerly forward to look at me, and even Dingane himself could not avoid something of a start. Nomapela too, and Mfulwana, started and stared, for not even to the latter had I revealed my ident.i.ty. He knew that I was a war chief of high rank, and had wounded him in battle, but even he had not guessed who I really was.
Now Dingane looked at me all the more eagerly, and I, who knew not what was in his mind, thought that it was all even whether death now had travelled my way at last, or not. For I had wounded Mhlangana in the side at the battle of the Three Rifts. I myself had seen the blood flow. I had shed the blood of the royal House of Senzangakona, and were this known to Dingane, _au_! the place of slaughter would soon know another victim.
"Well, Untuswa, son of Ntelani, thy name is not unknown here, it would seem," said the King, with a wave of the hand which took in those around. "And now, what is the message wherewith thou art charged?"
"With no message am I charged, Father of the World," I answered. "I desire to _konza_ to the lion of Zulu. That is why I am come hither."
"Ah--ah, Untuswa," said the King softly, putting his head on one side.
"And what hast thou done, away in the North where a new lion roars alone--that so mighty a warrior, so brave a leader of men, should seek another king?"
"I have a reason, Serpent of Wisdom, but it is not for the ears of all,"
I said. "One thing, however. It is to the advantage of the House of Senzangakona that I thus desire to _konza_ to the Elephant whose tread shaketh the world."
"Thou art a brave man, Untuswa," said the King, "but I think thou surpa.s.sest thyself in coming hither with that tale. However, I will hear it, and that shortly. And now, Nomapela, bring hither thy captives, for I would see them."
The women, to the number of a score and a half, were marched up before the King, and lay p.r.o.ne on their faces in fear; howbeit some, who were young and pretty, and well rounded, did not fear to look slily through their fingers, calculating their chances of obtaining more or less ascendency within the _isiG.o.dhlo_, for Dingane loved women much, though he would never take onto himself wives, lest there should be strife as to the succession.
"_Whau_! they are an ugly lot," I heard him mutter. "Nevertheless, she will do--and she--and she--and she," pointing at four of them with his short-handled a.s.segai. "For the rest, I want them not. You, Nomapela and Mfulwana, and all who have led the _impi_, can choose two or three apiece, and if any remain let Untuswa here take them; for it is not meet that a warrior of his standing should come among us and have no wives."
We all shouted aloud in praise of the King"s generosity, and just then two of the women whom Dingane had chosen faltered forth that they had small children with them.
"Children, have ye?" said Dingane softly. "Then they and ye must part, for my peace cannot be disturbed with screaming. Fear not, my sisters, they shall be well cared for--ah, yes--well cared for." And the women said no more, for although they knew what sort of "care" would be meted out to their offspring, they themselves had no desire to travel into the Dark Unknown--wherefore they uttered no further word.
Then the King retired, amid shouts of praise from all there, and I--_Whau_! in but a short s.p.a.ce I found myself occupying a fine hut within the great kraal of Nkunkundhlovu, the owner of three captive Swazi girls who had been given me as wives by Dingane, the Great King, and this, at any rate, was better than the stake of impalement at Kwa"zingwenya.
CHAPTER TWELVE.
A DEVOURING SWARM.
I had no reason, so far, to complain of my treatment at the hands of the King, for I was supplied abundantly with all I required, either by the orders of Dingane, or by the generosity of the _izinduna_ and warriors of note within Nkunkundhlovu, many of whom would drop into my hut at all times to have a talk with me; or we would sit in the shade in or about the Great Place, watching the reviewing of young regiments put through their practice by their chiefs, or talking and taking snuff. But although many thus came to hear a tale from me, and no tale pleased them so much as that of our flight from the great Tshaka, unless it were that of the Battle of the Three Rifts, yet I would ever tell such tale cautiously, suppressing or varying any event I deemed it not advisable to dwell too much upon, and among such was that very battle, wherein my strategy and that of Lalusini had saved our nation, for it might be that by the same strategy I should destroy Umzilikazi, and that I did not desire to reveal just yet.
Among those who would fain have got much out of me was Umhlela, one of Dingane"s princ.i.p.al indunas--a little soft-voiced man, who would sit among the others and put in a word here and a word there, but always such a word as required careful pondering before I could give an answer to it. However, I had not myself sat at the right hand of a king all my life for nothing.
Not until I had been three days at Nkunkundhlovu did the King send for me. As I took my way to the great hut, through the _isiG.o.dhlo_, I noticed that the latter was formed in such wise that, once inside, a man might have difficulty in finding his way out of it, or indeed further into it, which spoke much for the suspiciousness of Dingane"s character, of all of which I took careful note; for, _Nkose_, it is by reading such small things that a man may look into the minds of other men, be they kings or not, even as you white people draw knowledge from books.
Dingane was seated in the great hut, and with him three _izinduna_-- Umhlela, the one who had already sought to draw out of me a great deal more than I had intended he should know; Nomapela, him with whom I had come hither; and Tambusa, a large fierce-looking man, who hitherto had shown me no active friendship. I did homage to the King; and then, in obedience to his command, sat and prepared to tell my tale. But as I did so I could see that Dingane was in a sullen and angry mood. Perhaps his sleep had been bad, or he had heard ill tidings; and, _Nkose_, whereas _we_ must laugh when we would rather weep, most look pleased when our hearts are bursting with anger and hate, a king is different, in that he need conceal what he feels to please no man.
Now my tale pleased not Dingane much, yet I told it not in its entirety, nor did I say aught as to my attempt on the life of Umzilikazi.
"So, Untuswa," he said, "when the doings of one king do not please thee thou wouldst _konza_ to another?"
"That is not quite it, Great Great One," I ventured. "I am a fighting man, a man of deeds rather than of words. I was but a boy when I fled with Umzilikazi, and ever since then has my spear been raised to strike down his enemies, and now he has sorely broken faith with me. I would sooner die than serve such."
"_Hau_! This is of the sort who would make their kings at their own will," growled Tambusa to himself; but I heard him.
"I know not which way to take with thee, Untuswa," said Dingane, doubtfully. "I know not, indeed, whether to trust thee."
"There are but two ways, Elephant. One is to make thyself master of this new nation, easily and with but little loss. The other way is not to do so, O Father of the Wise!"
"There is yet another way, Untuswa, Father of the Fools," said the King, softly sneering, "and that is the Hill of Slaughter for thee, rebel and traitor to two kings."
"My life is in the hand of the Lion of Zulu, for I myself have placed it there," I said. "Now, father, should I have placed it there had I not known it was of more value to this nation than to me?"
"Bold words," said Dingane, still frowning.
"Bold deeds are more to my taste, Great Great One," I said. "The fate of the new nation in the North is in my hand. But if I die, it will never lie beneath the paw of the Lion of Zulu."
The _izinduna_ were staring in amazement at the boldness of my words; but the frown had left the brows of Dingane. Looking straight at me, he said softly:
"And what is to be thy reward for delivering this nation into my hand, Untuswa?"
"Only this, Black Elephant, that the whole House of Matyobane be delivered into my hand," I answered.
"Then it is only revenge thou seekest?"
"Only revenge, Ruler of the World."
Gazing keenly at him, I could see now that I had won over Dingane. I knew that the existence of our new nation had ever been to the parent race as a sharp stone in the side of a man who sleepeth. I knew that the fear of the Zulu power was ever present to the mind of Umzilikazi, and that one day that power would, sooner or later, reach him. I knew, moreover, all the weak points of our nation and army; and, knowing this, doubted not my ability to surprise and crush it, given sufficient force, and that with ease. Now my revenge looked very near indeed.
But if I had won over Dingane, there was one power I had yet to deal with, and that was the induna Tambusa. In this man I foresaw a formidable opponent, and his word carried weight in the ears of Dingane, even as did mine in times past in the ears of Umzilikazi. Now Tambusa spoke:
"Revenge is a great motive for a man to give up all his cattle and wives in order to obtain it."
"Some men act from great motives and some from very small ones," I answered shortly; for I, who but yesterday was, next to the King, the greatest in my own nation, could ill brook the tone of this man, who was but an induna like myself. But Dingane again took up the talk.
"Well, Untuswa, I must think out this matter. If thou canst deliver this nation into my hand, why then it may be that I will deliver those who remain of the House of Matyobane into thine. But if thou failest, what then?"