Black Heart and White Heart | Page 4

he had spent in or about the colony,
Hadden followed many trades, and did no good at any of them. A
clever man, of agreeable and prepossessing manner, he always found it
easy to form friendships and to secure a fresh start in life. But, by
degrees, the friends were seized with a vague distrust of him; and, after
a period of more or less application, he himself would close the
opening that he had made by a sudden disappearance from the locality,
leaving behind him a doubtful reputation and some bad debts.
Before the beginning of this story of the most remarkable episodes in

his life, Philip Hadden was engaged for several years in transport-
riding--that is, in carrying goods on ox waggons from Durban or
Maritzburg to various points in the interior. A difficulty such as had
more than once confronted him in the course of his career, led to his
temporary abandonment of this means of earning a livelihood. On
arriving at the little frontier town of Utrecht in the Transvaal, in charge
of two waggon loads of mixed goods consigned to a storekeeper there,
it was discovered that out of six cases of brandy five were missing from
his waggon. Hadden explained the matter by throwing the blame upon
his Kaffir "boys," but the storekeeper, a rough-tongued man, openly
called him a thief and refused to pay the freight on any of the load.
From words the two men came to blows, knives were drawn, and
before anybody could interfere the storekeeper received a nasty wound
in his side. That night, without waiting till the matter could be inquired
into by the landdrost or magistrate, Hadden slipped away, and trekked
back into Natal as quickly as his oxen would travel. Feeling that even
here he was not safe, he left one of his waggons at Newcastle, loaded
up the other with Kaffir goods--such as blankets, calico, and
hardware--and crossed into Zululand, where in those days no sheriff's
officer would be likely to follow him.
Being well acquainted with the language and customs of the natives, he
did good trade with them, and soon found himself possessed of some
cash and a small herd of cattle, which he received in exchange for his
wares. Meanwhile news reached him that the man whom he had injured
still vowed vengeance against him, and was in communication with the
authorities in Natal. These reasons making his return to civilisation
undesirable for the moment, and further business being impossible until
he could receive a fresh supply of trade stuff, Hadden like a wise man
turned his thoughts to pleasure. Sending his cattle and waggon over the
border to be left in charge of a native headman with whom he was
friendly, he went on foot to Ulundi to obtain permission from the king,
Cetywayo, to hunt game in his country. Somewhat to his surprise, the
Indunas or headmen, received him courteously--for Hadden's visit took
place within a few months of the outbreak of the Zulu war in 1878,
when Cetywayo was already showing unfriendliness to the English
traders and others, though why the king did so they knew not.

On the occasion of his first and last interview with Cetywayo, Hadden
got a hint of the reason. It happened thus. On the second morning after
his arrival at the royal kraal, a messenger came to inform him that "the
Elephant whose tread shook the earth" had signified that it was his
pleasure to see him. Accordingly he was led through the thousands of
huts and across the Great Place to the little enclosure where Cetywayo,
a royal-looking Zulu seated on a stool, and wearing a kaross of leopard
skins, was holding an /indaba/, or conference, surrounded by his
counsellors. The Induna who had conducted him to the august presence
went down upon his hands and knees, and, uttering the royal salute of
/Bayéte/, crawled forward to announce that the white man was waiting.
"Let him wait," said the king angrily; and, turning, he continued the
discussion with his counsellors.
Now, as has been said, Hadden thoroughly understood Zulu; and, when
from time to time the king raised his voice, some of the words he spoke
reached his ear.
"What!" Cetywayo said, to a wizened and aged man who seemed to be
pleading with him earnestly; "am I a dog that these white hyenas should
hunt me thus? Is not the land mine, and was it not my father's before
me? Are not the people mine to save or to slay? I tell you that I will
stamp out these little white men; my /impis/ shall eat them up. I have
said!"
Again the withered aged man interposed, evidently in the character of a
peacemaker. Hadden could not hear his talk, but he rose