Black Heart and White Heart | Page 7

at him.
The king saw that the fire he had lit was burning too fiercely.
"Silence," he thundered in the deep voice for which he was remarkable,
and instantly each man became as if he were turned to stone, only the
echoes still answered back: "And the /impis/ shall sing it in their
ears--in their ears."

"I am growing certain that this is no place for me," thought Hadden; "if
that scoundrel had been armed he might have temporarily forgotten
himself. Hullo! who's this?"
Just then there appeared through the gate of the fence a splendid
specimen of the Zulu race. The man, who was about thirty-five years of
age, was arrayed in a full war dress of a captain of the Umcityu
regiment. From the circlet of otter skin on his brow rose his crest of
plumes, round his middle, arms and knees hung the long fringes of
black oxtails, and in one hand he bore a little dancing shield, also black
in colour. The other was empty, since he might not appear before the
king bearing arms. In countenance the man was handsome, and though
just now they betrayed some anxiety, his eyes were genial and honest,
and his mouth sensitive. In height he must have measured six foot two
inches, yet he did not strike the observer as being tall, perhaps because
of his width of chest and the solidity of his limbs, that were in curious
contrast to the delicate and almost womanish hands and feet which so
often mark the Zulu of noble blood. In short the man was what he
seemed to be, a savage gentleman of birth, dignity and courage.
In company with him was another man plainly dressed in a moocha and
a blanket, whose grizzled hair showed him to be over fifty years of age.
His face also was pleasant and even refined, but the eyes were timorous,
and the mouth lacked character.
"Who are these?" asked the king.
The two men fell on their knees before him, and bowed till their
foreheads touched the ground--the while giving him his /sibonga/ or
titles of praise.
"Speak," he said impatiently.
"O King," said the young warrior, seating himself Zulu fashion, "I am
Nahoon, the son of Zomba, a captain of the Umcityu, and this is my
uncle Umgona, the brother of one of my mothers, my father's youngest
wife."

Cetywayo frowned. "What do you here away from your regiment,
Nahoon?"
"May it please the king, I have leave of absence from the head captains,
and I come to ask a boon of the king's bounty."
"Be swift, then, Nahoon."
"It is this, O King," said the captain with some embarrassment: "A
while ago the king was pleased to make a /keshla/ of me because of
certain service that I did out yonder----" and he touched the black ring
which he wore in the hair of his head. "Being now a ringed man and a
captain, I crave the right of a man at the hands of the king-- the right to
marry."
"Right? Speak more humbly, son of Zomba; my soldiers and my cattle
have no rights."
Nahoon bit his lip, for he had made a serious mistake.
"Pardon, O King. The matter stands thus: My uncle Umgona here has a
fair daughter named Nanea, whom I desire to wife, and who desires me
to husband. Awaiting the king's leave I am betrothed to her and in
earnest of it I have paid to Umgona a /lobola/ of fifteen head of cattle,
cows and calves together. But Umgona has a powerful neighbour, an
old chief named Maputa, the warden of the Crocodile Drift, who
doubtless is known to the king, and this chief also seeks Nanea in
marriage and harries Umgona, threatening him with many evils if he
will not give the girl to him. But Umgona's heart is white towards me,
and towards Maputa it is black, therefore together we come to crave
this boon of the king."
"It is so; he speaks the truth," said Umgona.
"Cease," answered Cetywayo angrily. "Is this a time that my soldiers
should seek wives in marriage, wives to turn their hearts to water?
Know that but yesterday for this crime I commanded that twenty girls
who had dared without my leave to marry men of the Undi regiment,

should be strangled and their bodies laid upon the cross-roads and with
them the bodies of their fathers, that all might know their sin and be
warned thereby. Ay, Umgona, it is well for you and for your daughter
that you sought my word before she was given in marriage to this man.
Now this is my award: I refuse your prayer, Nahoon, and since you,
Umgona, are troubled with one whom you would not take as son-in-law,
the