The Project Gutenberg EBook of The King's Assegai, by Bertram Mitford

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Title: The King's Assegai
A Matabili Story

Author: Bertram Mitford

Illustrator: Stanley L. Wood

Release Date: June 20, 2010 [EBook #32925]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING'S ASSEGAI ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

The King's Assegai, by Bertram Mitford.

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THE KING'S ASSEGAI, BY BERTRAM MITFORD.

PROLOGUE.

"You were astonished when I refused your piece of gold, _Nkose_. But
were you to offer me your waggon loaded up with just such shining gold
pieces, even that would not coax this broad spear out of my possession."

[Nkose: literally "chief"--a title of civility which the innate courtesy
of the Zulu moves him to bestow upon the stranger. In this connection
it corresponds to "sir."]

"I should be sorry to make the offer, Untuswa, for I fear that, whatever
its merit, I should be the owner of a weapon for which I had paid too
long a price."

But the old Zulu only shook his head, contemptuously, it seemed, and the
faint, satirical smile which turned down the corners of his mouth seemed
to say, "This poor fool! Does he know what he is talking about?"

"Let me look at it again, Untuswa," I said, reaching out for the weapon
for which a few minutes before I had ended by offering a golden
sovereign--having begun with a few worthless items of truck, such as
beads, pocket-knives, etc. It was a splendid assegai of the short--
handled, close-quarter type. The blade, double-edged, keen and shining,
was three fingers broad and at least twenty inches in length, and was
secured in its socket by raw-hide bindings, firm as iron, and most
neatly and tastefully plaited. The haft, expanding at the butt into a
truncated knob, was of a curious dark wood, something like ebony, almost
black, and highly polished.

"_Au_! You are a good man, _Nkose_. You will not do anything to it?"
was the somewhat reluctant reply, as the weapon was handed over.