his clan, and he did not want to offend the chief's son, if
he could help it. His command of the language beginning to fail him, he
summoned Sintoba to the rescue.

"Ask him if, he wants to trade, because, if so, the _Baas_ [Master] will
be back soon. Here is some snuff for him, meanwhile."

Nkumbi-ka-zulu condescended to accept the snuff, then, through the
driver, he explained that his father had sent the black ox as a present
to "Jandosi"--for such was John Dawes's name among the natives, being of
course a corruption of his own--and he, the speaker, had come to do a
little trade on his own account. First of all, he wanted that gun, and
as many cartridges as he could have. What was the price?

Gerard replied that the gun was not for sale. It was wanted to shoot
buck and birds during their trip further up-country.

"_Au_!" exclaimed Nkumbi-ka-zulu. "You are so near the border, you can
easily send back for another gun. I will give five oxen for it. Ten,
then," he added, as Gerard shook his head in dissent. Still Gerard
refused.

"_Hau_! Does he want all the Zulu country?" muttered the others,
forgetting good manners in their impatience and eagerness to possess the
weapon, and for this, Sintoba, who was of Zulu descent and a ringed man
at that, rebuked them sternly.

"Since when has the son of a chief learnt to talk with the loud tongue
and windbag swagger of the _Amabuna_?" [Boers] he said. "Have you come
here to trade or to play the fool?"

"_Hau_, listen to the Kafula!" cried the young Zulus, springing to their
feet and rattling their assegais threateningly. "Since when is the son
of a chief to be reviled by a Kafula, who is doing dog at the heels of a
travelling white man?"

Gerard, who by this time could understand a great deal more than he
could speak, looked apprehensively at Sintoba, expecting an immediate
outbreak. But to his surprise the man merely uttered a disdainful
click, and deliberately turned his broad back upon the exasperated
Zulus. He almost expected to see it transfixed with their assegais, and
stood ready to brain with his clubbed gun, for he had no cartridges
handy, the first who should make an aggressive move. But no such move
was made.

"I return," said Nkumbi-ka-zulu, darting forth his hand, with a
malevolent look directed especially upon Gerard, "I return to my father
to carry word that Jandosi rejects his present, and has left a Kafula
with his waggons, and a white _