meena's hand. Moreover, he was sure,
and I shared his confidence, that in these changed circumstances both
that young woman and her father would look upon his suit with very
favourable eyes. He had, so to speak, succeeded to the title and the
family estates by means of a lawsuit brought in the "Court of the
Assegai," and therefore there was hardly a father in Zululand who would
shut his kraal gate upon him. We forgot, both of us, the proverb that
points out how numerous are the slips between the cup and the lip,
which, by the way, is one that has its Zulu equivalents. One of them, if
I remember right at the moment, is: "However loud the hen cackles, the
housewife does not always get the egg."

As it chanced, although Saduko's hen was cackling very loudly just at
this time, he was not destined to find the coveted egg. But of that
matter I will speak in its place.

I, too, looked at those cattle, wondering whether Saduko would remember
our bargain, under which some six hundred head of them belonged to me.
Six hundred head! Why, putting them at L5 apiece all round--and as oxen
were very scarce just at that time, they were worth quite as much, if
not more--that meant L3,000, a larger sum of money than I had ever owned
at one time in all my life. Truly the paths of violence were profitable!
But would he remember? On the whole I thought probably not, since Kafirs
are not fond of parting with cattle.

Well, I did him an injustice, for presently he turned and said, with
something of an effort:

"Macumazahn, half of all these belong to you, and truly you have earned
them, for it was your cunning and good counsel that gained us the
victory. Now we will choose them beast by beast."

So I chose a fine ox, then Saduko chose one; and so it went on till I
had eight of my number driven out. As the eighth was taken I turned to
Saduko and said:

"There, that will do. These oxen I must have to replace those in my
teams which died on the trek, but I want no more."

"Wow!" said Saduko, and all those who stood with him, while one of them
added--I think it was old Tshoza:

"He refuses six hundred cattle which are fairly his! He must be mad!"

"No friends," I answered, "I am not mad, but neither am I bad. I
accompanied Saduko on this raid because he is dear to me and stood by
me once in the hour of danger. But I do not love killing men with whom I
have no quarrel, and I will not take the price of blood."

"Wow!" said old Tshoza aga