Laliswayo, the while, though he had turned his face towards the scene of
the tumult, had not taken the trouble to go over and look into it
personally. Now he turned his attention once more to his prisoners.

"You hear what these cry, U' Joe?" he said, "that my word must stand."

"Oh but, you are doing a grave thing, son of Malamu," answered
Fleetwood. "You are bringing further ruin upon the nation of Zulu than
that which has already befallen it. We are peaceful traders, and there
is no war in the land, yet you rush our camp--as if it was Isandhlwana
over again--kill our oxen and our servants, and treat us with indignity
and even threaten us with death. Do you think our people will allow
that to pass unavenged? _Whau_, Laliswayo! it may mean that such
conduct may make the downfall of the Great Great One, the son of Mpande,
more complete."

"Peaceable traders!" echoed the chief, with an evil sneer, for he was
striving to lash himself up into rage to cover the secret misgiving
which these words caused him. "Peaceable traders, _Whau_! Such do not
join with those like Inxele. You have shot several of our people Is not
that making war?"

"We have not. Look at our guns. Except for mine that went off by
accident they have not even been fired. You can see for yourself. All
the shooting was done by Inxele. Ask him."

"_Yeh-bo_! Inxele," echoed the bystanders. "We will bring him to life
again and ask him," and a rush was made for the spot where Bully Rawson
had fallen, stunned and unconscious.

He was no longer there.

Then, indeed, surprise, consternation, was their portion. Why he had
been almost killed--so nearly so indeed that they had not thought it
worth the trouble of securing him. When he came to they had intended to
put him through a few hours of discomfort in which live ashes would play
a prominent part, as a preliminary to abolishing him from Zululand in
particular and this terrestrial orb in general, and now he had
disappeared. The thing was incredible. It was a thing of _tagati_.

How could it have been? How could he have slipped through and got clean
away? It was true they had forgotten him in the excitement of these
other two whites and the fight between Mtezani and Tulazi, but how could
he get away unseen? Further, he was nearly killed. Well, he could not
have gone far.

With shouts of ferocious anticipation they started to quarter the
surroundings in search of him--the _scherm_ ha