The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Frontier Mystery, by Bertram Mitford

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Title: A Frontier Mystery

Author: Bertram Mitford

Release Date: May 28, 2010 [EBook #32568]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A FRONTIER MYSTERY ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

A Frontier Mystery, by Bertram Mitford.

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A FRONTIER MYSTERY, BY BERTRAM MITFORD.

CHAPTER ONE.

"WHERE I COME IN."

"White dogs!"

"Ha! Calves of Matyana, the least of the Great One's cattle."

"Pups of Tyingoza, the white man's dog! _Au_!"

"Sweepings of the Abe Sutu!"

"Amakafula!" [Kafirs.]

Such were but few of the opprobrious phrases, rolled forth alternately,
in the clear sonorous Zulu, from alternate sides of the river, which
flowed laughing and bubbling on in the sunlight, between its high banks
of tree-shaded rocks. Yet in spite of the imputation of "whiteness"
made by the one, they of the other party were in no shade of bronze
duskiness removed from those who made it. Each party numbered about a
dozen: young men all, with the same lithe straight forms destitute of
all clothing but a skin _mutya_; armed with the same two or three
assegais and a knobstick apiece, eke small hide shields. There was no
outward visible difference between them, as how indeed, should there be,
since both were sprung from absolutely the same stock? But the
difference was essential for all that, for whereas one party dwelt upon
the Natal side of the river, the other was composed of warriors of the
king, the limits of whose territory they dared not overstep.

"Come over and fight!" challenged the latter, waving their shields.

"Ha! Come over to us," was the answer.

Here was an _impasse_. Brimming over with fight as they were, the first
hesitated to embark on what would amount to nothing less than a raid
upon English territory; for did the news of it reach the ears of the
King--as it almost certainly would--why death to the whole lot of them
was the least they could expect.