ed to agree, which he did sullenly. As he threw down the
bandolier and emptied his pockets of his pistol cartridges he said:

"Glanton, my good friend--if you value your life I warn you not to come
to this section of the Zulu country any more. If it hadn't been for
this crowd happening up, you'd both have been dead meat by now. You can
take my word for that."

"Oh no, I don't," I answered. "I've always been able to take care of
myself, and I fancy I'll go on doing it. So don't you bother about
that. Here are your shooting-irons."

"What about my horse? You've shot my horse you know. What are you
going to stand for him?"

"Oh blazes take you and your impudence," struck in Falkner. "I'm only
sorry it wasn't you I pinked instead of the gee. Outside British
jurisdiction, you know," he added with an aggravating grin. "Stand?
Stand you another hammering if you like to stand up and take it. You
won't? All right. Good-bye. We've no time to waste jawing with any
blighted dog-stealer like you."

The expression of the other's face was such that I felt uncommonly glad
I had insisted on taking his cartridges; and at the same time only
trusted he had not an odd one left about him. But the only weapon
available was a string of the direst threats of future vengeance,
interspersed with the choicest blasphemies, at which Falkner laughed.

"You came along like a lion, old cock," he said, "and it strikes me
you're going back like a lamb. Ta-ta."

I talked a little further with the two chiefs, and then we resumed our
way, they walking with us as far as the drift. As to the state of the
border Untuswa shook his head.

"See now, Iqalaqala," he said. "One thing you can tell your people, and
that is that any trouble you may have met with in the land where the
Great Great One rules has not been at the hands of his people but at
those of your own."

This was in reference to all sorts of reports that were being circulated
with regard to the so-called enormities of Cetywayo, and the hostility
of his people; and the point of it I, of course, fully recognised.

I made the chiefs a liberal present, out of the remnant of the things we
were taking back with us. We took leave of them at the drift, and the
whole impi, gathered on the rising ground, watched us cross and raised a
sonorous shout of farewell. Under all the circumstances I was not sorry
to be back over the border, but I decided to trek on a good bit before
outs