hips of hide."

"Take her away," groaned Sigwe, "before I break my word and hang her at
once, which I do not wish to do," and Batwa the eldest was led off still
screaming curses.

When she had gone, after consulting apart for a while with Sihamba,
Suzanne spoke.

"Now, chief," she said, "I understand the cause of this war and in truth
it is a strange one. Still, as I must lead your armies, and as I do not
love to see men killed for such a quarrel, here and before we start I
will lay down the terms of peace if it should please Sikonyana and the
people of the Endwandwe to accept them. Subject to your wisdom they
shall be these: If Sikonyana will give to you that Batwa whom you desire
in the place of the Batwa whom you do not desire, paying back to you the
thousand head of cattle, and by way of fine for his deceit, if indeed he
meant to deceive you, for you do not seem to have told him which of the
many Batwas you sought, two thousand other head of cattle, then no blood
shall be shed and you and your impi shall return in peace and honour.
If he will not do this, then the war must go as it is fated. Say, do you
consent as I counsel you to do? for otherwise, although I go with you my
goodwill will not go, since I am the Swallow of peace and not the Hawk
of war."

Now there followed a great _indaba_ or debate between Sigwe and his
counsellors and captains, some of them taking one view of the matter,
and some of them the other, but the end of it was that the party of
peace prevailed, it being agreed between them that if the Endwandwe
would grant these terms and in addition an ox for every man who might
die or be killed upon the journey, the impi should return without
putting the matter to the chance of war, and this the chief and his
counsellors swore solemnly to Suzanne. Indeed Sigwe was glad to swear
it, for he sought that Batwa for whom he longed rather than the dangers
of battle and the risk of defeat in a far land, while those who were for
fighting at all costs thought that the oath meant little, since they did
not believe that the great Sikonyana would make peace upon such terms.

When this matter was settled Suzanne prayed the chief that he would
allow her to send Zinti as a messenger to her husband and father to tell
them that she lived and was well. But on this matter, and this only,
Sigwe would not listen to her, and though he gave many reasons for his
refusal, the true one was that he feared lest the white