h it."

"I have none, commandant, except that one who can set the lives of a
dozen folk against a man's skill in shooting at birds on the wing,
and who can kill people to be a bait for those birds, is capable of
anything. Moreover, he told me that he did not love you Boers, and why
should he?"

Now, all those who were standing about seemed to be impressed with this
argument. At any rate, they turned towards Retief, anxiously waiting for
his reply.

"Doubtless," answered the commandant, who, as I have said, was irritable
that night, "doubtless those English missionaries have poisoned the
king's mind against us Boers. Also," he added suspiciously, "I think you
told me, Allan, that the king said he liked you and meant to spare you,
even if he killed your companions, just because you also are English.
Are you sure that you do not know more than you choose to tell us?
Has Dingaan perhaps confided something to you--just because you are
English?"

Then noting that these words moved the assembled Boers, in whom race
prejudice and recent events had created a deep distrust of any born of
British blood, I grew very angry and answered:

"Commandant, Dingaan confided nothing to me, except that some Kaffir
witch-doctor, who is named Zikali, a man I never saw, had told him that
he must not kill an Englishman, and therefore he wished to spare me,
although one of your people, Hernan Pereira, had whispered to him that
I ought to be killed. Yet I say outright that I think you are foolish to
visit this king with so large a force. Still, I am ready to do so myself
with one or two others. Let me go, then, and try to persuade him to sign
this treaty as to the land. If I am killed or fail, you can follow after
me and do better."

"Allemachte!" exclaimed Retief; "that is a fair offer. But how do I
know, nephew, that when we came to read the treaty we should not find
that it granted all the land to you English and not to us Boers? No, no,
don't look angry. That was not a right thing to say, for you are honest
whatever most of your blood may be. Nephew Allan, you who are a brave
man, are afraid of this journey. Now, why is that, I wonder? Ah! I have
it. I had forgotten. You are to be married to-morrow morning to a very
pretty girl, and it is not natural that you should wish to spend the
next fortnight in Zululand. Don't you see, brothers, he wants to get
out of it because he is going to be married, as it is natural that he
should, and the