not have been the
case had he intended any trick or proposed to cheat them afterwards.
From that moment forward Retief and his people had no further doubts
as to Dingaan's good faith in this matter, and foolishly relaxed all
precautions against treachery.

When the translating was finished, the commandant asked the king if he
would sign the paper then and there. He answered, "No; he would sign it
on the following morning, before the commission returned to Natal."
It was then that Retief inquired of Dingaan, through Thomas Halstead,
whether it was a true story which he had heard, that the Boer called
Pereira, who had been staying with him, and whom the Zulus knew by the
name of "Two-faces," had again asked him, Dingaan, to have me, Allan
Quatermain, whom they called Macumazahn, killed. Dingaan laughed and
answered:

"Yes, that is true enough, for he hates this Macumazahn. But let the
little white Son of George have no fear, since my heart is soft towards
him, and I swear by the head of the Black One that he shall come to no
harm in Zululand. Is he not my guest, as you are?"

He then went on to say that if the commandant wished it, he would have
"Two-faces" seized and killed because he had dared to ask for my life.
Retief answered that he would look into that matter himself, and after
Thomas Halstead had confirmed the king's story as to Pereira's conduct,
he rose and said good-bye to Dingaan.

Of this matter of Hernan Pereira, Retief said little as we went back to
the camp outside the Kraal, though the little that he did say showed his
deep anger. When we arrived at the camp, however, he sent for Pereira
and Marais and several of the older Boers. I remember that among these
were Gerrit Bothma, Senior, Hendrik Labuschagne and Matthys Pretorius,
Senior, all of them persons of standing and judgment. I also was ordered
to be present. When Pereira arrived, Retief charged him openly with
having plotted my murder, and asked him what he had to say. Of course,
his answer was a flat denial, and an accusation against me of having
invented the tale because we had been at enmity over a maiden whom I had
since married.

"Then, Mynheer Pereira," said Retief, "as Allan Quatermain here has won
the maiden who is now his wife, it would seem that his cause of enmity
must have ceased, whereas yours may well have remained. However, I have
no time to try cases of the sort now. But I warn you that this one will
be looked into later on whe