tive of beautiful). "I talked to her a
great deal, and I thought that she would soon like me. I went out next
day, and shot a young buffalo. I managed to get help enough to bring it
to the kraal, and I gave it all to Peshauna. Her father had asked many
cows for her, but somehow no one had yet offered enough. When I heard
this, I felt very frightened lest some one should carry her off before I
could manage to buy her. My two wives I had always thought would have
been enough for me, and I had given so many cows for them, that I really
had not twenty left. I considered how I could manage, and hoped that
fourteen cows paid, and seven more in ten moons, would be as good as
twenty now. But Ama Sheman, her father, would not have this, and told
me that a young chief named Boy would give the twenty cows at once. I
was very angry at this, and asked Ama Sheman to wait a little, which he
agreed to do for four months, as he said he would sooner see her my
_umfazi_ [wife] than Boy's. I went home, and was always after
elephants. I got very rash, and was nearly killed by them once or
twice, for my gun was not big enough. At last I killed a large
bull-elephant, and got eight cows as my share. I started off at once to
tell Ama Sheman that my cows were ready. He did not seem pleased to see
me, but told me he should like to see my cows. He was an old _chingana_
[rogue], and wanted to see which had the finest lot of cattle, Boy or I,
as Boy had now offered twenty cows as well as myself. Mine were the
finest, so it was agreed that I was to take Peshauna as my _umfazi_.
When this was settled, I went out to try and shoot a buffalo for our
marriage-feast. I did kill a large one before the sun was up high, and
I returned with it to the kraal. As I came near, I heard the women and
children screaming. I ran up, and found that Boy had watched all the
men out of the kraal, had then walked quietly in with three of his
people, and caught my dear Peshauna, and, before she had suspected
anything, carried her off. Ama Sheman went out to try and stop them,
but he was knocked on the head with a knob-kerry, and lay as if dead.
They got off well from the kraal, and were out of sight when I returned,
for they did not think I should be back so soon. I shouted for the men,
who soon came in. We got our assagies, and I had my gun. Ama Sheman
came all alive again, and eight of us started in chase. We went fast,
and soon sighted the four rasca