“O King,” answered Goza, “he was trying to kill Macumazahn because he is a white man, although I told him that he was your guest, being brought to you by the royal command.  He was trying to kill him by giving him a start of ten spears’ length and making him run to the isigodhlo (the king’s house) and beating him to death with the sticks of these men if they caught him, which, as he is old and they are young, they must have done.  Only the Watcher-by-Night would not run; no, although he is so small he knocked him to the earth with his fist, and there he lies.  That is all, O King.”

“Rise, dog,” said Cetewayo, and the man rose trembling with fear, and, being bidden, gave his name, which I forget.

“Listen, dog,” went on the king in the same cold voice.  “What Goza says is true, for I saw and heard it all with my eyes and ears.  You would have made yourself as the king.  You dared to try to kill the king’s guest to whom he had given safe-conduct, and to stain the king’s doorposts with his blood, thereby defiling his house and showing him to the white people as a murderer of one of them whom he had promised to protect.  Macumazahn, do you say how he shall die, and I will have it done.”

“I do not wish him to die,” I answered, “I think that he and those with him were drunk.  Let him go, O King.”

“Aye, Macumazahn, I will let him go.  See now, we are in the centre of the cattle-kraal, and to the eastern gate is as far as to the isigodhlo.  Let this man have a start of ten spears’ length and run to the eastern gate, as he would have made Macumazahn run to the king’s house, and let his companions, those who would have hunted Macumazahn, hunt him.

“If he wins through to the gate he can go on to the Government in Natal and tell them of the cruelty of the Zulus.  Only then, let those who hunted him be brought before me for trial and perhaps we shall see how they can run.”

Now the poor wretch caught hold of my hand, begging me to intercede for him, but soldiers who had come up dragged him away and, having measured the distance allowed him, set him on a mark made upon the ground.  Presently at a word off he sped like an arrow, and after him went his friends, ten or more of them.  I think they caught him just by the gate doubling like a hare, or so the shouts of laughter from the watching regiment told me, for myself I would not look.

“That dog ate his own stomach,” said Cetewayo grimly, thereby indicating in native fashion that the biter had been bit or the engineer hoist with his petard.  “It is long since there has been a war in the land, and some of these young soldiers who have never used an assegai save to skin an ox or cut the head from a chicken, shout too loud and leap too high.  Now they will be quieter, and while you stay here you may walk where you will in safety, Macumazahn,” he added thoughtfully.

Then dismissing the matter from his mind, as we white people dismiss any trivial incident in a morning stroll, he talked for a few minutes to the commanding officer of the regiment that was drilling, who ran up to make some report to him, and walked back towards the isigodhlo, beckoning me to follow with Goza.