“I thank you, Lady,” he said; “your hand is kind.”

“You must not call me lady, Inkoos,” she answered, “I am no chieftainess, but only the daughter of a headman, Umgona.”

“And named Nanea,” he said.  “Nay, do not be surprised, I have heard of you.  Well, Nanea, perhaps you will soon become a chieftainess—­up at the king’s kraal yonder.”

“Alas! and alas!” she said, covering her face with her hands.

“Do not grieve, Nanea, a hedge is never so tall and thick but that it cannot be climbed or crept through.”

She let fall her hands and looked at him eagerly, but he did not pursue the subject.

“Tell me, how did I come here, Nanea?”

“Nahoon and his companions carried you, Inkoos.”

“Indeed, I begin to be thankful to the leopard that struck me down.  Well, Nahoon is a brave man, and he has done me a great service.  I trust that I may be able to repay it—­to you, Nanea.”

*****

This was the first meeting of Nanea and Hadden; but, although she did not seek them, the necessities of his sickness and of the situation brought about many another.  Never for a moment did the white man waver in his determination to get into his keeping the native girl who had captivated him, and to attain his end he brought to bear all his powers and charm to detach her from Nahoon, and win her affections for himself.  He was no rough wooer, however, but proceeded warily, weaving her about with a web of flattery and attention that must, he thought, produce the desired effect upon her mind.  Without a doubt, indeed, it would have done so—­for she was but a woman, and an untutored one—­had it not been for a simple fact which dominated her whole nature.  She loved Nahoon, and there was no room in her heart for any other man, white or black.  To Hadden she was courteous and kindly but no more, nor did she appear to notice any of the subtle advances by which he attempted to win a foothold in her heart.  For a while this puzzled him, but he remembered that the Zulu women do not usually permit themselves to show feeling towards an undeclared suitor.  Therefore it became necessary that he should speak out.

His mind once made up, he had not to wait long for an opportunity.  He was now quite recovered from his hurts, and accustomed to walk in the neighbourhood of the kraal.  About two hundred yards from Umgona’s huts rose a spring, and thither it was Nanea’s habit to resort in the evening to bring back drinking-water for the use of her father’s household.  The path between this spring and the kraal ran through a patch of bush, where on a certain afternoon towards sundown Hadden took his seat under a tree, having first seen Nanea go down to the little stream as was her custom.  A quarter of an hour later she reappeared carrying a large gourd upon her head.  She wore no garment now except her moocha, for she had but one mantle and was afraid lest the water should splash