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Updated: June 7, 2025
He did not for a moment mistake the significance of the flood of feeling that surged through his veins. Hadden never shirked facts. "By Heaven!" he said to himself, "I have fallen in love with a black beauty at first sight more in love than I have ever been before. It's awkward, but there will be compensations. So much the worse for Nahoon, or for Cetywayo, or for both of them.
Oh! they die here thus each day, and I watch them die and keep the count of the number of them," and drawing a tally-stick from the thatch of the hut, she took a knife and added a notch to the many that appeared upon it, looking at Nahoon the while with a half-questioning, half-warning gaze. "Yes, yes, it is a place of death," she muttered.
When he was within five paces Hadden covered him and fired. Nahoon sprang aside, but the bullet struck him somewhere, for his right arm dropped, and the stabbing spear that he held was jerked from it harmlessly over the white man's head. But still making no sound, the Zulu came on and gripped him by the throat with his left hand.
Yet what could she do to prevent it? Well, if it cost her her life, it should be prevented. At the worst they could only kill and eat her also, and now that Nahoon and her father were gone, being untroubled by any religious or spiritual hopes and fears, she was not greatly concerned to keep her own breath in her.
Because of this smoke, or for some other reason, Hadden did not see him coming, and in consequence would most certainly have been trampled or gored, had not Nahoon sprung forward, at the imminent risk of his own life, and dragged him down behind an ant-heap. A moment more and the great beast had thundered by, taking no further notice of them.
Nahoon was more than a spear's throw behind him; therefore he had time to draw his pistol and make ready. "Halt, Nahoon," he cried, as once before he had cried; "I would speak with you." The Zulu heard his voice, and obeyed. "Listen," said Hadden. "We have run a long race and fought a long fight, you and I, and we are still alive both of us.
He says that there is to be war between us and you white men, and he will not break the command of the king and desert from his army." "Then he cannot love you much, Nahoon, and at least you have to think of yourself. Whisper into the ear of your father and fly together, for be sure that Nahoon will soon follow you.
The two men fell on their knees before him, and bowed till their foreheads touched the ground the while giving him his sibonga or titles of praise. "Speak," he said impatiently. "O King," said the young warrior, seating himself Zulu fashion, "I am Nahoon, the son of Zomba, a captain of the Umcityu, and this is my uncle Umgona, the brother of one of my mothers, my father's youngest wife."
"Nay, hamba gachle go softly " answered Nahoon, "the devil is dying, but he will try to play us another trick before he dies." And he went on peering ahead of him cautiously. "It is all right here, anyway," said Hadden, pointing to the spoor that ran straight forward printed deep in the marshy ground.
With it went the black-shielded Umcityu and with them went Nahoon, the son of Zomba. A bullet struck him in the side, glancing from his ribs, he did not heed; a white man fell from his horse before him, he did not stab, for he sought but one face in the battle. He sought and at last he found.
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