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Let them, I suggested, be sent to the hiding-places of the soldiers and make an offer. If the men would come and lay down their arms and declare allegiance to Nala, they and their town and cattle should be spared. Wambe's cattle alone would be seized as the prize of war. Moreover, Wambe having left no children, his wife Maiwa should be declared chieftainess of the tribe, under Nala.
"'I know not, I answered. "Close to where we stood lay a Matuku, a young man who had been shot through the fleshy part of the calf. It was a trifling wound, but it prevented him from running away. "'Say, thou dog, said Nala, stalking up to him and shaking his red spear in his face, 'say, where is Wambe? Speak, or I slay thee. Was he with the soldiers?
He murdered all the rest of us, but kept me because I could work iron. Maiwa, his wife, takes this; she is flying to Nala her father because Wambe killed her child. Try to get Nala to attack Wambe; Maiwa can guide them over the mountain. You won't come for nothing, for the stockade of Wambe's private kraal is made of elephants' tusks. For God's sake, don't desert me, or I shall kill myself.
We found that it was unoccupied, fortified with a regular labyrinth of stone walls, and contained three large caves and some smaller ones. The next business was to post the soldiers to such advantage as time would allow. My own men I was careful to place quite at the top. They were perfectly useless from terror, and I feared that they might try to escape and give information of our plans to Wambe.
A man entered and said that messengers had arrived from Wambe. "'What is their message? asked Nala. "'They come to ask that thy daughter Maiwa be sent back, and with her the white hunter. "'How shall I make answer to this, Macumazahn? said Nala, when the man had withdrawn.
"'It is not to be borne indeed, said Nala; 'but how can we make head against so great a people? "'Ask of him ask of Macumazahn, the wise white man, said Maiwa, pointing at me. "'How can we overcome Wambe, Macumazahn the hunter? "'How does the jackal overreach the lion, Nala? "'By cleverness, Macumazahn. "'So shall you overcome Wambe, Nala. "At this moment an interruption occurred.
"'Wambe is a great chief, said Nala, 'and this woman is his wife, whom he has a right to claim. She must return to him, but her feet are sore with walking, she cannot come now. In eight days from this day she shall be delivered at the kraal of Wambe; I will send her with a party of my men. As for the white hunter and his men, I have nought to do with them, and cannot answer for their misdeeds.
"'What is this? she went on, drawing the withered baby-hand from the pouch at her side. "'Is it the hand of a babe? and how came that hand to be thus alone? What cut it off from the babe? and where is the babe? Is it a hand? or is it the vision of a hand that shall presently tear thy throat? "'Where are thy soldiers, Wambe?
But we will hold our own, and while we fight the impi shall charge down the mountain side and climb the schanses, and put those who defend them to the assegai, and then falling upon the town shall surprise it, and drive the soldiers of Wambe as a wind blows the dead husks of corn. This is my plan. I have spoken. "'Ou! said Nala, 'it is good, it is very good.
"'Nay, lord, I know not, groaned the terrified man, 'he fought not with us; Wambe has no stomach for fighting. Perchance he is in his kraal yonder, or in the cave behind the kraal, and he pointed to a small enclosure on the hillside, about four hundred yards to the right of where we were. "'Let us go and see, said Nala, summoning his soldiers."
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