ute was,
darkly, near enough to it.

For upwards of an hour they sat listening, hanging on his words, showing
their assent by emphatic exclamations when he made a special point. And
no one was more emphatic than a man who had said very little during the
_indaba_. He was not a chief, but a follower of Babatyana, and his name
was Pandulu; and he had not said much--had only listened.

Now _tywala_ was brought in and distributed. The white man lighted a
pipe, so, too, did Babatyana, a proceeding which brought an
ill-concealed sneer to Sapazani's face, for that conservative chief and
his induna confined themselves to the good old custom of taking snuff.
Pipe smoking and clothes wearing went together, they decided,
contemptuously. With a white man, of course, it was different. Such
things were his custom. But it affected them even further. What about
joining forces with such a decadent as this? A _Kafula_! who wore
clothes--dirty clothes at that--and smoked a pipe!

The _indaba_ had dropped; but now Pandulu, who had spoken but little
before, seemed anxious to revive it. He, too, came under the mistrust
of Sapazani. He, too, smoked a pipe and wore clothes. Then food was
brought in--the usual beef and roast mealies, and all took a hearty hand
at the trencher. By this time the night was wearing on.

Sapazani and his induna got up to leave. They did not wish it to be
known they had been in converse with Opondo, wherefore it was just as
well to be out of the forest before dawn.

Outside in the clear moonlight the dogs began to raise a great clamour,
in the midst of which the white man put an injunction upon Babatyana,
who was sleeping at the kraal, to the effect that he should send his
follower, Pandulu, with Sapazani. He gave no reason--his word was
sufficient.

The trio started.

The owner of the kraal stood alone, gazing forth into the night, and the
hard and cruel expression deepened upon his strong face. His was a
lifelong feud--a feud deadly and vengeful--with his own race. He lived
for that, and for nothing else. His was a terrible and mysterious
personality. He could sway tribes and nations, and yet not appear
himself. Even among the natives themselves there were comparatively few
who had actually seen him, yet every disturbance or rumour of
disturbance he was at the back of.

"Just such a night as this," he murmured to himself, gazing at the full
moon, then at the great sweep of forest with it