vert
to the new civilisation who confronted him. Now he spoke.

"Hearken, Nanzicele. Here we have none of the King's cattle. All we
have is our own. When we sent in such of the King's cattle as were
among us, we were told to send in more. We asked for time to search and
see if there were a few more that had been overlooked, and we were
granted time. Now we have searched and there are no more. If there are
no more we can send no more. Can anything be clearer than that?"

A full-throated shout of assent went up from the young men. Their chief
had spoken, therefore there was an end of the matter. Nanzicele and his
police could now go home, and go empty handed. But Nanzicele had no
intention of doing anything of the sort.

"Then that is your `word,' Madula," he said. "You will send no cattle?"

"Have I not spoken?" returned the chief. "_Whau_! The Government must
employ queer messengers if it sends men who cannot understand plain
words. If there are no King's cattle for me to send, how can I send
any? Is not that `word' plain enough, Nanzicele?" And again a shout of
uproarious delight went up from the young men.

"There is a plainer `word,'" retorted the police sergeant, "and that is
the `word' of the Government. All the cattle in the country are King's
cattle, therefore the cattle of Madula are King's cattle, and as Madula
will not send them in I am here to take them. Fare ye well, children of
Madula. You have resisted the arm of the Government, and you have
insulted its mouth. Fare ye well;" and there was a volume of
threatening significance in the tone.

No movement was made to hinder them as the handful of police marched out
between the serried ranks of dusky forms, the glare of savage animosity
darting forth from hostile eyes. But as they gained the outside of the
kraal a great roar of derision went up, coupled with allusions which
caused Nanzicele to scowl darkly. For the incident to which they
referred was the curt refusal of a follower of Madula to give him one of
his daughters to wife, at less than the current market value; in which
the obdurate parent received the full support of his chief, who was in
nowise disposed to befriend the Government policeman. The man had since
married his daughter to somebody else, but Nanzicele had neither
forgotten nor forgiven. And now the young men of the kraal followed him
jeering, and improvising songs asking whether Nanzicele had found a wife
yet.