ting
address to his impi. The refugee scowled savagely after the retreating
warriors--those who would have taken his life--and muttered. Fleetwood
and Wyvern were delighted to see their backs, and returned the farewell
with great cordiality. The Natal boys breathed freely once more. But
Hlabulana, the Zulu, had sat serenely taking snuff all this while as
though no heated--and critical--difference of opinion were taking place
within a thousand miles of him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

NEARING THE GOAL.

After this they held on their way without molestation, neither did they
come across any further active indications as to the state of the
country. Yet, though not active, the volcano was by no means extinct.

They progressed slowly--this partly on account of the ruggedness of the
ground, over which nothing but South African built waggons could have
travelled without coming in halves, partly because Fleetwood was careful
to keep up appearances, and hide the real objective of their _trek_.
Wherefore for days they would outspan near a group of kraals, although
of trade there was next to nothing done. At this course of action
Wyvern in no wise chafed. He was one of those rare units who recognise
that in a given line the other man is an authority while he himself is
not, consequently must be allowed an ungrudged free hand. For another
thing he was vividly interested. He had fought against the Zulus, and
of course except in battles and skirmishes had seen nothing of them.
Now he was seeing a great deal of them. There was nothing he enjoyed so
much, for instance, as sitting in a cool hut during the hot hours of the
day, with three or four fine warriors, who possibly had been foremost in
striving to shed his blood during the comparatively recent war, while
they told their stories of this or that battle in which he himself had
taken part. He was astonished, too, at the readiness with which he
followed such narratives, considering that he was as yet very far from
at home in the language. Still, gesture, expression, went a long way,
and when he was in doubt there was always Fleetwood to help. But he was
absorbing the language more and more every day; and the friendly ways of
the people, frankly friendly but not servile, independent but always
courteous, had long since brought him round to the opinion arrived at by
others before him, with opportunities of judging, that the average Zulu
is a gentleman. The people, for t