"
"And of Nada, what of Nada, my sister?" he said.
"Macropha, your mother, and Nada, your sister, are dead, Umslopogaas.
They are dead at the hands of the people of the Halakazi, who dwell in
Swaziland."
"I have heard of that people," he answered presently, "and so has
Galazi the Wolf, yonder. He has a hate to satisfy against them--they
murdered his father; now I have two, for they have murdered my mother
and my sister. Ah, Nada, my sister! Nada, my sister!" and the great
man covered his face with his hands, and rocked himself to and fro in
his grief.
Now, my father, it came into my thoughts to make the truth plain to
Umslopogaas, and tell him that Nada was no sister of his, and that he
was no son of mine, but rather of that Chaka whom my hand had
finished. And yet I did not, though now I would that I had done so.
For I saw well how great was the pride and how high was the heart of
Umslopogaas, and I saw also that if once he should learn that the
throne of Zululand was his by right, nothing could hold him back, for
he would swiftly break into open rebellion against Dingaan the king,
and in my judgment the time was not ripe for that. Had I known,
indeed, but one short year before that Umslopogaas still lived, he had
sat where Dingaan sat this day; but I did not know it, and the chance
had gone by for a while.
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