Stay,
I will hide myself here in the hut that the men may not see me,' and I
did.
"Shortly afterwards, through a crack in the hut, I saw the messengers
arrive, and they were great truculent-looking fellows. There were four
of them, and evidently they had travelled night and day. They entered
with a swagger and squatted down before Nala.
"'Your business?' said Nala, frowning.
"'We come from Wambe, bearing the orders of Wambe to Nala his servant,'
answered the spokesman of the party.
"'Speak,' said Nala, with a curious twitch of his nervous-looking mouth.
"'These are the words of Wambe: "Send back the woman, my wife, who has
run away from my kraal, and send with her the white man who has dared to
hunt in my country without my leave, and to slay my soldiers." These are
the words of Wambe.'
"'And if I say I will not send them?' asked Nala.
"'Then on behalf of Wambe we declare war upon you. Wambe will eat you
up. He will wipe you out; your kraals shall be stamped flat--so,' and
with an expressive gesture he drew his hand across his mouth to show
how complete would be the annihilation of that chief who dared to defy
Wambe.
"'These are heavy words,' said Nala. 'Let me take counsel before I
answer.'
"Then followed a little piece of acting that was really very creditable
to the untutored savage mind. The heralds withdrew, but not out of
sight, and Nala went through the show of earnestly consulting his
Indunas. The girl Maiwa too flung herself at his feet, and appeared to
weep and implore his protection, while he wrung his hands as though in
doubt and tribulation of mind.
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