"One is
that for some reason or other they thought the wagon tagati,
bewitched you know, and that it would bring evil on them to touch
it, though this did not apply to the oxen. The other is that
they supposed it, but not the oxen, to belong to some friend of
their own whose property they did not wish to injure."
He looked at me sharply but said nothing, and I went on to tell
them the details of the attack that had been made upon us,
adding--
"The odd part of the affair is that one of those Basutos called
out to us that some infernal scoundrel of a white had warned
Sekukuni of our coming and that he had ordered them to take our
guns and cattle. This Basuto, who was wounded and praying for
mercy, was drowned before he could tell me who the white man
was."
"A Boer, I expect," said Marnham quietly. "As you know they are
not particularly well affected towards us English just now. Also
I happen to be aware that some of them are intriguing with
Sekukuni against the British through Makurupiji, his 'Mouth' or
prime-minister, a very clever old scamp who likes to have two
stools to sit on."
"And doubtless will end by falling between them. Well, you see,
now that I think of it, the wounded Kaffir only said that they
were ordered to take our guns and oxen, and incidentally our
lives. The wagon was not mentioned."
"Quite so, Mr. Quatermain. I will send some of our boys to help
your servants to bring everything it contains up here.
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