“A good thing too,” answered the girl, to whom it was no news. “I hope you won’t let him come back.”
“I think not,” said Thornhill, with a dry laugh. “We have had enough of each other.”
Edala had been observing the change in her father of late, and now she studied him more closely than ever. The harassed, worried look that had been upon him had suddenly dropped off; simultaneously with the departure of Manamandhla—she did not fail to observe. He became his old calm, even-minded self. But a week later the Zulu returned.
“I would like to serve Nkose a little longer,” was his tranquil explanation, when tackled by Thornhill. The latter looked at him in silence for a few minutes. To the Zulu this deliberation gave no anxiety.
“You can stay then,” was the reply, uttered grimly.
“Nkose is my father. He will care for me. Were I dead there are two others, two of my own blood, who know that there are ‘mouths’ on Sipazi which swallow up men—who know which one it is that gives not back that which it swallows—but yet that which it swallows could be brought back with long lines. And I—whau, I know of one of these ‘mouths’ which gives back that which it swallows, but gives them back lame for the rest of life.”
Here was a contingency that had clean escaped Thornhill’s calculations. However, he showed no sign of being perturbed by the statement. Was it true? A little reflection convinced him that in all probability it was not. Manamandhla would never be such a fool as to share a momentous secret—a, to him, valuable secret—with another, let alone with two others. But he would pretend to believe it, all the same; so would the blackmailer be thrown the more off his guard.
“Did your brother’s son succeed with the additional two cows, Manamandhla?” he said, airily, taking no notice of the Zulu’s last remark.
“Nearly. Not quite. It is in the air still. Nkose, two more would complete the lobola, for the girl is fine and much sought after, and her father—whau! he is miserly and loves cattle much.”
“Yet I think one more will content him. We will talk further about it.” And Thornhill laughing to himself turned away.