Black Heart and White Heart by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard
page 29 of 77 (37%)
page 29 of 77 (37%)
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he would be justified in doing, seeing that in reality the man was his
jailor. Should this necessity arise, he felt indeed that he could face it without undue compunction, for in truth he disliked Nahoon; at times he even hated him. Their natures were antagonistic, and he knew that the great Zulu distrusted and looked down upon him, and to be looked down upon by a savage "nigger" was more than his pride could stomach. At the first break of dawn Hadden rose and roused his escort, who were still stretched in sleep around the dying fire, each man wrapped in his kaross or blanket. Nahoon stood up and shook himself, looking gigantic in the shadows of the morning. "What is your will, _Umlungu_ (white man), that you are up before the sun?" "My will, _Muntumpofu_ (yellow man), is to hunt buffalo," answered Hadden coolly. It irritated him that this savage should give him no title of any sort. "Your pardon," said the Zulu reading his thoughts, "but I cannot call you _Inkoos_ because you are not my chief, or any man's; still if the title 'white man' offends you, we will give you a name." "As you wish," answered Hadden briefly. Accordingly they gave him a name, _Inhlizin-mgama_, by which he was known among them thereafter, but Hadden was not best pleased when he found that the meaning of those soft-sounding syllables was "Black Heart." That was how the _inyanga_ had addressed him--only she used different words. |
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