212 A KAFFIR LOVE-TALE. 



wives I had always thought would have been enough for 

 me, and I had given so many cows for them, that I really 

 had not twenty left. I considered how I could manage, 

 and hoped that fourteen cows paid, and seven more in ten 

 moons, would be as good as twenty now. But Ama 

 Sheman, her father, would not have this, and told me that 

 a young chief named Boy would give the twenty cows at 

 once. I was very angry at this, and asked Ama Sheman to 

 wait a little, which he agreed to do for four months, as he 

 said he would sooner see her my umfazi [wife] than Boy's. 

 I went home, and was always after elephants. I got very 

 rash, and was nearly killed by them once or twice, for my 

 gun was not big enough. At last I killed a large bull- 

 elephant, and got eight cows as my share. I started off 

 at once to tell Ama Sheman that my cows were ready. 

 He did not seem pleased to see me, but told me he should 

 like to see my cows. He was an old chingana [rogue], 

 and wanted to see which had the finest lot of cattle, Boy 

 or I, as Boy had now offered twenty cows as well as 

 myself. Mine were the finest, so it was agreed that I was 

 to take Peshauna as my umfazi. When this was settled, 

 I went out to try and shoot a buffalo for our marriage- 

 feast. I did kill a large one before the sun was up high, 

 and I returned with it to the kraal. As I came near, I 

 heard the women and children screaming. I ran up, 

 and found that Boy had watched all the men out of the 

 kraal, had then walked quietly in with three of his 

 people, and caught my dear Peshauna, and, before she had 

 suspected anything, carried her off. Ama Sheman went 

 out to try and stop them, but he was knocked on the 



