Mackay left Empandhleni for Helpmakaar viâ Nondweni and Nqutu on the 11th May, returning by the same route he had taken on the forward journey. Nothing of importance occurred on the march. Nondweni was reached on the 13th.[212] When at Empandhleni, he had received unsatisfactory accounts of Mehlokazulu's behaviour towards the Magistrate. Notwithstanding two or three orders to appear at the magistracy (Nqutu) he had failed to do so on the plea of ill-health. On reaching Nqutu, Mackay sent his Intelligence Officer, Capt. J. Stuart, accompanied by Sergt. Roberts, N.P., early on the 16th, to Mehlokazulu's kraal to instruct that Chief to meet him the same afternoon at Rorke's Drift. Stuart visited three kraals, but could not find Mehlokazulu; the latter purposely avoided a meeting. He vacated his third and furthest kraal Pumulefile (_with death comes rest_) at dawn, no doubt because suspicious of being in some way deceived. This kraal was at the foot of a precipice and reached only with difficulty by horsemen. Every effort was made to find him, but, in the absence of his induna, his mother and wives either did not know or would reveal nothing. In consequence of this well-intentioned mission--carried out in the belief that a man, for years notorious as one of the actual starters of the Zulu War of 1879, would probably wish not to be associated a second time with such nefarious practices--Mehlokazulu, realizing he had lost an opportunity of coming to the troops and explaining his conduct, forthwith quitted his kraal and ward and entered upon a mad career of open rebellion. He collected as many malcontents as he could from his own tribe--luckily, however, the majority of the tribe remained loyal to the Government--and combined with those on the opposite side of the Buffalo in Natal under Nondubela (Mavukutu) and Mtele, who had just clashed with the N.M.R. at Elands Kraal (12th May).[213] The amalgamated force, constantly threatened by Mackay's strong and active column, decided to move towards the storm-centre at Nkandhla, picking up recruits in Faku's and other Chiefs' wards on the way down. The largest number of accessions was obtained from the ancient Ntombela tribe under Faku (the last of Sir Garnet Wolseley's famous "thirteen kinglets"), whilst a few came from Matshana ka Mondise's and other tribes. The tribes of Mpiyake, Matshana ka Sitshakuza, Gadaleni, Nonga-mulana (a near relation of Bambata) and the Basutos, under Mayime, remained entirely loyal throughout the Rebellion.