King Buno was well over six feet and must have weighed at least two
hundred and thirty or forty pounds. He was very deep chested and had a
body like an ox. His legs were well shaped and very muscular. Of
course he was too fat, but this was explained by the fact that the
Swazis consider corpulence a sign of aristocracy and are proud to
"carry weight."
Without doubt, Buno was the most powerful savage I had ever seen. He
was every inch a king, and he knew it. While I was admiring him he
suddenly turned and looked at me. His eyes were the cruelest I have
ever looked into, and it came over me with a rush that he must be
quite as black as he was painted. I was only a boy, but I could feel
the cruel brutality of this savage the minute he looked at me.
Tuys motioned me to come forward.
"O King, this is Mzaan Bakoor, my nephew, who has come all the way
from Rietvlei to bring you the rifle you desire!" Such was his
introduction.
Buno shook hands with a grip like a vise and took the Mauser from me.
He seemed to gloat over the weapon for a moment, and then spoke:
"The king thanks you, Mzaan Bakoor, little white chief," he said, and
his voice was deep and melodious. "You are the near relation of my
friend; you shall be the friend of the king. All my subjects shall be
your slaves!"
Then he fondled the rifle a moment, throwing it to his shoulder and
going through the motions of shooting.
"It is a good rifle," he said, using the native term of "mroer," "and
to-day we shall try it. Already I know how to shoot, and this
afternoon we shall have a shooting match. I shall show you how the
king can shoot!"
There was a little more conversation about the rifle and Buno was much
pleased at the quantity of cartridges we had brought. He was as
delighted with the Mauser as a child with a new toy. Later that day I
found myself regretting that the weapon was not a toy.
At length Buno said something to Tuys that I did not hear. The latter
turned to me and said, "I have some business to transact with the
king. You go back to our camp and wait for me."
I would have given much to know what this business was. Tuys and Buno
had been in some queer deals together and I felt that they were
planning another. Both were reckless and lawless, and, backed by the
thousands of Buno's impis, they were able to do anything they had a
mind to, at least in Swaziland.
Tuys and Buno dropped to their knees and crawled into the royal hut,
and I returned to our camp. Sibijaan was as curious as I was and made
an attempt to pass in the rear of the king's hut with the intention of
hearing something. He did not get far and came back with speed, for he
had run into a six-foot Swazi warrior with an evil eye who appeared to
be on guard.
Boylike, I was hungry when we reached camp and was glad to see that we
were to have fresh-killed beef for dinner. I was munching a rusk when
Sibijaan hopped into the tent, his eyes flashing with excitement.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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