[73] Umtonga escaped again, and is now living in the Transvaal. His brother was still living in Zululand, as head of Umtonga’s kraal, at the beginning of the war, and no injury appears to have been done to any of the four. [74] Thereby pointing the truth of his own remark at a previous date—March 30th, 1876 (1748, p. 24): “But messages from the Zulu king are becoming more frequent and urgent, and _the replies he receives seem to him to be both temporising and evasive_.” (Author’s italics). [75] Immediately after they had signed the instrument of appointment the two Zulu messengers were sent in to the Government by Messrs. Smith and Colenso, and took with them a letter (C. 2000) which mentioned them as its bearers, and announced what they had done. [76] ’Mfunzi and ’Nkisimane were sent down again to ’Maritzburg by Cetshwayo, at the request of Sir H. Bulwer, and denied the whole transaction, though it was attested by the signatures of the notary and two white witnesses. It was afterwards discovered that they had been frightened into this denial by a Natal Government messenger, who told them that they had made the Governor very angry with them and their king by making this appointment; and John Dunn also, after receiving letters from ’Maritzburg, told them that they had committed a great fault, and that he saw that they would never _all_ come home again. [77] Messrs. Smith and Colenso’s explanatory letter to Sir M. Hicks-Beach, dated June 9th, 1878, concludes as follows: “This business, as far as we are concerned, is, therefore, ended. We had hoped to be instrumental in embodying in a contract a proposal which we knew was advantageous to both parties. To do so only required the intervention of European lawyers trusted by Cetewayo. We knew that he trusted us, and would trust no others. The task of acting for the king was, therefore, imposed on us as lawyers and as gentlemen. Of pecuniary reward, or its equivalent, our labours have brought us nothing. We do not require it. Honour we did not desire, nor had a savage prince any means of conferring it. The duty thus undertaken we give up only in despair, and we have nothing to regret. “Such information, however, as we have gleaned in the course of our agency you are entitled to hear from us, as we are British subjects. “The Zulus are hostile to the Boers of the Transvaal, and would fight with them but for fear of being involved in a quarrel with the English. But neither Cetewayo himself, who is wise and peaceful, nor the most hot-blooded of his young warriors have any desire to fight with England, _i.e._ Natal.