For the present, at any rate until after he had seen this embassy, Dingaan wished to stand well with the Boers.

Therefore it was obvious that he would never make an irreparable quarrel with them by treacherously putting us to death as we trekked through his country.
Being sure of this, we went on our way with light hearts, thanking Heaven for the mercies which had been shown to us.
It was on the third day of our trek, when we were drawing near to the Tugela, that we met the Boer embassy, off-saddled by a little stream where we proposed to outspan to rest the oxen while we ate our midday meal.

They were sleeping in the heat of the day and saw nothing of us till we were right on to them, when, catching sight of our Zulu advance guard, they sprang up and ran for their rifles.

Then the wagons emerged from the bush, and they stared astonished, wondering who could be trekking in that country.
We called to them in Dutch not to be afraid and in another minute we were among them.

While we were yet some way off my eye fell upon a burly, white-bearded man whose figure seemed to be familiar to me, and towards him I went, taking no heed of the others, of whom there may have been six or seven.