It was evident--unless he dealing very cunningly with me, which I did not believe--that Cetewayo knew nothing of Anscombe and Heda, but thought that I had come into Zululand alone.

Should I or should I not tell him and beg his protection for them?
If I did so he might refuse or be unable to give it to them far away in the midst of a savage population aflame with the lust of war.

As the incident of the morning showed, it was as much as he could do to protect myself, although the Zulus knew me for their friend.

On the other hand no one who dwelt under Zikali's blanket, to use the Kaffir idiom, would be touched, because he was looked on as half divine and therefore everything under it down to the rat in his thatch was sacred.

Now Zikali by implication and Nombe with emphasis, had promised to safeguard these two.