The Boer replied he understood that they had stolen some cattle, killed two white men, if not more, and burnt their house.
He added, however, that he was not sure whether the white men had been killed by the Kaffirs or by other white men with whom they had quarrelled.

There was a rumour to this effect, and he understood that the magistrate of Barberton had gone with some mounted police and armed natives to investigate the matter.
Then we parted, as, having got his concession to which the king Umbandine had put his mark when he was drunk on brandy that the Boer himself had brought with him as a present, he was anxious to be gone before he grew sober and revoked it.

Indeed, he was in so great a hurry that he never stopped to inquire what I was doing in Swazi-Land, nor do I think he realized that I was not alone.

Certainly he was quite unaware that I had been mixed up in these Basuto troubles.

Still his story as to the investigation concerning the deaths of Marnham and Rodd made me uneasy, since I feared lest he should hear something on his journey and put two and two together, though as a matter of fact I don't think he ever did either of these things.
The Swazis told me much the same story as to the brewing Zulu storm.