midday
He had to encounter then a savage king 's determined hostility to the white man , and he had to keep a sharp eye on his followers who , in abject terror of the tribe he meant to visit , took every opportunity to escape into the bush . The barbarian chief sent him a warning that he would have him killed if he attempted to enter his capital . The rest of the story Alec told with an apologetic air , as if he were ashamed of himself , and he treated it with a deprecating humour that sought to minimise both the danger he had run and the courage he had displayed . On receiving the king 's message , Alec MacKenzie took up a high tone , and returned the answer that he would come to the royal kraal before midday . He wanted to give the king no time to recover from his astonishment , and the messengers had scarcely delivered the reply before he presented himself , unarmed and unattended . ` What did you say to him ? ' asked Lucy .