We focus on how Frank Oates and King Lobengula of the Ndebele experienced one another and how this impacted the nature and understandings of their resulting encounters. Oates’ sense that he had developed an effective, transactional relationship with Lobengula instilled confidence that his journey could be transacted without major difficulty. Furthermore, Oates’ sense that the king’s word was absolute obviated the traveller’s need to seek to understand the broader Ndebele polity. In Oates’ mind, Lobengula provided the traveller with a mental shortcut to the way he could successfully complete his journey. Conversely, Lobengula did not consider this a transactional relationship but primarily as a relationship that had to be navigated with care, weighing up the balances and risks involved. Careful management saw Lobengula manage Oates’ sense of royal authority, even as the monarch was seeking to use the traveller in the development of that authority in the broader Ndebele polity. Lobengula’s interactions with Oates were also determined by Lobengula’s sense of Ndebele concerns arising from disease management and European incursions from the south.