The Project Gutenberg eBook of Nada the Lily, by H. Rider Haggard

Published：2026-07-29 19:18:35 Source: road trips gift ideas with construction toys Author: Debate Games

Nada the Lily

by H. Rider Haggard

Contents

DEDICATION

Sompseu:

For I will call you by the name that for fifty years has been honoured by everytribe between Zambesi and Cape Agulbas,—I greet you!

Sompseu, my father, I have written a book that tells of men and matters ofwhich you know the most of any who still look upon the light; therefore, I setyour name within that book and, such as it is, I offer it to you.

If you knew not Chaka, you and he have seen the same suns shine, you knew hisbrother Panda and his captains, and perhaps even that very Mopo who tells thistale, his servant, who slew him with the Princes. You have seen the circle ofthe witch-doctors and the unconquerable Zulu impis rushing to war; you havecrowned their kings and shared their counsels, and with your son’s bloodyou have expiated a statesman’s error and a general’s fault.

Sompseu, a song has been sung in my ears of how first you mastered this peopleof the Zulu. Is it not true, my father, that for long hours you sat silent andalone, while three thousand warriors shouted for your life? And when they grewweary, did you not stand and say, pointing towards the ocean: “Kill me ifyou wish, men of Cetywayo, but I tell you that for every drop of my blood ahundred avengers shall rise from yonder sea!”

Then, so it was told me, the regiments turned staring towards the Black Water,as though the day of Ulundi had already come and they saw the white slayerscreeping across the plains.

Thus, Sompseu, your name became great among the people of the Zulu, as alreadyit was great among many another tribe, and their nobles did you homage, andthey gave you the Bayéte, the royal salute, declaring by the mouth oftheir Council that in you dwelt the spirit of Chaka.

Many years have gone by since then, and now you are old, my father. It is manyyears even since I was a boy, and followed you when you went up among the Boersand took their country for the Queen.

Why did you do this, my father? I will answer, who know the truth. You did itbecause, had it not been done, the Zulus would have stamped out the Boers. Werenot Cetywayo’s impis gathered against the land, and was it not because itbecame the Queen’s land that at your word he sent them murmuring to theirkraals?^[1]To savebloodshed you annexed the country beyond the Vaal. Perhaps it had been betterto leave it, since “Death chooses for himself,” and after all therewas killing—of our own people, and with the killing, shame. But in thosedays we did not guess what we should live to see, and of Majuba we thought onlyas a little hill!

Enemies have borne false witness against you on this matter, Sompseu, you whonever erred except through over kindness. Yet what does that avail? When youhave “gone beyond” it will be forgotten, since the sting ofingratitude passes and lies must wither like the winter veldt. Only your namewill not be forgotten; as it was heard in life so it shall be heard in story,and I pray that, however humbly, mine may pass down with it. Chance has takenme by another path, and I must leave the ways of action that I love and burymyself in books, but the old days and friends are in my mind, nor while I havememory shall I forget them and you.

Therefore, though it be for the last time, from far across the seas I speak toyou, and lifting my hand I give your “Sibonga”^[2]and that royal salute, to which,now that its kings are gone and the “People of Heaven” are no morea nation, with Her Majesty you are alone entitled:—

Bayéte!Baba, Nkosi ya makosi!
Ngonyama! Indhlovu ai pendulwa!
Wen’ o wa vela wasi pata!
Wen’ o wa hlul’ izizwe zonke za patwa nguive!
Wa geina nge la Mabun’ o wa ba hlul’ u yedwa!
Umsizi we zintandane e ziblupekayo!
Si ya kuleka Baba!
Bayéte, T’ Sompseu!^[3]

and farewell!

H. RIDER HAGGARD.

To Sir Theophilus Shepstone, K.C.M.G., Natal.
13 September, 1891.

[1] “I thank myfather Sompseu for his message. I am glad that he has sent it, because theDutch have tired me out, and I intended to fight them once and once only, andto drive them over the Vaal. Kabana, you see my impis are gathered. It was tofight the Dutch I called them together; now I send them back to theirhomes.” —Message from Cetywayo to Sir. T. Shepstone, April, 1877.

[2] Titles of praise.

[3] Bayéte, Father,Chief of Chiefs!
Lion! Elephant that is not turned!
You who nursed us from of old!
You who overshadowed all peoples and took charge of them,
And ended by mastering the Boers with your single strength!
Help of the fatherless when in trouble!
Salutation to you, Father!
Bayéte, O Sompseu!

PREFACE

The writer of this romance has been encouraged to his task by a purposesomewhat beyond that of setting out a wild tale of savage life. When he was yeta lad,—now some seventeen years ago,—fortune took him to SouthAfrica. There he was thrown in with men who, for thirty or forty years, hadbeen intimately acquainted with the Zulu people, with their history, theirheroes, and their customs. From these he heard many tales and traditions, someof which, perhaps, are rarely told nowadays, and in time to come may cease tobe told altogether. Then the Zulus were still a nation; now that nation hasbeen destroyed, and the chief aim of its white rulers is to root out thewarlike spirit for which it was remarkable, and to replace it by a spirit ofpeaceful progress. The Zulu military organisation, perhaps the most wonderfulthat the world has seen, is already a thing of the past; it perished at Ulundi.It was Chaka who invented that organisation, building it up from the smallestbeginnings. When he appeared at the commencement of this century, it was as theruler of a single small tribe; when he fell, in the year 1828, beneath theassegais of his brothers, Umhlangana and Dingaan, and of his servant, Mopo orUmbopo, as he is called also, all south-eastern Africa was at his feet, and inhis march to power he had slaughtered more than a million human beings. Anattempt has been made in these pages to set out the true character of thiscolossal genius and most evil man,—a Napoleon and a Tiberius inone,—and also that of his brother and successor, Dingaan, so no more needbe said of them here. The author’s aim, moreover, has been to convey, ina narrative form, some idea of the remarkable spirit which animated these kingsand their subjects, and to make accessible, in a popular shape, incidents ofhistory which are now, for the most part, only to be found in a few scarceworks of reference, rarely consulted, except by students. It will be obviousthat such a task has presented difficulties, since he who undertakes it mustfor a time forget his civilisation, and think with the mind and speak with thevoice of a Zulu of the old regime. All the horrors perpetrated by the Zulutyrants cannot be published in this polite age of melanite and torpedoes; theirdetails have, therefore, been suppressed. Still much remains, and those whothink it wrong that massacre and fighting should be written of,—except byspecial correspondents,—or that the sufferings of mankind beneath one ofthe world’s most cruel tyrannies should form the groundwork of romance,may be invited to leave this book unread. Most, indeed nearly all, of thehistorical incidents here recorded are substantially true. Thus, it is saidthat Chaka did actually kill his mother, Unandi, for the reason given, anddestroy an entire tribe in the Tatiyana cleft, and that he prophesied of thecoming of the white man after receiving his death wounds. Of the incident ofthe Missionary and the furnace of logs, it is impossible to speak so certainly.It came to the writer from the lips of an old traveller in “theZulu”; but he cannot discover any confirmation of it. Still, these kingsundoubtedly put their soldiers to many tests of equal severity. Umbopo, orMopo, as he is named in this tale, actually lived. After he had stabbed Chaka,he rose to great eminence. Then he disappears from the scene, but it is notaccurately known whether he also went “the way of the assegai,” orperhaps, as is here suggested, came to live near Stanger under the name ofZweete. The fate of the two lovers at the mouth of the cave is a true Zulutale, which has been considerably varied to suit the purposes of this romance.The late Mr. Leslie, who died in 1874, tells it in his book “Among theZulus and Amatongas.” “I heard a story the other day,” hesays, “which, if the power of writing fiction were possessed by me, Imight have worked up into a first-class sensational novel.” It is thestory that has been woven into the plot of this book. To him also the writer isindebted for the artifice by which Umslopogaas obtained admission to the Swazistronghold; it was told to Mr. Leslie by the Zulu who performed the feat andthereby won a wife. Also the writer’s thanks are due to his friends, Mr.F. B. Fynney,^[1]late Zulu border agent, for much information given to him in bygone years byword of mouth, and more recently through his pamphlet “Zululand and theZulus,” and to Mr. John Bird, formerly treasurer to the Government ofNatal, whose compilation, “The Annals of Natal,” is invaluable toall who would study the early history of that colony and of Zululand.

[1] I grieve to state thatI must now say the late Mr. F. B. Fynney.

As for the wilder and more romantic incidents of this story, such as thehunting of Umslopogaas and Galazi with the wolves, or rather with thehyaenas,—for there are no true wolves in Zululand,—the author canonly say that they seem to him of a sort that might well have been mythicallyconnected with the names of those heroes. Similar beliefs and traditions arecommon in the records of primitive peoples. The club “Watcher of theFords,” or, to give its Zulu name, U-nothlola-mazibuko, is an historicalweapon, chronicled by Bishop Callaway. It was once owned by a certainUndhlebekazizwa. He was an arbitrary person, for “no matter what wasdiscussed in our village, he would bring it to a conclusion with astick.” But he made a good end; for when the Zulu soldiers attacked him,he killed no less than twenty of them with the Watcher, and the spears stuck inhim “as thick as reeds in a morass.” This man’s strength wasso great that he could kill a leopard “like a fly,” with his handsonly, much as Umslopogaas slew the traitor in this story.

Perhaps it may be allowable to add a few words about the Zulu mysticism, magic,and superstition, to which there is some allusion in this romance. It has beenlittle if at all exaggerated. Thus the writer well remembers hearing a legendhow the Guardian Spirit of the Ama-Zulu was seen riding down the storm. Here iswhat Mr. Fynney says of her in the pamphlet to which reference has been made:“The natives have a spirit which they call Nomkubulwana, or theInkosazana-ye-Zulu (the Princess of Heaven). She is said to be robed in white,and to take the form of a young maiden, in fact an angel. She is said to appearto some chosen person, to whom she imparts some revelation; but, whatever thatrevelation may be, it is kept a profound secret from outsiders. I rememberthat, just before the Zulu war, Nomkubulwana appeared, revealing something orother which had a great effect throughout the land, and I know that the Zuluswere quite impressed that some calamity was about to befall them. One of theominous signs was that fire is said to have descended from heaven, and ignitedthe grass over the graves of the former kings of Zululand. ... On anotheroccasion Nomkubulwana appeared to some one in Zululand, the result of thatvisit being, that the native women buried their young children up to theirheads in sand, deserting them for the time being, going away weeping, butreturning at nightfall to unearth the little ones again.”

For this divine personage there is, therefore, authority, and the same may besaid of most of the supernatural matters spoken of in these pages. The exactspiritual position held in the Zulu mind by the Umkulunkulu,—theOld—Old,—the Great—Great,—the Lord of Heavens,—isa more vexed question, and for its proper consideration the reader must bereferred to Bishop Callaway’s work, the “Religious System of theAmazulu.” Briefly, Umkulunkulu’s character seems to vary from theidea of an ancestral spirit, or the spirit of an ancestor, to that of a god. Inthe case of an able and highly intelligent person like the Mopo of this story,the ideal would probably not be a low one; therefore he is made to speak ofUmkulunkulu as the Great Spirit, or God.

It only remains to the writer to express his regret that this story is not morevaried in its hue. It would have been desirable to introduce some gayer andmore happy incidents. But it has not been possible. It is believed that thepicture given of the times is a faithful one, though it may be open tocorrection in some of its details. At the least, the aged man who tells thetale of his wrongs and vengeance could not be expected to treat his subject inan optimistic or even in a cheerful vein.

NADA THE LILY

INTRODUCTION

Some years since—it was during the winter before the Zulu War—aWhite Man was travelling through Natal. His name does not matter, for he playsno part in this story. With him were two wagons laden with goods, which he wastransporting to Pretoria. The weather was cold and there was little or no grassfor the oxen, which made the journey difficult; but he had been tempted to itby the high rates of transport that prevailed at that season of the year, whichwould remunerate him for any probable loss he might suffer in cattle. So hepushed along on his journey, and all went well until he had passed the littletown of Stanger, once the site of Duguza, the kraal of Chaka, the first Zuluking and the uncle of Cetywayo. The night after he left Stanger the air turnedbitterly cold, heavy grey clouds filled the sky, and hid the light of thestars.

“Now if I were not in Natal, I should say that there was a heavy fall ofsnow coming,” said the White Man to himself. “I have often seen thesky look like that in Scotland before snow.” Then he reflected that therehad been no deep snow in Natal for years, and, having drunk a “tot”of squareface and smoked his pipe, he went to bed beneath the after-tent of hislarger wagon.

During the night he was awakened by a sense of bitter cold and the low moaningof the oxen that were tied to the trek-tow, every ox in its place. He thrusthis head through the curtain of the tent and looked out. The earth was whitewith snow, and the air was full of it, swept along by a cutting wind.

Now he sprang up, huddling on his clothes and as he did so calling to theKaffirs who slept beneath the wagons. Presently they awoke from the stuporwhich already was beginning to overcome them, and crept out, shivering withcold and wrapped from head to foot in blankets.

“Quick! you boys,” he said to them in Zulu; “quick! Would yousee the cattle die of the snow and wind? Loose the oxen from the trek-tows anddrive them in between the wagons; they will give them some shelter.” Andlighting a lantern he sprang out into the snow.

At last it was done—no easy task, for the numbed hands of the Kaffirscould scarcely loosen the frozen reins. The wagons were outspanned side by sidewith a space between them, and into this space the mob of thirty-six oxen wasdriven and there secured by reims tied crosswise from the front and hind wheelsof the wagons. Then the White Man crept back to his bed, and the shiveringnatives, fortified with gin, or squareface, as it is called locally, tookrefuge on the second wagon, drawing a tent-sail over them.

For awhile there was silence, save for the moaning of the huddled and restlesscattle.

“If the snow goes on I shall lose my oxen,” he said to himself;“they can never bear this cold.”

Hardly had the words passed his lips when the wagon shook; there was a sound ofbreaking reims and trampling hoofs. Once more he looked out. The oxen had“skrecked” in a mob. There they were, running away into the nightand the snow, seeking to find shelter from the cold. In a minute they hadvanished utterly. There was nothing to be done, except wait for the morning.

At last it came, revealing a landscape blind with snow. Such search as could bemade told them nothing. The oxen had gone, and their spoor was obliterated bythe fresh-fallen flakes. The White Man called a council of his Kaffir servants.“What was to be done?” he asked.

One said this thing, one that, but all agreed that they must wait to act untilthe snow melted.

“Or till we freeze, you whose mothers were fools!” said the WhiteMan, who was in the worst of tempers, for had he not lost four hundredpounds’ worth of oxen?

Then a Zulu spoke, who hitherto had remained silent. He was the driver of thefirst wagon.

“My father,” he said to the White Man, “this is my word. Theoxen are lost in the snow. No man knows whither they have gone, or whether theylive or are now but hides and bones. Yet at the kraal yonder,” and hepointed to some huts about two miles away on the hillside, “lives a witchdoctor named Zweete. He is old—very old—but he has wisdom, and hecan tell you where the oxen are if any man may, my father.”

“Stuff!” answered the White Man. “Still, as the kraal cannotbe colder than this wagon, we will go and ask Zweete. Bring a bottle ofsquareface and some snuff with you for presents.”

An hour later he stood in the hut of Zweete. Before him was a very ancient man,a mere bag of bones, with sightless eyes, and one hand—hisleft—white and shrivelled.

“What do you seek of Zweete, my white father?” asked the old man ina thin voice. “You do not believe in me and my wisdom; why should I helpyou? Yet I will do it, though it is against your law, and you do wrong to askme,—yes, to show you that there is truth in us Zulu doctors, I will helpyou. My father, I know what you seek. You seek to know where your oxen have runfor shelter from the cold! Is it not so?”

“It is so, Doctor,” answered the White Man. “You have longears.”

“Yes, my white father, I have long ears, though they say that I growdeaf. I have keen eyes also, and yet I cannot see your face. Let me hearken!Let me look!”

For awhile he was silent, rocking himself to and fro, then he spoke: “Youhave a farm, White Man, down near Pine Town, is it not? Ah! I thoughtso—and an hour’s ride from your farm lives a Boer with four fingersonly on his right hand. There is a kloof on the Boer’s farm wheremimosa-trees grow. There, in the kloof, you shall find your oxen—yes,five days’ journey from here you will find them all. I say all, myfather, except three only—the big black Africander ox, the little redZulu ox with one horn, and the speckled ox. You shall not find these, for theyhave died in the snow. Send, and you will find the others. No, no! I ask nofee! I do not work wonders for reward. Why should I? I am rich.”

Now the White Man scoffed. But in the end, so great is the power ofsuperstition, he sent. And here it may be stated that on the eleventh day ofhis sojourn at the kraal of Zweete, those whom he sent returned with the oxen,except the three only. After that he scoffed no more. Those eleven days hespent in a hut of the old man’s kraal, and every afternoon he came andtalked with him, sitting far into the night.

On the third day he asked Zweete how it was that his left hand was white andshrivelled, and who were Umslopogaas and Nada, of whom he had let fall somewords. Then the old man told him the tale that is set out here. Day by day hetold some of it till it was finished. It is not all written in these pages, forportions may have been forgotten, or put aside as irrelevant. Neither has itbeen possible for the writer of it to render the full force of the Zulu idiomnor to convey a picture of the teller. For, in truth, he acted rather than toldhis story. Was the death of a warrior in question, he stabbed with his stick,showing how the blow fell and where; did the story grow sorrowful, he groaned,or even wept. Moreover, he had many voices, one for each of the actors in histale. This man, ancient and withered, seemed to live again in the far past. Itwas the past that spoke to his listener, telling of deeds long forgotten, ofdeeds that are no more known.

Yet as he best may, the White Man has set down the substance of the story ofZweete in the spirit in which Zweete told it. And because the history of Nadathe Lily and of those with whom her life was intertwined moved him strangely,and in many ways, he has done more, he has printed it that others may judge ofit.

And now his part is played. Let him who was named Zweete, but who had anothername, take up the story.

CHAPTER I.
THE BOY CHAKA PROPHESIES

You ask me, my father, to tell you the tale of the youth of Umslopogaas, holderof the iron Chieftainess, the axe Groan-maker, who was named Bulalio theSlaughterer, and of his love for Nada, the most beautiful of Zulu women. It islong; but you are here for many nights, and, if I live to tell it, it shall betold. Strengthen your heart, my father, for I have much to say that issorrowful, and even now, when I think of Nada the tears creep through the hornthat shuts out my old eyes from light.

Do you know who I am, my father? You do not know. You think that I am an old,old witch-doctor named Zweete. So men have thought for many years, but that isnot my name. Few have known it, for I have kept it locked in my breast, lest,though I live now under the law of the White Man, and the Great Queen is mychieftainess, an assegai still might find this heart did any know my name.

Look at this hand, my father—no, not that which is withered with fire;look on this right hand of mine. You see it, though I who am blind cannot. Butstill, within me, I see it as it was once. Ay! I see it red andstrong—red with the blood of two kings. Listen, my father; bend your earto me and listen. I am Mopo—ah! I felt you start; you start as theregiment of the Bees started when Mopo walked before their ranks, and from theassegai in his hand the blood of Chaka^[1]dropped slowly to the earth. I am Mopo who slew Chaka the king. I killed himwith Dingaan and Umhlangana the princes; but the wound was mine that his lifecrept out of, and but for me he would never have been slain. I killed him withthe princes, but Dingaan, I and one other slew alone.

[1] The ZuluNapoleon, one of the greatest geniuses and most wicked men who ever lived. Hewas killed in the year 1828, having slaughtered more than a million humanbeings.—ED.

What do you say? “Dingaan died by the Tongola.”

Yes, yes, he died, but not there; he died on the Ghost Mountain; he lies in thebreast of the old Stone Witch who sits aloft forever waiting for the world toperish. But I also was on the Ghost Mountain. In those days my feet still couldtravel fast, and vengeance would not let me sleep. I travelled by day, and bynight I found him. I and another, we killed him—ah! ah!

Why do I tell you this? What has it to do with the loves of Umslopogaas andNada the Lily? I will tell you. I stabbed Chaka for the sake of my sister,Baleka, the mother of Umslopogaas, and because he had murdered my wives andchildren. I and Umslopogaas slew Dingaan for the sake of Nada, who was mydaughter.

There are great names in the story, my father. Yes, many have heard the names:when the Impis roared them out as they charged in battle, I have felt themountains shake and seen the waters quiver in their sound. But where are theynow? Silence has them, and the white men write them down in books. I opened thegates of distance for the holders of the names. They passed through and theyare gone beyond. I cut the strings that tied them to the world. They fell off.Ha! ha! They fell off! Perhaps they are falling still, perhaps they creep abouttheir desolate kraals in the skins of snakes. I wish I knew the snakes that Imight crush them with my heel. Yonder, beneath us, at the burying-place ofkings, there is a hole. In that hole lie the bones of Chaka, the king who diedfor Baleka. Far away in Zululand there is a cleft upon the Ghost Mountain. Atthe foot of that cleft lie the bones of Dingaan, the king who died for Nada. Itwas far to fall and he was heavy; those bones of his are broken into littlepieces. I went to see them when the vultures and the jackals had done theirwork. And then I laughed three times and came here to die.

All that is long ago, and I have not died; though I wish to die and follow theroad that Nada trod. Perhaps I have lived to tell you this tale, my father,that you may repeat it to the white men if you will. How old am I? Nay, I donot know. Very, very old. Had Chaka lived he would have been as old as I.^[2]None areliving whom I knew when I was a boy. I am so old that I must hasten. The grasswithers, and the winter comes. Yes, while I speak the winter nips my heart.Well, I am ready to sleep in the cold, and perhaps I shall awake again in thespring.

[2] This would havemade him nearly a hundred years old, an age rarely attained by a native. Thewriter remembers talking to an aged Zulu woman, however, who told him that shewas married when Chaka was king.—ED.

Before the Zulus were a people—for I will begin at the beginning—Iwas born of the Langeni tribe. We were not a large tribe; afterwards, all ourable-bodied men numbered one full regiment in Chaka’s army, perhaps therewere between two and three thousand of them, but they were brave. Now they areall dead, and their women and children with them,—that people is no more.It is gone like last month’s moon; how it went I will tell youby-and-bye.

Our tribe lived in a beautiful open country; the Boers, whom we call theAmaboona, are there now, they tell me. My father, Makedama, was chief of thetribe, and his kraal was built on the crest of a hill, but I was not the son ofhis head wife. One evening, when I was still little, standing as high as aman’s elbow only, I went out with my mother below the cattle kraal to seethe cows driven in. My mother was very fond of these cows, and there was onewith a white face that would follow her about. She carried my little sisterBaleka riding on her hip; Baleka was a baby then. We walked till we met thelads driving in the cows. My mother called the white-faced cow and gave itmealie leaves which she had brought with her. Then the boys went on with thecattle, but the white-faced cow stopped by my mother. She said that she wouldbring it to the kraal when she came home. My mother sat down on the grass andnursed her baby, while I played round her, and the cow grazed. Presently we sawa woman walking towards us across the plain. She walked like one who is tired.On her back was a bundle of mats, and she led by the hand a boy of about my ownage, but bigger and stronger than I was. We waited a long while, till at lastthe woman came up to us and sank down on the veldt, for she was very weary. Wesaw by the way her hair was dressed that she was not of our tribe.

“Greeting to you!” said the woman.

“Good-morrow!” answered my mother. “What do you seek?”

“Food, and a hut to sleep in,” said the woman. “I havetravelled far.”

“How are you named?—and what is your people?” asked mymother.

“My name is Unandi: I am the wife of Senzangacona, of the Zulutribe,” said the stranger.

Now there had been war between our people and the Zulu people, and Senzangaconahad killed some of our warriors and taken many of our cattle. So, when mymother heard the speech of Unandi she sprang up in anger.

“You dare to come here and ask me for food and shelter, wife of a dog ofa Zulu!” she cried; “begone, or I will call the girls to whip youout of our country.”

The woman, who was very handsome, waited till my mother had finished her angrywords; then she looked up and spoke slowly, “There is a cow by you withmilk dropping from its udder; will you not even give me and my boy a gourd ofmilk?” And she took a gourd from her bundle and held it towards us.

“I will not,” said my mother.

“We are thirsty with long travel; will you not, then, give us a cup ofwater? We have found none for many hours.”

“I will not, wife of a dog; go and seek water for yourself.”

The woman’s eyes filled with tears, but the boy folded his arms on hisbreast and scowled. He was a very handsome boy, with bright black eyes, butwhen he scowled his eyes were like the sky before a thunderstorm.

“Mother,” he said, “we are not wanted here any more than wewere wanted yonder,” and he nodded towards the country where the Zulupeople lived. “Let us be going to Dingiswayo; the Umtetwa people willprotect us.”

“Yes, let us be going, my son,” answered Unandi; “but thepath is long, we are weary and shall fall by the way.”

I heard, and something pulled at my heart; I was sorry for the woman and herboy, they looked so tired. Then, without saying anything to my mother, Isnatched the gourd and ran with it to a little donga that was hard by, for Iknew that there was a spring. Presently I came back with the gourd full ofwater. My mother wanted to catch me, for she was very angry, but I ran past herand gave the gourd to the boy. Then my mother ceased trying to interfere, onlyshe beat the woman with her tongue all the while, saying that evil had come toour kraals from her husband, and she felt in her heart that more evil wouldcome upon us from her son. Her Ehlosé^[3]told her so. Ah! my father, her Ehlosétold her true. If the womanUnandi and her child had died that day on the veldt, the gardens of my peoplewould not now be a wilderness, and their bones would not lie in the greatgulley that is near U’Cetywayo’s kraal.

[3] Guardianspirit.—ED.

While my mother talked I and the cow with the white face stood still andwatched, and the baby Baleka cried aloud. The boy, Unandi’s son, havingtaken the gourd, did not offer the water to his mother. He drank two-thirds ofit himself; I think that he would have drunk it all had not his thirst beenslaked; but when he had done he gave what was left to his mother, and shefinished it. Then he took the gourd again, and came forward, holding it in onehand; in the other he carried a short stick.

“What is your name, boy?” he said to me as a big rich man speaks toone who is little and poor.

“Mopo is my name,” I answered.

“And what is the name of your people?”

I told him the name of my tribe, the Langeni tribe.

“Very well, Mopo; now I will tell you my name. My name is Chaka, son ofSenzangacona, and my people are called the Amazulu. And I will tell yousomething more. I am little to-day, and my people are a small people. But Ishall grow big, so big that my head will be lost in the clouds; you will lookup and you shall not see it. My face will blind you; it will be bright like thesun; and my people will grow great with me; they shall eat up the whole world.And when I am big and my people are big, and we have stamped the earth flat asfar as men can travel, then I will remember your tribe—the tribe of theLangeni, who would not give me and my mother a cup of milk when we were weary.You see this gourd; for every drop it can hold the blood of a man shallflow—the blood of one of your men. But because you gave me the water Iwill spare you, Mopo, and you only, and make you great under me. You shall growfat in my shadow. You alone I will never harm, however you sin against me; thisI swear. But for that woman,” and he pointed to my mother, “let hermake haste and die, so that I do not need to teach her what a long time deathcan take to come. I have spoken.” And he ground his teeth and shook hisstick towards us.

My mother stood silent awhile. Then she gasped out: “The little liar! Hespeaks like a man, does he? The calf lows like a bull. I will teach him anothernote—the brat of an evil prophet!” And putting down Baleka, she ranat the boy.

Chaka stood quite still till she was near; then suddenly he lifted the stick inhis hand, and hit her so hard on the head that she fell down. After that helaughed, turned, and went away with his mother Unandi.

These, my father, were the first words I heard Chaka speak, and they were wordsof prophecy, and they came true. The last words I heard him speak were words ofprophecy also, and I think that they will come true. Even now they are comingtrue. In the one he told how the Zulu people should rise. And say, have theynot risen? In the other he told how they should fall; and they did fall. Do notthe white men gather themselves together even now against U’Cetywayo, asvultures gather round a dying ox? The Zulus are not what they were to standagainst them. Yes, yes, they will come true, and mine is the song of a peoplethat is doomed.

But of these other words I will speak in their place.

I went to my mother. Presently she raised herself from the ground and sat upwith her hands over her face. The blood from the wound the stick had made randown her face on to her breast, and I wiped it away with grass. She sat for along while thus, while the child cried, the cow lowed to be milked, and I wipedup the blood with the grass. At last she took her hands away and spoke to me.

“Mopo, my son,” she said, “I have dreamed a dream. I dreamedthat I saw the boy Chaka who struck me: he was grown like a giant. He stalkedacross the mountains and the veldt, his eyes blazed like the lightning, and inhis hand he shook a little assegai that was red with blood. He caught up peopleafter people in his hands and tore them, he stamped their kraals flat with hisfeet. Before him was the green of summer, behind him the land was black as whenthe fires have eaten the grass. I saw our people, Mopo; they were many and fat,their hearts laughed, the men were brave, the girls were fair; I counted theirchildren by the hundreds. I saw them again, Mopo. They were bones, white bones,thousands of bones tumbled together in a rocky place, and he, Chaka, stood overthe bones and laughed till the earth shook. Then, Mopo, in my dream, I saw yougrown a man. You alone were left of our people. You crept up behind the giantChaka, and with you came others, great men of a royal look. You stabbed himwith a little spear, and he fell down and grew small again; he fell down andcursed you. But you cried in his ear a name—the name of Baleka, yoursister—and he died. Let us go home, Mopo, let us go home; the darknessfalls.”

So we rose and went home. But I held my peace, for I was afraid, very muchafraid.

CHAPTER II.
MOPO IS IN TROUBLE

Now, I must tell how my mother did what the boy Chaka had told her, and diedquickly. For where his stick had struck her on the forehead there came a sorethat would not be healed, and in the sore grew an abscess, and the abscess ateinwards till it came to the brain. Then my mother fell down and died, and Icried very much, for I loved her, and it was dreadful to see her cold andstiff, with not a word to say however loudly I called to her. Well, they buriedmy mother, and she was soon forgotten. I only remembered her, nobody elsedid—not even Baleka, for she was too little—and as for my father hetook another young wife and was content. After that I was unhappy, for mybrothers did not love me, because I was much cleverer than they, and hadgreater skill with the assegai, and was swifter in running; so they poisonedthe mind of my father against me and he treated me badly. But Baleka and Iloved each other, for we were both lonely, and she clung to me like a creeperto the only tree in a plain, and though I was young, I learned this: that to bewise is to be strong, for though he who holds the assegai kills, yet he whosemind directs the battle is greater than he who kills. Now I saw that thewitch-finders and the medicine-men were feared in the land, and that everybodylooked up to them, so that, even when they had only a stick in their hands, tenmen armed with spears would fly before them. Therefore I determined that Ishould be a witch-doctor, for they alone can kill those whom they hate with aword. So I learned the arts of the medicine-men. I made sacrifices, I fasted inthe veldt alone, I did all those things of which you have heard, and I learnedmuch; for there is wisdom in our magic as well as lies—and you know it,my father, else you had not come here to ask me about your lost oxen.

So things went on till I was twenty years of age—a man full grown. By nowI had mastered all I could learn by myself, so I joined myself on to the chiefmedicine-man of our tribe, who was named Noma. He was old, had one eye only,and was very clever. Of him I learned some tricks and more wisdom, but at lasthe grew jealous of me and set a trap to catch me. As it chanced, a rich man ofa neighbouring tribe had lost some cattle, and came with gifts to Noma prayinghim to smell them out. Noma tried and could not find them; his vision failedhim. Then the headman grew angry and demanded back his gifts; but Noma wouldnot give up that which he once had held, and hot words passed. The headman saidthat he would kill Noma; Noma said that he would bewitch the headman.

“Peace,” I said, for I feared that blood would be shed.“Peace, and let me see if my snake will tell me where the cattleare.”

“You are nothing but a boy,” answered the headman. “Can a boyhave wisdom?”

“That shall soon be known,” I said, taking the bones in my hand.^[1]

[1] The Kafirwitch-doctors use the knuckle-bones of animals in their magic rites, throwingthem something as we throw dice.—ED.

“Leave the bones alone!” screamed Noma. “We will ask nothingmore of our snakes for the good of this son of a dog.”

“He shall throw the bones,” answered the headman. “If you tryto stop him, I will let sunshine through you with my assegai.” And helifted his spear.

Then I made haste to begin; I threw the bones. The headman sat on the groundbefore me and answered my questions. You know of these matters, myfather—how sometimes the witch-doctor has knowledge of where the lostthings are, for our ears are long, and sometimes his Ehlosétells him,as but the other day it told me of your oxen. Well, in this case, my snakestood up. I knew nothing of the man’s cattle, but my Spirit was with meand soon I saw them all, and told them to him one by one, their colour, theirage—everything. I told him, too, where they were, and how one of them hadfallen into a stream and lay there on its back drowned, with its forefootcaught in a forked root. As my Ehlosétold me so I told the headman.

Now, the man was pleased, and said that if my sight was good, and he found thecattle, the gifts should be taken from Noma and given to me; and he asked thepeople who were sitting round, and there were many, if this was not just.“Yes, yes,” they said, it was just, and they would see that it wasdone. But Noma sat still and looked at me evilly. He knew that I had made atrue divination, and he was very angry. It was a big matter: the herd of cattlewere many, and, if they were found where I had said, then all men would thinkme the greater wizard. Now it was late, and the moon had not yet risen,therefore the headman said that he would sleep that night in our kraal, and atthe first light would go with me to the spot where I said the cattle were.After that he went away.

I too went into my hut and lay down to sleep. Suddenly I awoke, feeling aweight upon my breast. I tried to start up, but something cold pricked mythroat. I fell back again and looked. The door of the hut was open, the moonlay low on the sky like a ball of fire far away. I could see it through thedoor, and its light crept into the hut. It fell upon the face of Noma thewitch-doctor. He was seated across me, glaring at me with his one eye, and inhis hand was a knife. It was that which I had felt prick my throat.

“You whelp whom I have bred up to tear me!” he hissed into my ear,“you dared to divine where I failed, did you? Very well, now I will showyou how I serve such puppies. First, I will pierce through the root of yourtongue, so that you cannot squeal, then I will cut you to pieces slowly, bit bybit, and in the morning I will tell the people that the spirits did it becauseyou lied. Next, I will take off your arms and legs. Yes, yes, I will make youlike a stick! Then I will”—and he began driving in the knife undermy chin.

“Mercy, my uncle,” I said, for I was frightened and the knife hurt.“Have mercy, and I will do whatever you wish!”

“Will you do this?” he asked, still pricking me with the knife.“Will you get up, go to find the dog’s cattle and drive them to acertain place, and hide them there?” And he named a secret valley thatwas known to very few. “If you do that, I will spare you and give youthree of the cows. If you refuse or play me false, then, by my father’sspirit, I will find a way to kill you!”

“Certainly I will do it, my uncle,” I answered. “Why did younot trust me before? Had I known that you wanted to keep the cattle, I wouldnever have smelt them out. I only did so fearing lest you should lose thepresents.”

“You are not so wicked as I thought,” he growled. “Get up,then, and do my bidding. You can be back here two hours after dawn.”

So I got up, thinking all the while whether I should try to spring on him. ButI was without arms, and he had the knife; also if, by chance, I prevailed andkilled him, it would have been thought that I had murdered him, and I shouldhave tasted the assegai. So I made another plan. I would go and find the cattlein the valley where I had smelt them out, but I would not bring them to thesecret hiding-place. No; I would drive them straight to the kraal, and denounceNoma before the chief, my father, and all the people. But I was young in thosedays, and did not know the heart of Noma. He had not been a witch-doctor tillhe grew old for nothing. Oh! he was evil!—he was cunning as a jackal, andfierce like a lion. He had planted me by him like a tree, but he meant to keepme clipped like a bush. Now I had grown tall and overshadowed him; therefore hewould root me up.

I went to the corner of my hut, Noma watching me all the while, and took akerrie and my small shield. Then I started through the moonlight. Till I waspast the kraal I glided along quietly as a shadow. After that, I began to run,singing to myself as I went, to frighten away the ghosts, my father.

For an hour I travelled swiftly over the plain, till I came to the hillsidewhere the bush began. Here it was very dark under the shade of the trees, and Isang louder than ever. At last I found the little buffalo path I sought, andturned along it. Presently I came to an open place, where the moonlight creptin between the trees. I knelt down and looked. Yes! my snake had not lied tome; there was the spoor of the cattle. Then I went on gladly till I reached adell through which the water ran softly, sometimes whispering and sometimestalking out loud. Here the trail of the cattle was broad: they had broken downthe ferns with their feet and trampled the grass. Presently I came to a pool. Iknew it—it was the pool my snake had shown me. And there at the edge ofthe pool floated the drowned ox, its foot caught in a forked root. All was justas I had seen it in my heart.

I stepped forward and looked round. My eye caught something; it was the faintgrey light of the dawn glinted on the cattle’s horns. As I looked, one ofthem snorted, rose and shook the dew from his hide. He seemed big as anelephant in the mist and twilight.

Then I collected them all—there were seventeen—and drove thembefore me down the narrow path back towards the kraal. Now the daylight camequickly, and the sun had been up an hour when I reached the spot where I mustturn if I wished to hide the cattle in the secret place, as Noma had bid me.But I would not do this. No, I would go on to the kraal with them, and tell allmen that Noma was a thief. Still, I sat down and rested awhile, for I wastired. As I sat, I heard a noise, and looked up. There, over the slope of therise, came a crowd of men, and leading them was Noma, and by his side theheadman who owned the cattle. I rose and stood still, wondering; but as Istood, they ran towards me shouting and waving sticks and spears.

“There he is!” screamed Noma. “There he is!—the cleverboy whom I have brought up to bring shame on me. What did I tell you? Did I nottell you that he was a thief? Yes—yes! I know your tricks, Mopo, mychild! See! he is stealing the cattle! He knew where they were all the time,and now he is taking them away to hide them. They would be useful to buy a wifewith, would they not, my clever boy?” And he made a rush at me, with hisstick lifted, and after him came the headman, grunting with rage.

I understood now, my father. My heart went mad in me, everything began to swimround, a red cloth seemed to lift itself up and down before my eyes. I havealways seen it thus when I was forced to fight. I screamed out one word only,“Liar!” and ran to meet him. On came Noma. He struck at me with hisstick, but I caught the blow upon my little shield, and hit back. Wow! I didhit! The skull of Noma met my kerrie, and down he fell dead at my feet. Iyelled again, and rushed on at the headman. He threw an assegai, but it missedme, and next second I hit him too. He got up his shield, but I knocked it downupon his head, and over he rolled senseless. Whether he lived or died I do notknow, my father; but his head being of the thickest, I think it likely that helived. Then, while the people stood astonished, I turned and fled like thewind. They turned too, and ran after me, throwing spears at me and trying tocut me off. But none of them could catch me—no, not one. I went like thewind; I went like a buck when the dogs wake it from sleep; and presently thesound of their chase grew fainter and fainter, till at last I was out of sightand alone.

CHAPTER III.
MOPO VENTURES HOME

I threw myself down on the grass and panted till my breath came back; then Iwent and hid in a patch of reeds down by a swamp. All day long I lay therethinking. What was I to do? Now I was a jackal without a hole. If I went backto my people, certainly they would kill me, whom they thought a thief. My bloodwould be given for Noma’s, and that I did not wish, though my heart wassad. Then there came into my mind the thought of Chaka, the boy to whom I hadgiven the cup of water long ago. I had heard of him: his name was known in theland; already the air was big with it; the very trees and grass spoke it. Thewords he had said and the vision that my mother had seen were beginning to cometrue. By the help of the Umtetwas he had taken the place of his fatherSenzangacona; he had driven out the tribe of the Amaquabe; now he made war onZweete, chief of the Endwande, and he had sworn that he would stamp theEndwande flat, so that nobody could find them any more. Now I remembered howthis Chaka promised that he would make me great, and that I should grow fat inhis shadow; and I thought to myself that I would arise and go to him. Perhapshe would kill me; well, what did it matter? Certainly I should be killed if Istayed here. Yes, I would go. But now my heart pulled another way. There wasbut one whom I loved in the world—it was my sister Baleka. My father hadbetrothed her to the chief of a neighbouring tribe, but I knew that thismarriage was against her wish. Perhaps my sister would run away with me if Icould get near her to tell her that I was going. I would try—yes, I wouldtry.

I waited till the darkness came down, then I rose from my bed of weeds andcrept like a jackal towards the kraal. In the mealie gardens I stopped awhile,for I was very hungry, and filled myself with the half-ripe mealies. Then Iwent on till I came to the kraal. Some of my people were seated outside of ahut, talking together over a fire. I crept near, silently as a snake, and hidbehind a little bush. I knew that they could not see me outside the ring of thefirelight, and I wanted to hear what they said. As I guessed, they were talkingof me and called me many names. They said that I should bring ill-luck on thetribe by having killed so great a witch-doctor as Noma; also that the people ofthe headman would demand payment for the assault on him. I learned, moreover,that my father had ordered out all the men of the tribe to hunt for me on themorrow and to kill me wherever they found me. “Ah!” I thought,“you may hunt, but you will bring nothing home to the pot.” Justthen a dog that was lying by the fire got up and began to sniff the air. Icould not see what dog it was—indeed, I had forgotten all about the dogswhen I drew near the kraal; that is what comes of want of experience, myfather. The dog sniffed and sniffed, then he began to growl, looking always myway, and I grew afraid.

“What is the dog growling at?” said one man to another. “Goand see.” But the other man was taking snuff and did not like to move.“Let the dog go and see for himself,” he answered, sneezing,“what is the good of keeping a dog if you have to catch the thief?”

“Go on, then,” said the first man to the dog. And he ran forward,barking. Then I saw him: it was my own dog, Koos, a very good dog. Presently,as I lay not knowing what to do, he smelt my smell, stopped barking, andrunning round the bush he found me and began to lick my face. “Be quiet,Koos!” I whispered to him. And he lay down by my side.

“Where has that dog gone now?” said the first man. “Is hebewitched, that he stops barking suddenly and does not come back?”

“We will see,” said the other, rising, a spear in his hand.

Now once more I was terribly afraid, for I thought that they would catch me, orI must run for my life again. But as I sprang up to run, a big black snakeglided between the men and went off towards the huts. They jumped aside in agreat fright, then all of them turned to follow the snake, saying that this waswhat the dog was barking at. That was my good Ehlosé, my father, whichwithout any doubt took the shape of a snake to save my life.

When they had gone I crept off the other way, and Koos followed me. At first Ithought that I would kill him, lest he should betray me; but when I called tohim to knock him on the head with my kerrie, he sat down upon the groundwagging his tail, and seemed to smile in my face, and I could not do it. So Ithought that I would take my chance, and we went on together. This was mypurpose: first to creep into my own hut and get my assegais and a skin blanket,then to gain speech with Baleka. My hut, I thought, would be empty, for nobodysleeps there except myself, and the huts of Noma were some paces away to theright. I came to the reed fence that surrounded the huts. Nobody was to be seenat the gate, which was not shut with thorns as usual. It was my duty to closeit, and I had not been there to do so. Then, bidding the dog lie down outside,I stepped through boldly, reached the door of my hut, and listened. It wasempty; there was not even a breath to be heard. So I crept in and began tosearch for my assegais, my water-gourd, and my wood pillow, which was so nicelycarved that I did not like to leave it. Soon I found them. Then I felt aboutfor my skin rug, and as I did so my hand touched something cold. I started, andfelt again. It was a man’s face—the face of a dead man, of Noma,whom I had killed and who had been laid in my hut to await burial. Oh! then Iwas frightened, for Noma dead and in the dark was worse than Noma alive. I madeready to fly, when suddenly I heard the voices of women talking outside thedoor of the hut. I knew the voices; they were those of Noma’s two wives,and one of them said she was coming in to watch by her husband’s body.Now I was in a trap indeed, for before I could do anything I saw the light goout of a hole in the hut, and knew by the sound of a fat woman puffing as shebent herself up that Noma’s first wife was coming through it. Presentlyshe was in, and, squatting by the side of the corpse in such a fashion that Icould not get to the door, she began to make lamentations and to call downcurses on me. Ah! she did not know that I was listening. I too squatted byNoma’s head, and grew quick-witted in my fear. Now that the woman wasthere I was not so much afraid of the dead man, and I remembered, too, that hehad been a great cheat; so I thought I would make him cheat for the last time.I placed my hands beneath his shoulders and pushed him up so that he sat uponthe ground. The woman heard the noise and made a sound in her throat.

“Will you not be quiet, you old hag?” I said in Noma’s voice.“Can you not let me be at peace, even now when I am dead?”

She heard, and, falling backwards in fear, drew in her breath to shriek aloud.

“What! will you also dare to shriek?” I said again in Noma’svoice; “then I must teach you silence.” And I tumbled him over onto the top of her.

Then her senses left her, and whether she ever found them again I do not know.At least she grew quiet for that time. For me, I snatched up therug—afterwards I found it was Noma’s best kaross, made by Basutosof chosen cat-skins, and worth three oxen—and I fled, followed by Koos.

Now the kraal of the chief, my father, Makedama, was two hundred paces away,and I must go thither, for there Baleka slept. Also I dared not enter by thegate, because a man was always on guard there. So I cut my way through the reedfence with my assegai and crept to the hut where Baleka was with some of herhalf-sisters. I knew on which side of the hut it was her custom to lie, andwhere her head would be. So I lay down on my side and gently, very gently,began to bore a hole in the grass covering of the hut. It took a long while,for the thatch was thick, but at last I was nearly through it. Then I stopped,for it came into my mind that Baleka might have changed her place, and that Imight wake the wrong girl. I almost gave it over, thinking that I would flyalone, when suddenly I heard a girl wake and begin to cry on the other side ofthe thatch. “Ah,” I thought, “that is Baleka, who weeps forher brother!” So I put my lips where the thatch was thinnest andwhispered:—

“Baleka, my sister! Baleka, do not weep! I, Mopo, am here. Say not aword, but rise. Come out of the hut, bringing your skin blanket.”

Now Baleka was very clever: she did not shriek, as most girls would have done.No; she understood, and, after waiting awhile, she rose and crept from the hut,her blanket in her hand.

“Why are you here, Mopo?” she whispered, as we met. “Surelyyou will be killed!”

“Hush!” I said. And then I told her of the plan which I had made.“Will you come with me?” I said, when I had done, “or willyou creep back into the hut and bid me farewell?”

She thought awhile, then she said, “No, my brother, I will come, for Ilove you alone among our people, though I believe that this will be the end ofit—that you will lead me to my death.”

I did not think much of her words at the time, but afterwards they came back tome. So we slipped away together, followed by the dog Koos, and soon we wererunning over the veldt with our faces set towards the country of the Zulutribe.

CHAPTER IV.
THE FLIGHT OF MOPO AND BALEKA

All the rest of that night we journeyed, till even the dog was tired. Then wehid in a mealie field for the day, as we were afraid of being seen. Towards theafternoon we heard voices, and, looking through the stems of the mealies, wesaw a party of my father’s men pass searching for us. They went on to aneighbouring kraal to ask if we had been seen, and after that we saw them nomore for awhile. At night we travelled again; but, as fate would have it, wewere met by an old woman, who looked oddly at us but said nothing. After thatwe pushed on day and night, for we knew that the old woman would tell thepursuers if she met them; and so indeed it came about. On the third evening wereached some mealie gardens, and saw that they had been trampled down. Amongthe broken mealies we found the body of a very old man, as full of assegaiwounds as a porcupine with quills. We wondered at this, and went on a littleway. Then we saw that the kraal to which the gardens belonged was burnt down.We crept up to it, and—ah! it was a sad sight for us to see! Afterwardswe became used to such sights. All about us lay the bodies of dead people,scores of them—old men, young men, women, children, little babies at thebreast—there they lay among the burnt huts, pierced with assegai wounds.Red was the earth with their blood, and red they looked in the red light of thesetting sun. It was as though all the land had been smeared with the bloodyhand of the Great Spirit, of the Umkulunkulu. Baleka saw it and began to cry;she was weary, poor girl, and we had found little to eat, only grass and greencorn.

“An enemy has been here,” I said, and as I spoke I thought that Iheard a groan from the other side of a broken reed hedge. I went and looked.There lay a young woman: she was badly wounded, but still alive, my father. Alittle way from her lay a man dead, and before him several other men of anothertribe: he had died fighting. In front of the woman were the bodies of threechildren; another, a little one, lay on her body. I looked at the woman, and,as I looked, she groaned again, opened her eyes and saw me, and that I had aspear in my hand.

“Kill me quickly!” she said. “Have you not tortured meenough?”

I said that I was a stranger and did not want to kill her.

“Then bring me water,” she said; “there is a spring therebehind the kraal.”

I called to Baleka to come to the woman, and went with my gourd to the spring.There were bodies in it, but I dragged them out, and when the water had cleareda little I filled the gourd and brought it back to the woman. She drank deep,and her strength came back a little—the water gave her life.

“How did you come to this?” I asked.

“It was an impi of Chaka, Chief of the Zulus, that ate us up,” sheanswered. “They burst upon as at dawn this morning while we were asleepin our huts. Yes, I woke up to hear the sound of killing. I was sleeping by myhusband, with him who lies there, and the children. We all ran out. My husbandhad a spear and shield. He was a brave man. See! he died bravely: he killedthree of the Zulu devils before he himself was dead. Then they caught me, andkilled my children, and stabbed me till they thought that I was dead.Afterwards, they went away. I don’t know why they came, but I think itwas because our chief would not send men to help Chaka against Zweete.”

She stopped, gave a great cry, and died.

My sister wept at the sight, and I too was stirred by it. “Ah!” Ithought to myself, “the Great Spirit must be evil. If he is not evil suchthings would not happen.” That is how I thought then, my father; now Ithink differently. I know that we had not found out the path of the GreatSpirit, that is all. I was a chicken in those days, my father; afterwards I gotused to such sights. They did not stir me any more, not one whit. But then inthe days of Chaka the rivers ran blood—yes, we had to look at the waterto see if it was clean before we drank. People learned how to die then and notmake a noise about it. What does it matter? They would have been dead nowanyway. It does not matter; nothing matters, except being born. That is amistake, my father.

We stopped at the kraal that night, but we could not sleep, for we heard theItongo, the ghosts of the dead people, moving about and calling to eachother. It was natural that they should do so; men were looking for their wives,and mothers for their children. But we were afraid that they might be angrywith us for being there, so we clung together and trembled in eachother’s arms. Koos also trembled, and from time to time he howled loudly.But they did not seem to see us, and towards morning their cries grew fainter.

When the first light came we rose and picked our way through the dead down tothe plain. Now we had an easy road to follow to Chaka’s kraal, for therewas the spoor of the impi and of the cattle which they had stolen, andsometimes we came to the body of a warrior who had been killed because hiswounds prevented him from marching farther. But now I was doubtful whether itwas wise for us to go to Chaka, for after what we had seen I grew afraid lesthe should kill us. Still, we had nowhere to turn, so I said that we would walkalong till something happened. Now we grew faint with hunger and weariness, andBaleka said that we had better sit down and die, for then there would be nomore trouble. So we sat down by a spring. But I did not wish to die yet, thoughBaleka was right, and it would have been well to do so. As we sat, the dog Kooswent to a bush that was near, and presently I heard him spring at something andthe sound of struggling. I ran to the bush—he had caught hold of a duikerbuck, as big as himself, that was asleep in it. Then I drove my spear into thebuck and shouted for joy, for here was food. When the buck was dead I skinnedhim, and we took bits of the flesh, washed them in the water, and ate them, forwe had no fire to cook them with. It is not nice to eat uncooked flesh, but wewere so hungry that we did not mind, and the food refreshed us. When we hadeaten what we could, we rose and washed ourselves at the spring; but, as wewashed, Baleka looked up and gave a cry of fear. For there, on the crest of thehill, about ten spear-throws away, was a party of six armed men, people of myown tribe—children of my father Makedama—who still pursued us totake us or kill us. They saw us—they raised a shout, and began to run. Wetoo sprang up and ran—ran like bucks, for fear had touched our feet.

Now the land lay thus. Before us the ground was open and sloped down to thebanks of the White Umfolozi, which twisted through the plain like a great andshining snake. On the other side the ground rose again, and we did not knowwhat was beyond, but we thought that in this direction lay the kraal of Chaka.We ran for the river—where else were we to run? And after us came thewarriors. They gained on us; they were strong, and they were angry because theyhad come so far. Run as we would, still they gained. Now we neared the banks ofthe river; it was full and wide. Above us the waters ran angrily, breaking intoswirls of white where they passed over sunken rocks; below was a rapid, inwhich none might live; between the two a deep pool, where the water was quietbut the stream strong.

“Ah! my brother, what shall we do?” gasped Baleka.

“There is this to choose,” I answered; “perish on the spearsof our people or try the river.”

“Easier to die by water than on iron,” she answered.

“Good!” I said. “Now may our snakes look towards us and thespirits of our fathers be with us! At the least we can swim.” And I ledher to the head of the pool. We threw away our blankets—everything exceptan assegai, which I held in my teeth—and we plunged in, wading as far aswe could. Now we were up to our breasts; now we had lost the earth and wereswimming towards the middle of the river, the dog Koos leading the way.

Then it was that the soldiers appeared upon the bank. “Ah! littlepeople,” one cried, “you swim, do you? Well, you will drown; and ifyou do not drown we know a ford, and we will catch you and kill you—yes!if we must run over the edge of the world after you we will catch you.”And he hurled an assegai after us, which fell between us like a flash of light.

While he spoke we swam hard, and now we were in the current. It swept usdownwards, but still we made way, for we could swim well. It was just this: ifwe could reach the bank before we were swept into the rapids we were safe; ifnot, then—good-night! Now we were near the other side, but, alas! we werealso near the lip of the foaming water. We strained, we struggled. Baleka was abrave girl, and she swam bravely; but the water pushed her down below me, and Icould do nothing to help her. I got my foot upon the rock and looked round.There she was, and eight paces from her the broken water boiled. I could not goback. I was too weak, and it seemed that she must perish. But the dog Koos saw.He swam towards her, barking, then turned round, heading for the shore. Shegrasped him by the tail with her right hand. Then he put out hisstrength—he was very strong. She too struck out with her feet and lefthand, and slowly—very slowly—drew near. Then I stretched out thehandle of my assegai towards her. She caught it with her left hand. Already herfeet were over the brink of the rapids, but I pulled and Koos pulled, and webrought her safe into the shallows, and from the shallows to the bank, andthere she fell gasping.

Now when the soldiers on the other bank saw that we had crossed, they shoutedthreats at us, then ran away down the bank.

“Arise, Baleka!” I said: “they have gone to see aford.”

“Ah, let me die!” she answered.

But I forced her to rise, and after awhile she got her breath again, and wewalked on as fast as we could up the long rise. For two hours we walked, ormore, till at last we came to the crest of the rise, and there, far away, wesaw a large kraal.

“Keep heart,” I said. “See, there is the kraal ofChaka.”

“Yes, brother,” she answered, “but what waits us there? Deathis behind us and before us—we are in the middle of death.”

Presently we came to a path that ran to the kraal from the ford of theUmfolozi. It was by it that the Impi had travelled. We followed the path tillat last we were but half an hour’s journey from the kraal. Then we lookedback, and lo! there behind us were the pursuers—five of them—onehad drowned in crossing the river.

Again we ran, but now we were weak, and they gained upon us. Then once more Ithought of the dog. He was fierce and would tear any one on whom I set him. Icalled him and told him what to do, though I knew that it would be his death.He understood, and flew towards the soldiers growling, his hair standing up onhis spine. They tried to kill him with spears and kerries, but he jumped roundthem, biting at them, and kept them back. At last a man hit him, and he sprangup and seized the man by the throat. There he clung, man and dog rolling overand over together, till the end of it was that they both died. Ah! he was adog! We do not see such dogs nowadays. His father was a Boer hound, the firstthat came into the country. That dog once killed a leopard all by himself.Well, this was the end of Koos!

Meanwhile, we had been running. Now we were but three hundred paces from thegate of the kraal, and there was something going on inside it; that we couldsee from the noise and the dust. The four soldiers, leaving the dead dog andthe dying man, came after us swiftly. I saw that they must catch us before wereached the gate, for now Baleka could go but slowly. Then a thought came intomy head. I had brought her here, I would save her life if I could. Should shereach the kraal without me, Chaka would not kill a girl who was so young andfair.

“Run on, Baleka! run on!” I said, dropping behind. Now she wasalmost blind with weariness and terror, and, not seeing my purpose, staggeredtowards the gate of the kraal. But I sat down on the veldt to get my breathagain, for I was about to fight four men till I was killed. My heart beat andthe blood drummed in my ears, but when they drew near and I rose—theassegai in my hand—once more the red cloth seemed to go up and downbefore my eyes, and all fear left me.

The men were running, two and two, with the length of a spear throw betweenthem. But of the first pair one was five or six paces in front of the other.This man shouted out loud and charged me, shield and spear up. Now I had noshield—nothing but the assegai; but I was crafty and he was overbold. Onhe came. I stood waiting for him till he drew back the spear to stab me. Thensuddenly I dropped to my knees and thrust upward with all my strength, beneaththe rim of his shield, and he also thrust, but over me, his spear only cuttingthe flesh of my shoulder—see! here is its scar; yes, to this day. And myassegai? Ah! it went home; it ran through and through his middle. He rolledover and over on the plain. The dust hid him; only I was now weaponless, forthe haft of my spear—it was but a light throwing assegai—broke intwo, leaving nothing but a little bit of stick in my hand. And the other onewas upon me. Then in the darkness I saw a light. I fell on to my hands andknees and flung myself over sideways. My body struck the legs of the man whowas about to stab me, lifting his feet from beneath him. Down he came heavily.Before he had touched the ground I was off it. His spear had fallen from hishand. I stooped, seized it, and as he rose I stabbed him through the back. Itwas all done in the shake of a leaf, my father; in the shake of a leaf he alsowas dead. Then I ran, for I had no stomach for the other two; my valour wasgone.

About a hundred paces from me Baleka was staggering along with her arms outlike one who has drunk too much beer. By the time I caught her she was someforty paces from the gate of the kraal. But then her strength left heraltogether. Yes! there she fell senseless, and I stood by her. And there, too,I should have been killed, had not this chanced, since the other two men,having stayed one instant by their dead fellows, came on against me mad withrage. For at that moment the gate of the kraal opened, and through it ran aparty of soldiers dragging a prisoner by the arms. After them walked a greatman, who wore a leopard skin on his shoulders, and was laughing, and with himwere five or six ringed councillors, and after them again came a company ofwarriors.

The soldiers saw that killing was going on, and ran up just as the slayersreached us.

“Who are you?” they cried, “who dare to kill at the gate ofthe Elephant’s kraal? Here the Elephant kills alone.”

“We are of the children of Makedama,” they answered, “and wefollow these evildoers who have done wickedness and murder in our kraal. See!but now two of us are dead at their hands, and others lie dead along the road.Suffer that we slay them.”

“Ask that of the Elephant,” said the soldiers; “ask too thathe suffer you should not be slain.”

Just then the tall chief saw blood and heard words. He stalked up; and he was agreat man to look at, though still quite young in years. For he was taller by ahead than any round him, and his chest was big as the chests of two; his facewas fierce and beautiful, and when he grew angry his eye flashed like a smittenbrand.

“Who are these that dare to stir up dust at the gates of my kraal?”he asked, frowning.

“O Chaka, O Elephant!” answered the captain of the soldiers,bending himself double before him, “the men say that these are evildoersand that they pursue them to kill them.”

“Good!” he answered. “Let them slay the evildoers.”

“O great chief! thanks be to thee, great chief!” said those men ofmy people who sought to kill us.

“I hear you,” he answered, then spoke once more to the captain.“And when they have slain the evildoers, let themselves be blinded andturned loose to seek their way home, because they have dared to lift a spearwithin the Zulu gates. Now praise on, my children!” And he laughed, whilethe soldiers murmured, “Ou!he is wise, he is great, his justiceis bright and terrible like the sun!”

But the two men of my people cried out in fear, for they did not seek suchjustice as this.

“Cut out their tongues also,” said Chaka. “What? shall theland of the Zulus suffer such a noise? Never! lest the cattle miscarry. To it,ye black ones! There lies the girl. She is asleep and helpless. Kill her! What?you hesitate? Nay, then, if you will have time for thought, I give it. Takethese men, smear them with honey, and pin them over ant-heaps; byto-morrow’s sun they will know their own minds. But first kill these twohunted jackals,” and he pointed to Baleka and myself. “They seemtired and doubtless they long for sleep.”

Then for the first time I spoke, for the soldiers drew near to slay us.

“O Chaka,” I cried, “I am Mopo, and this is my sisterBaleka.”

I stopped, and a great shout of laughter went up from all who stood round.

“Very well, Mopo and thy sister Baleka,” said Chaka, grimly.“Good-morning to you, Mopo and Baleka—also, good-night!”

“O Chaka,” I broke in, “I am Mopo, son of Makedama of theLangeni tribe. It was I who gave thee a gourd of water many years ago, when wewere both little. Then thou badest me come to thee when thou hadst grown great,vowing that thou wouldst protect me and never do me harm. So I have come,bringing my sister with me; and now, I pray thee, do not eat up the words oflong ago.”

As I spoke, Chaka’s face changed, and he listened earnestly, as a man whoholds his hand behind his ear. “Those are no liars,” he said.“Welcome, Mopo! Thou shalt be a dog in my hut, and feed from my hand. Butof thy sister I said nothing. Why, then, should she not be slain when I sworevengeance against all thy tribe, save thee alone?”

“Because she is too fair to slay, O Chief!” I answered, boldly;“also because I love her, and ask her life as a boon!”

“Turn the girl over,” said Chaka. And they did so, showing herface.

“Again thou speakest no lie, son of Makedama,” said the chief.“I grant thee the boon. She also shall lie in my hut, and be of thenumber of my ‘sisters.’ Now tell me thy tale, speaking only thetruth.”

So I sat down and told him all. Nor did he grow weary of listening. But, when Ihad done, he said but one thing—that he would that the dog Koos had notbeen killed; since, if he had still been alive, he would have set him on thehut of my father Makedama, and made him chief over the Langeni.

Then he spoke to the captain of the soldiers. “I take back mywords,” he said. “Let not these men of the Langeni be mutilated.One shall die and the other shall go free. Here,” and he pointed to theman whom we had seen led out of the kraal-gate, “here, Mopo, we have aman who has proved himself a coward. Yesterday a kraal of wizards yonder waseaten up by my order—perhaps you two saw it as you travelled. This manand three others attacked a soldier of that kraal who defended his wife andchildren. The man fought well—he slew three of my people. Then this dogwas afraid to meet him face to face. He killed him with a throwing assegai, andafterwards he stabbed the woman. That is nothing; but he should have fought thehusband hand to hand. Now I will do him honour. He shall fight to the deathwith one of these pigs from thy sty,” and he pointed with his spear tothe men of my father’s kraal, “and the one who survives shall berun down as they tried to run you down. I will send back the other pig to thesty with a message. Choose, children of Makedama, which of you willlive.”

Now the two men of my tribe were brothers, and loved one another, and each ofthem was willing to die that the other might go free. Therefore, both of themstepped forward, saying that they would fight the Zulu.

“What, is there honour among pigs?” said Chaka. “Then I willsettle it. See this assegai? I throw it into the air; if the blade fallsuppermost the tall man shall go free; if the shaft falls uppermost, then lifeis to the short one, so!” And he sent the little spear whirling round andround in the air. Every eye watched it as it wheeled and fell. The haft struckthe ground first.

“Come hither, thou,” said Chaka to the tall brother. “Hastenback to the kraal of Makedama, and say to him, Thus says Chaka, the Lion of theZulu-ka-Malandela, ‘Years ago thy tribe refused me milk. To-day the dogof thy son Mopo howls upon the roof of thy hut.’ Begone!”^[1]

[1] Among the Zulusit is a very bad omen for a dog to climb the roof of a hut. The saying conveyeda threat to be appreciated by every Zulu.—ED.

The man turned, shook his brother by the hand, and went, bearing the words ofevil omen.

Then Chaka called to the Zulu and the last of those who had followed us to killus, bidding them fight. So, when they had praised the prince they foughtfiercely, and the end of it was that the man of my people conquered the Zulu.But as soon as he had found his breath again he was set to run for his life,and after him ran five chosen men.

Still, it came about that he outran them, doubling like a hare, and got awaysafely. Nor was Chaka angry at this; for I think that he bade the men whohunted him to make speed slowly. There was only one good thing in the cruelheart of Chaka, that he would always save the life of a brave man if he coulddo so without making his word nothing. And for my part, I was glad to thinkthat the man of my people had conquered him who murdered the children of thedying woman that we found at the kraal beyond the river.

CHAPTER V.
MOPO BECOMES THE KING’S DOCTOR

These, then, my father, were the events that ended in the coming of me, Mopo,and of my sister Baleka to the kraal of Chaka, the Lion of the Zulu. Now youmay ask why have I kept you so long with this tale, which is as are other talesof our people. But that shall be seen, for from these matters, as a tree from aseed, grew the birth of Umslopogaas Bulalio, Umslopogaas the Slaughterer, andNada the Beautiful, of whose love my story has to tell. For Nada was mydaughter, and Umslopogaas, though few knew it, was none other than the son ofChaka, born of my sister Baleka.

Now when Baleka recovered from the weariness of our flight, and had her beautyagain, Chaka took her to wife, numbering her among his women, whom he named his“sisters.” And me Chaka took to be one of his doctors, of hisizinyangaof medicine, and he was so well pleased with my medicine thatin the end I became his head doctor. Now this was a great post, in which,during the course of years, I grew fat in cattle and in wives; but also it wasone of much danger. For when I rose strong and well in the morning, I couldnever know but that at night I should sleep stiff and red. Many were thedoctors whom Chaka slew; doctored they never so well, they were killed at last.For a day would surely come when the king felt ill in his body or heavy in hismind, and then to the assegai or the torment with the wizard who had doctoredhim! Yet I escaped, because of the power of my medicine, and also because ofthat oath which Chaka had sworn to me as a child. So it came about that wherethe king went there I went with him. I slept near his hut, I sat behind him atcouncil, in the battle I was ever at his side.

Ah! the battle! the battle! In those days we knew how to fight, my father! Inthose days the vultures would follow our impis by thousands, the hyenas wouldsteal along our path in packs, and none went empty away. Never may I forget thefirst fight I stood in at the side of Chaka. It was just after the king hadbuilt his great kraal on the south bank of the Umhlatuze. Then it was that thechief Zwide attacked his rival Chaka for the third time and Chaka moved out tomeet him with ten full regiments,^[1]now for the first time armed with the short stabbing-spear.

[1] About 30,000men.—ED.

The ground lay thus: On a long, low hill in front of our impi were massed theregiments of Zwide; there were seventeen of them; the earth was black withtheir number; their plumes filled the air like snow. We, too, were on a hill,and between us lay a valley down which there ran a little stream. All night ourfires shone out across the valley; all night the songs of soldiers echoed downthe hills. Then the grey dawning came, the oxen lowed to the light, theregiments arose from their bed of spears; they sprang up and shook the dew fromhair and shield—yes! they arose! the glad to die! The impi assumed itsarray regiment by regiment. There was the breast of spears, there were thehorns of spears, they were numberless as the stars, and like the stars theyshone. The morning breeze came up and fanned them, their plumes bent in thebreeze; like a plain of seeding grass they bent, the plumes of the soldiersripe for the assegai. Up over the shoulder of the hill came the sun ofSlaughter; it glowed red upon the red shields, red grew the place of killing;the white plumes of the chiefs were dipped in the blood of heaven. They knewit; they saw the omen of death, and, ah! they laughed in the joy of the wakingof battle. What was death? Was it not well to die on the spear? What was death?Was it not well to die for the king? Death was the arms of Victory. Victorywould be their bride that night, and oh! her breast is fair.

Hark! the war-song, the Ingomo, the music of which has the power to drive menmad, rose far away to the left, and was thrown along from regiment toregiment—a rolling ball of sound—

We are the king’s kine, bred to be butchered,
    You, too, are one of us!
We are the Zulu, children of the Lion,
    What! did you tremble?

Suddenly Chaka was seen stalking through the ranks, followed by his captains,his indunas, and by me. He walked along like a great buck; death was in hiseyes, and like a buck he sniffed the air, scenting the air of slaughter. Helifted his assegai, and a silence fell; only the sound of chanting still rolledalong the hills.

“Where are the children of Zwide?” he shouted, and his voice waslike the voice of a bull.

“Yonder, father,” answered the regiments. And every spear pointedacross the valley.

“They do not come,” he shouted again. “Shall we then sit heretill we grow old?”

“No, father,” they answered. “Begin! begin!”

“Let the Umkandhlu regiment come forward!” he shouted a third time,and as he spoke the black shields of the Umkandhlu leaped from the ranks of theimpi.

“Go, my children!” cried Chaka. “There is the foe. Go andreturn no more!”

“We hear you, father!” they answered with one voice, and moved downthe slope like a countless herd of game with horns of steel.

Now they crossed the stream, and now Zwide awoke. A murmur went through hiscompanies; lines of light played above his spears.

Ou!they are coming! Ou!they have met! Hearken to the thunder ofthe shields! Hearken to the song of battle!

To and fro they swing. The Umkandhlu gives way—it flies! They pour backacross the stream—half of them; the rest are dead. A howl of rage goes upfrom the host, only Chaka smiles.

“Open up! open up!” he cries. “Make room for the Umkandhlugirls!” And with hanging heads they pass us.

Now he whispers a word to the indunas. The indunas run; they whisper to Menziwathe general and to the captains; then two regiments rush down the hill, twomore run to the right, and yet another two to the left. But Chaka stays on thehill with the three that are left. Again comes the roar of the meeting shields.Ah! these are men: they fight, they do not run. Regiment after regiment poursupon them, but still they stand. They fall by hundreds and by thousands, but noman shows his back, and on each man there lie two dead. Wow!my father,of those two regiments not one escaped. They were but boys, but they were thechildren of Chaka. Menziwa was buried beneath the heaps of his warriors. Nowthere are no such men.

They are all dead and quiet. Chaka still holds his hand! He looks to the northand to the south. See! spears are shining among the trees. Now the horns of ourhost close upon the flanks of the foe. They slay and are slain, but the men ofZwide are many and brave, and the battle turns against us.

Then again Chaka speaks a word. The captains hear, the soldiers stretch outtheir necks to listen.

It has come at last. “Charge! Children of the Zulu!”

There is a roar, a thunder of feet, a flashing of spears, a bending of plumes,and, like a river that has burst its banks, like storm-clouds before the gale,we sweep down upon friend and foe. They form up to meet us; the stream ispassed; our wounded rise upon their haunches and wave us on. We trample themdown. What matter? They can fight no more. Then we meet Zwide rushing to greetus, as bull meets bull. Ou!my father, I know no more. Everything growsred. That fight! that fight! We swept them away. When it was done there wasnothing to be seen, but the hillside was black and red. Few fled; few were leftto fly. We passed over them like fire; we ate them up. Presently we paused,looking for the foe. All were dead. The host of Zwide was no more. Then wemustered. Ten regiments had looked upon the morning sun; three regiments sawthe sun sink; the rest had gone where no suns shine.

Such were our battles in the days of Chaka!

You ask of the Umkandhlu regiment which fled. I will tell you. When we reachedour kraal once more, Chaka summoned that regiment and mustered it. He spoke tothem gently, gently. He thanked them for their service. He said it was naturalthat “girls” should faint at the sight of blood and turn toseek their kraals. Yet he had bid them come back no more and they had comeback! What then was there now left for him to do? And he covered his face withhis blanket. Then the soldiers killed them all, nearly two thousand ofthem—killed them with taunts and jeers.

That is how we dealt with cowards in those days, my father. After that, oneZulu was a match for five of any other tribe. If ten came against him, still hedid not turn his back. “Fight and fall, but fly not,” that was ourwatchword. Never again while Chaka lived did a conquered force pass the gatesof the king’s kraal.

That fight was but one war out of many. With every moon a fresh impi started towash its spears, and came back few and thin, but with victory and countlesscattle. Tribe after tribe went down before us. Those of them who escaped theassegai were enrolled into fresh regiments, and thus, though men died bythousands every month, yet the army grew. Soon there were no other chiefs left.Umsuduka fell, and after him Mancengeza. Umzilikazi was driven north; Matiwanewas stamped flat. Then we poured into this land of Natal. When we entered, itspeople could not be numbered. When we left, here and there a man might be foundin a hole in the earth—that was all. Men, women, and children, we wipedthem out; the land was clean of them. Next came the turn of U’Faku, chiefof the Amapondos. Ah! where is U’Faku now?

And so it went on and on, till even the Zulus were weary of war and thesharpest assegais grew blunt.

CHAPTER VI.
THE BIRTH OF UMSLOPOGAAS

This was the rule of the life of Chaka, that he would have no children, thoughhe had many wives. Every child born to him by his “sisters” was putaway at once.

“What, Mopo,” he said to me, “shall I rear up children to putme to the assegai when they grow great? They call me tyrant. Say, how do thosechiefs die whom men name tyrants? They die at the hands of those whom they havebred. Nay, Mopo, I will rule for my life, and when I join the spirits of myfathers let the strongest take my power and my place!”

Now it chanced that shortly after Chaka had spoken thus, my sister Baleka, theking’s wife, fell in labour; and on that same day my wife Macropha wasbrought to bed of twins, and this but eight days after my second wife, Anadi,had given birth to a son. You ask, my father, how I came to be married, seeingthat Chaka forbade marriage to all his soldiers till they were in middle lifeand had put the man’s ring upon their heads. It was a boon he granted meas inyangaof medicine, saying it was well that a doctor should know thesicknesses of women and learn how to cure their evil tempers. As though, myfather, that were possible!

When the king heard that Baleka was sick he did not kill her outright, becausehe loved her a little, but he sent for me, commanding me to attend her, andwhen the child was born to cause its body to be brought to him, according tocustom, so that he might be sure that it was dead. I bent to the earth beforehim, and went to do his bidding with a heavy heart, for was not Baleka mysister? and would not her child be of my own blood? Still, it must be so, forChaka’s whisper was as the shout of other kings, and, if we dared todisobey, then our lives and the lives of all in our kraals would answer for it.Better that an infant should die than that we should become food for jackals.Presently I came to the Emposeni, the place of the king’s wives,and declared the king’s word to the soldiers on guard. They lowered theirassegais and let me pass, and I entered the hut of Baleka. In it were others ofthe king’s wives, but when they saw me they rose and went away, for itwas not lawful that they should stay where I was. Thus I was left alone with mysister.

For awhile she lay silent, and I did not speak, though I saw by the heaving ofher breast that she was weeping.

“Hush, little one!” I said at length; “your sorrow will soonbe done.”

“Nay,” she answered, lifting her head, “it will be but begun.Oh, cruel man! I know the reason of your coming. You come to murder the babethat shall be born of me.”

“It is the king’s word, woman.”

“It is the king’s word, and what is the king’s word? Have I,then, naught to say in this matter?”

“It is the king’s child, woman.”

“It is the king’s child, and it is not also my child? Must my babebe dragged from my breast and be strangled, and by you, Mopo? Have I not lovedyou, Mopo? Did I not flee with you from our people and the vengeance of ourfather? Do you know that not two moons gone the king was wroth with you becausehe fell sick, and would have caused you to be slain had I not pleaded for youand called his oath to mind? And thus you pay me: you come to kill my child, myfirst-born child!”

“It is the king’s word, woman,” I answered sternly; but myheart was split in two within me.

Then Baleka said no more, but, turning her face to the wall of the hut, shewept and groaned bitterly.

Now, as she wept I heard a stir without the hut, and the light in the doorwaywas darkened. A woman entered alone. I looked round to see who it was, thenfell upon the ground in salutation, for before me was Unandi, mother of theking, who was named “Mother of the Heavens,” that same lady to whommy mother had refused the milk.

“Hail, Mother of the Heavens!” I said.

“Greeting, Mopo,” she answered. “Say, why does Baleka weep?Is it because the sorrow of women is upon her?”

“Ask of her, great chieftainess,” I said.

Then Baleka spoke: “I weep, mother of a king, because this man, who is mybrother, has come from him who is my lord and thy son, to murder that whichshall be born of me. O thou whose breasts have given suck, plead for me! Thyson was not slain at birth.”

“Perhaps it were well if he had been so slain, Baleka,” saidUnandi; “then had many another man lived to look upon the sun who is nowdead.”

“At the least, as an infant he was good and gentle, and thou mightestlove him, Mother of the Zulu.”

“Never, Baleka! As a babe he bit my breast and tore my hair; as the manis so was the babe.”

“Yet may his child be otherwise, Mother of the Heavens! Think, thou hastno grandson to comfort thee in thy age. Wilt thou, then, see all thy stockwither? The king, our lord, lives in war. He too may die, and what then?”

“Then the root of Senzangacona is still green. Has the king nobrothers?”

“They are not of thy flesh, mother. What? thou dost not hearken! Then asa woman to woman I plead with thee. Save my child or slay me with mychild!”

Now the heart of Unandi grew gentle, and she was moved to tears.

“How may this be done, Mopo?” she said. “The king must seethe dead infant, and if he suspect, and even reeds have ears, you know theheart of Chaka and where we shall lie to-morrow.”

“Are there then no other new-born babes in Zululand?” said Baleka,sitting up and speaking in a whisper like the hiss of a snake. “Listen,Mopo! Is not your wife also in labour? Now hear me, Mother of the Heavens, and,my brother, hear me also. Do not think to play with me in this matter. I willsave my child or you twain will perish with it. For I will tell the king thatyou came to me, the two of you, and whispered plots into my ear—plots tosave the child and kill the king. Now choose, and swiftly!”

She sank bank, there was silence, and we looked one upon another. Then Unandispoke.

“Give me your hand, Mopo, and swear that you will be faithful to me inthis secret, as I swear to you. A day may come when this child who has not seenthe light rules as king in Zululand, and then in reward you shall be thegreatest of the people, the king’s voice, whisperer in the king’sear. But if you break your oath, then beware, for I shall not die alone!”

“I swear, Mother of the Heavens,” I answered.

“It is well, son of Makedama.”

“It is well, my brother,” said Baleka. “Now go and do thatwhich must be done swiftly, for my sorrow is upon me. Go, knowing that if youfail I will be pitiless, for I will bring you to your death, yes, even if myown death is the price!”

So I went. “Whither do you go?” asked the guard at the gate.

“I go to bring my medicines, men of the king,” I answered.

So I said; but, oh! my heart was heavy, and this was my plan—to fly farfrom Zululand. I could not, and I dared not do this thing. What? should I killmy own child that its life might be given for the life of the babe of Baleka?And should I lift up my will against the will of the king, saving the child tolook upon the sun which he had doomed to darkness? Nay, I would fly, leavingall, and seek out some far tribe where I might begin to live again. Here Icould not live; here in the shadow of Chaka was nothing but death.

I reached my own huts, there to find that my wife Macropha was delivered oftwins. I sent away all in the hut except my other wife, Anadi, she who eightdays gone had borne me a son. The second of the twins was born; it was a boy,born dead. The first was a girl, she who lived to be Nada the Beautiful, Nadathe Lily. Then a thought came into my heart. Here was a path to run on.

“Give me the boy,” I said to Anadi. “He is not dead. Give himto me that I may take him outside the kraal and wake him to life by mymedicine.”

“It is of no use—the child is dead,” said Anadi.

“Give him to me, woman!” I said fiercely. And she gave me the body.

Then I took him and wrapped him up in my bundle of medicines, and outside ofall I rolled a mat of plaited grass.

“Suffer none to enter the hut till I return,” I said; “andspeak no word of the child that seems to be dead. If you allow any to enter, orif you speak a word, then my medicine will not work and the babe will be deadindeed.”

So I went, leaving the women wondering, for it is not our custom to save bothwhen twins are born; but I ran swiftly to the gates of the Emposeni.

“I bring the medicines, men of the king!” I said to the guards.

“Pass in,” they answered.

I passed through the gates and into the hut of Baleka. Unandi was alone in thehut with my sister.

“The child is born,” said the mother of the king. “Look athim, Mopo, son of Makedama!”

I looked. He was a great child with large black eyes like the eyes of Chaka theking; and Unandi, too, looked at me. “Where is it?” she whispered.

I loosed the mat and drew the dead child from the medicines, glancing roundfearfully as I did so.

“Give me the living babe,” I whispered back.

They gave it to me and I took of a drug that I knew and rubbed it on the tongueof the child. Now this drug has the power to make the tongue it touches dumbfor awhile. Then I wrapped up the child in my medicines and again bound the matabout the bundle. But round the throat of the still-born babe I tied a stringof fibre as though I had strangled it, and wrapped it loosely in a piece ofmatting.

Now for the first time I spoke to Baleka: “Woman,” I said,“and thou also, Mother of the Heavens, I have done your wish, but knowthat before all is finished this deed shall bring about the death of many. Besecret as the grave, for the grave yawns for you both.”

I went again, bearing the mat containing the dead child in my right hand. Butthe bundle of medicines that held the living one I fastened across myshoulders. I passed out of the Emposeni, and, as I went, I held up thebundle in my right hand to the guards, showing them that which was in it, butsaying nothing.

“It is good,” they said, nodding.

But now ill-fortune found me, for just outside the EmposeniI met threeof the king’s messengers.

“Greeting, son of Makedama!” they said. “The king summons youto the Intunkulu”—that is the royal house, my father.

“Good!” I answered. “I will come now; but first I would runto my own place to see how it goes with Macropha, my wife. Here is that whichthe king seeks,” and I showed them the dead child. “Take it to himif you will.”

“That is not the king’s command, Mopo,” they answered.“His word is that you should stand before him at once.”

Now my heart turned to water in my breast. Kings have many ears. Could he haveheard? And how dared I go before the Lion bearing his living child hidden on myback? Yet to waver was to be lost, to show fear was to be lost, to disobey wasto be lost.

“Good! I come,” I answered. And we walked to the gate of theIntunkulu.

It was sundown. Chaka was sitting in the little courtyard in front of his hut.I went down on my knees before him and gave the royal salute, Bayéte,and so I stayed.

“Rise, son of Makedama!” he said.

“I cannot rise, Lion of the Zulu,” I answered, “I cannotrise, having royal blood on my hands, till the king has pardoned me.”

“Where is it?” he asked.

I pointed to the mat in my hand.

“Let me look at it.”

Then I undid the mat, and he looked on the child, and laughed aloud.

“He might have been a king,” he said, as he bade a councillor takeit away. “Mopo, thou hast slain one who might have been a king. Art thounot afraid?”

“No, Black One,” I answered, “the child is killed by order ofone who is a king.”

“Sit down, and let us talk,” said Chaka, for his mood was idle.“To-morrow thou shalt have five oxen for this deed; thou shalt choosethem from the royal herd.”

“The king is good; he sees that my belt is drawn tight; he satisfies myhunger. Will the king suffer that I go? My wife is in labour and I would visither.”

“Nay, stay awhile; say how it is with Baleka, my sister and thine?”

“It is well.”

“Did she weep when you took the babe from her?”

“Nay, she wept not. She said, ‘My lord’s will is mywill.’”

“Good! Had she wept she had been slain also. Who was with her?”

“The Mother of the Heavens.”

The brow of Chaka darkened. “Unandi, my mother, what did she there? Bymyself I swear, though she is my mother—if I thought”—and heceased.

There was a silence, then he spoke again. “Say, what is in thatmat?” and he pointed with his little assegai at the bundle on myshoulders.

“Medicine, king.”

“Thou dost carry enough to doctor an impi. Undo the mat and let me lookat it.”

“Now, my father, I tell you that the marrow melted in my bones withterror, for if I undid the mat I feared he must see the child andthen—”

“It is tagati, it is bewitched, O king. It is not wise to look onmedicine.”

“Open!” he answered angrily. “What? may I not look at thatwhich I am forced to swallow—I, who am the first of doctors?”

“Death is the king’s medicine,” I answered, lifting thebundle, and laying it as far from him in the shadow of the fence as I dared.Then I bent over it, slowly undoing the rimpis with which it was tied, whilethe sweat of terror ran down my face blinding me like tears. What would I do ifhe saw the child? What if the child awoke and cried? I would snatch the assegaifrom his hand and stab him! Yes, I would kill the king and then kill myself!Now the mat was unrolled. Inside were the brown leaves and roots of medicine;beneath them was the senseless babe wrapped in dead moss.

“Ugly stuff,” said the king, taking snuff. “Now see, Mopo,what a good aim I have! This for thy medicine!” And he lifted his assegaito throw it through the bundle. But as he threw, my snake put it into theking’s heart to sneeze, and thus it came to pass that the assegai onlypierced the outer leaves of the medicine, and did not touch the child.

“May the heavens bless the king!” I said, according to custom.

“Thanks to thee, Mopo, it is a good omen,” he answered. “Andnow, begone! Take my advice: kill thy children, as I kill mine, lest they liveto worry thee. The whelps of lions are best drowned.”

I did up the bundle fast—fast, though my hands trembled. Oh! what if thechild should wake and cry. It was done; I rose and saluted the king. Then Idoubled myself up and passed from before him. Scarcely was I outside the gatesof the Intunkuluwhen the infant began to squeak in the bundle. If ithad been one minute before!

“What,” said a soldier, as I passed, “have you got a puppyhidden under your moocha,^[1]Mopo?”

[1] Girdle composedof skin and tails of oxen.-ED.

I made no answer, but hurried on till I came to my huts. I entered; there weremy two wives alone.

“I have recovered the child, women,” I said, as I undid the bundle.

Anadi took him and looked at him.

“The boy seems bigger than he was,” she said.

“The breath of life has come into him and puffed him out,” Ianswered.

“His eyes are not as his eyes were,” she said again. “Nowthey are big and black, like the eyes of the king.”

“My spirit looked upon his eyes and made them beautiful,” Ianswered.

“This child has a birth-mark on his thigh,” she said a third time.“That which I gave you had no mark.”

“I laid my medicine there,” I answered.

“It is not the same child,” she said sullenly. “It is achangeling who will lay ill-luck at our doors.”

Then I rose up in my rage and cursed her heavily, for I saw that if she was notstopped this woman’s tongue would bring us all to ruin.

“Peace, witch!” I cried. “How dare you to speak thus from alying heart? Do you wish to draw down a curse upon our roof? Would you make usall food for the king’s spear? Say such words again, and you shall sitwithin the circle—the Ingombocoshall know you for a witch!”

So I stormed on, threatening to bring her to death, till at length she grewfearful, and fell at my feet praying for mercy and forgiveness. But I was muchafraid because of this woman’s tongue, and not without reason.

CHAPTER VII.
UMSLOPOGAAS ANSWERS THE KING

Now the years went on, and this matter slept. Nothing more was heard of it, butstill it only slept; and, my father, I feared greatly for the hour when itshould awake. For the secret was known by two women—Unandi, Mother of theHeavens, and Baleka, my sister, wife of the king; and by twomore—Macropha and Anadi, my wives—it was guessed at. How, then,should it remain a secret forever? Moreover, it came about that Unandi andBaleka could not restrain their fondness for this child who was called my sonand named Umslopogaas, but who was the son of Chaka, the king, and of Baleka,and the grandson of Unandi. So it happened that very often one or the other ofthem would come into my hut, making pretence to visit my wives, and take theboy upon her lap and fondle it. In vain did I pray them to forbear. Love pulledat their heart-strings more heavily than my words, and still they came. Thiswas the end of it—that Chaka saw the child sitting on the knee of Unandi,his mother.

“What does my mother with that brat of thine, Mopo?” he asked ofme. “Cannot she kiss me, if she will find a child to kiss?” And helaughed like a wolf.

I said that I did not know, and the matter passed over for awhile. But afterthat Chaka caused his mother to be watched. Now the boy Umslopogaas grew greatand strong; there was no such lad of his years for a day’s journey round.But from a babe he was somewhat surly, of few words, and like his father,Chaka, afraid of nothing. In all the world there were but two people whom heloved—these were I, Mopo, who was called his father, and Nada, she whowas said to be his twin sister.

Now it must be told of Nada that as the boy Umslopogaas was the strongest andbravest of children, so the girl Nada was the gentlest and most fair. Of atruth, my father, I believe that her blood was not all Zulu, though this Icannot say for certain. At the least, her eyes were softer and larger thanthose of our people, her hair longer and less tightly curled, and her skin waslighter—more of the colour of pure copper. These things she had from hermother, Macropha; though she was fairer than Macropha—fairer, indeed,than any woman of my people whom I have seen. Her mother, Macropha, my wife,was of Swazi blood, and was brought to the king’s kraal with othercaptives after a raid, and given to me as a wife by the king. It was said thatshe was the daughter of a Swazi headman of the tribe of the Halakazi, and thatshe was born of his wife is true, but whether he was her father I do not know;for I have heard from the lips of Macropha herself, that before she was bornthere was a white man staying at her father’s kraal. He was a Portuguesefrom the coast, a handsome man, and skilled in the working of iron. This whiteman loved the mother of my wife, Macropha, and some held that Macropha was hisdaughter, and not that of the Swazi headman. At least I know this, that beforemy wife’s birth the Swazi killed the white man. But none can tell thetruth of these matters, and I only speak of them because the beauty of Nada wasrather as is the beauty of the white people than of ours, and this might wellhappen if her grandfather chanced to be a white man.

Now Umslopogaas and Nada were always together. Together they ate, together theyslept and wandered; they thought one thought and spoke with one tongue.Ou!it was pretty to see them! Twice while they were still children didUmslopogaas save the life of Nada.

The first time it came about thus. The two children had wandered far from thekraal, seeking certain berries that little ones love. On they wandered and on,singing as they went, till at length they found the berries, and ate heartily.Then it was near sundown, and when they had eaten they fell asleep. In thenight they woke to find a great wind blowing and a cold rain falling on them,for it was the beginning of winter, when fruits are ripe.

“Up, Nada!” said Umslopogaas, “we must seek the kraal or thecold will kill us.”

So Nada rose, frightened, and hand in hand they stumbled through the darkness.But in the wind and the night they lost their path, and when at length the dawncame they were in a forest that was strange to them. They rested awhile, andfinding berries ate them, then walked again. All that day they wandered, tillat last the night came down, and they plucked branches of trees and piled thebranches over them for warmth, and they were so weary that they fell asleep ineach other’s arms. At dawn they rose, but now they were very tired andberries were few, so that by midday they were spent. Then they lay down on theside of a steep hill, and Nada laid her head upon the breast of Umslopogaas.

“Here let us die, my brother,” she said.

But even then the boy had a great spirit, and he answered, “Time to die,sister, when Death chooses us. See, now! Do you rest here, and I will climb thehill and look across the forest.”

So he left her and climbed the hill, and on its side he found many berries anda root that is good for food, and filled himself with them. At length he cameto the crest of the hill and looked out across the sea of green. Lo! there, faraway to the east, he saw a line of white that lay like smoke against the blacksurface of a cliff, and knew it for the waterfall beyond the royal town. Thenhe came down the hill, shouting for joy and bearing roots and berries in hishand. But when he reached the spot where Nada was, he found that her senses hadleft her through hunger, cold, and weariness. She lay upon the ground like oneasleep, and over her stood a jackal that fled as he drew nigh. Now it wouldseem that there were but two shoots to the stick of Umslopogaas. One was tosave himself, and the other to lie down and die by Nada. Yet he found a third,for, undoing the strips of his moocha, he made ropes of them, and with theropes he bound Nada on his back and started for the king’s kraal. Hecould never have reached it, for the way was long, yet at evening somemessengers running through the forest came upon a naked lad with a girl boundto his back and a staff in his hand, who staggered along slowly with startingeyes and foam upon his lips. He could not speak, he was so weary, and the ropeshad cut through the skin of his shoulders; yet one of the messengers knew himfor Umslopogaas, the son of Mopo, and they bore him to the kraal. They wouldhave left the girl Nada, thinking her dead, but he pointed to her breast, and,feeling it, they found that her heart still beat, so they brought her also; andthe end of it was that both recovered and loved each other more than everbefore.

Now after this, I, Mopo, bade Umslopogaas stay at home within the kraal, andnot lead his sister to the wilds. But the boy loved roaming like a fox, andwhere he went there Nada followed. So it came about that one day they slippedfrom the kraal when the gates were open, and sought out a certain deep glenwhich had an evil name, for it was said that spirits haunted it and put thoseto death who entered there. Whether this was true I do not know, but I knowthat in the glen dwelt a certain woman of the woods, who had her habitation ina cave and lived upon what she could kill or steal or dig up with her hands.Now this woman was mad. For it had chanced that her husband had been“smelt out” by the witch-doctors as a worker of magic against theking, and slain. Then Chaka, according to custom, despatched the slayers to eatup his kraal, and they came to the kraal and killed his people. Last of allthey killed his children, three young girls, and would have assegaied theirmother, when suddenly a spirit entered into her at the sight, and she went mad,so that they let her go, being afraid to touch her afterwards. So she fled andtook up her abode in the haunted glen; and this was the nature of her madness,that whenever she saw children, and more especially girl children, a longingcame upon her to kill them as her own had been killed. This, indeed, she didoften, for when the moon was full and her madness at its highest, she wouldtravel far to find children, snatching them away from the kraals like a hyena.Still, none would touch her because of the spirit in her, not even those whosechildren she had murdered.

So Umslopogaas and Nada came to the glen where the child-slayer lived, and satdown by a pool of water not far from the mouth of her cave, weaving flowersinto a garland. Presently Umslopogaas left Nada, to search for rock lilieswhich she loved. As he went he called back to her, and his voice awoke thewoman who was sleeping in her cave, for she came out by night only, like ajackal. Then the woman stepped forth, smelling blood and having a spear in herhand. Presently she saw Nada seated upon the grass weaving flowers, and crepttowards her to kill her. Now as she came—so the child toldme—suddenly a cold wind seemed to breathe upon Nada, and fear took holdof her, though she did not see the woman who would murder her. She let fall theflowers, and looked before her into the pool, and there, mirrored in the pool,she saw the greedy face of the child-slayer, who crept down upon her fromabove, her hair hanging about her brow and her eyes shining like the eyes of alion.

Then with a cry Nada sprang up and fled along the path which Umslopogaas hadtaken, and after her leapt and ran the mad woman. Umslopogaas heard her cry. Heturned and rushed back over the brow of the hill, and, lo! there before him wasthe murderess. Already she had grasped Nada by the hair, already her spear waslifted to pierce her. Umslopogaas had no spear, he had nothing but a littlestick without a knob; yet with it he rushed at the mad woman and struck her sosmartly on the arm that she let go of the girl and turned on him with a yell.Then, lifting her spear, she struck at him, but he leapt aside. Again shestruck; but he sprang into the air, and the spear passed beneath him. A thirdtime the woman struck, and, though he fell to earth to avoid the blow, yet theassegai pierced his shoulder. But the weight of his body as he fell twisted itfrom her hand, and before she could grasp him he was up, and beyond her reach,the spear still fast in his shoulder.

Then the woman turned, screaming with rage and madness, and ran at Nada to killher with her hands. But Umslopogaas set his teeth, and, drawing the spear fromhis wound, charged her, shouting. She lifted a great stone and hurled it athim—so hard that it flew into fragments against another stone which itstruck; yet he charged on, and smote at her so truly that he drove the spearthrough her, and she fell down dead. After that Nada bound up his wound, whichwas deep, and with much pain he reached the king’s kraal and told me thisstory.

Now there were some who cried that the boy must be put to death, because he hadkilled one possessed with a spirit. But I said no, he should not be touched. Hehad killed the woman in defence of his own life and the life of his sister; andevery one had a right to slay in self-defence, except as against the king orthose who did the king’s bidding. Moreover, I said, if the woman had aspirit, it was an evil one, for no good spirit would ask the lives of children,but rather those of cattle, for it is against our custom to sacrifice humanbeings to the Amatongaeven in war, though the Basuta dogs do so. Still,the tumult grew, for the witch-doctors were set upon the boy’s death,saying that evil would come of it if he was allowed to live, having killed oneinspired, and at last the matter came to the ears of the king. Then Chakasummoned me and the boy before him, and he also summoned the witch-doctors.

First, the witch-doctors set out their case, demanding the death ofUmslopogaas. Chaka asked them what would happen if the boy was not killed. Theyanswered that the spirit of the dead woman would lead him to bring evil on theroyal house. Chaka asked if he would bring evil on him, the king. They in turnasked the spirits, and answered no, not on him, but on one of the royal housewho should be after him. Chaka said that he cared nothing what happened tothose who came after him, or whether good or evil befell them. Then he spoke toUmslopogaas, who looked him boldly in the face, as an equal looks at an equal.

“Boy,” he said, “what hast thou to say as to why thoushouldst not be killed as these men demand?”

“This, Black One,” answered Umslopogaas; “that I stabbed thewoman in defence of my own life.”

“That is nothing,” said Chaka. “If I, the king, wished tokill thee, mightest thou therefore kill me or those whom I sent? TheItongoin the woman was a Spirit King and ordered her to kill thee; thoushouldst then have let thyself be killed. Hast thou no other reason?”

“This, Elephant,” answered Umslopogaas; “the woman would havemurdered my sister, whom I love better than my life.”

“That is nothing,” said Chaka. “If I ordered thee to bekilled for any cause, should I not also order all within thy gates to be killedwith thee? May not, then, a Spirit King do likewise? If thou hast nothing moreto say thou must die.”

Now I grew afraid, for I feared lest Chaka should slay him who was called myson because of the word of the doctors. But the boy Umslopogaas looked up andanswered boldly, not as one who pleads for his life, but as one who demands aright:—

“I have this to say, Eater-up of Enemies, and if it is not enough, let usstop talking, and let me be killed. Thou, O king, didst command that this womanshould be slain. Those whom thou didst send to destroy her spared her, becausethey thought her mad. I have carried out the commandment of the king; I haveslain her, mad or sane, whom the king commanded should be killed, and I haveearned not death, but a reward.”

“Well said, Umslopogaas!” answered Chaka. “Let ten head ofcattle be given to this boy with the heart of a man; his father shall guardthem for him. Art thou satisfied now, Umslopogaas?”

“I take that which is due to me, and I thank the king because he need notpay unless he will,” Umslopogaas answered.

Chaka stared awhile, began to grow angry, then burst out laughing.

“Why, this calf is such another one as was dropped long ago in the kraalof Senzangacona!” he said. “As I was, so is this boy. Go on, lad,in that path, and thou mayst find those who shall cry the royal salute ofBayéteto thee at the end of it. Only keep out of my way, for two of akind might not agree. Now begone!”

So we went out, but as we passed them I saw the doctors muttering together, forthey were ill-pleased and foreboded evil. Also they were jealous of me, andwished to smite me through the heart of him who was called my son.

CHAPTER VIII.
THE GREAT INGOMBOCO

After this there was quiet until the Feast of the First-fruits was ended. Butfew people were killed at this feast, though there was a greatIngomboco, or witch-hunt, and many were smelt out by the witch-doctorsas working magic against the king. Now things had come to this pass inZululand—that the whole people cowered before the witch-doctors. No manmight sleep safe, for none knew but that on the morrow he would be touched bythe wand of an Isanusi, as we name a finder of witches, and led away tohis death. For awhile Chaka said nothing, and so long as the doctors smelt outthose only whom he wished to get rid of—and they were many—he waswell pleased. But when they began to work for their own ends, and to do thoseto death whom he did not desire to kill, he grew angry. Yet the custom of theland was that he whom the witch-doctor touched must die, he and all his house;therefore the king was in a cleft stick, for he scarcely dared to save eventhose whom he loved. One night I came to doctor him, for he was sick in hismind. On that very day there had been an Ingomboco, and five of thebravest captains of the army had been smelt out by the Abangoma, thewitch-finders, together with many others. All had been destroyed, and men hadbeen sent to kill the wives and children of the dead. Now Chaka was very angryat this slaying, and opened his heart to me.

“The witch-doctors rule in Zululand, and not I, Mopo, son ofMakedama,” he said to me. “Where, then, is it to end? Shall Imyself be smelt out and slain? These Isanusisare too strong for me;they lie upon the land like the shadow of night. Tell me, how may I be free ofthem?”

“Those who walk the Bridge of Spears, O king, fall off intoNowhere,” I answered darkly; “even witch-doctors cannot keep afooting on that bridge. Has not a witch-doctor a heart that can cease to beat?Has he not blood that can be made to flow?”

Chaka looked at me strangely. “Thou art a bold man who darest to speakthus to me, Mopo,” he said. “Dost thou not know that it issacrilege to touch an Isanusi?”

“I speak that which is in the king’s mind,” I answered.“Hearken, O king! It is indeed sacrilege to touch a true Isanusi,but what if the Isanusibe a liar? What if he smell out falsely,bringing those to death who are innocent of evil? Is it then sacrilege to bringhim to that end which he has given to many another? Say, O king!”

“Good words!” answered Chaka. “Now tell me, son of Makedama,how may this matter be put to proof?”

Then I leaned forward, whispering into the ear of the Black One, and he noddedheavily.

Thus I spoke then, because I, too, saw the evil of the Isanusis, I whoknew their secrets. Also, I feared for my own life and for the lives of allthose who were dear to me. For they hated me as one instructed in their magic,one who had the seeing eye and the hearing ear.

One morning thereafter a new thing came to pass in the royal kraal, for theking himself ran out, crying aloud to all people to come and see the evil thathad been worked upon him by a wizard. They came together and saw this. On thedoor-posts of the gateway of the Intunkulu, the house of the king, weregreat smears of blood. The knees of men strong in the battle trembled when theysaw it; women wailed aloud as they wail over the dead; they wailed because ofthe horror of the omen.

“Who has done this thing?” cried Chaka in a terrible voice.“Who has dared to bewitch the king and to strike blood upon hishouse?”

There was no answer, and Chaka spoke again. “This is no littlematter,” he said, “to be washed away with the blood of one or twoand be forgotten. The man who wrought it shall not die alone or travel with afew to the world of spirits. All his tribe shall go with him, down to the babyin his hut and cattle in his kraal! Let messengers go out east and west, andnorth and south, and summon the witch-doctors from every quarter! Let themsummon the captains from every regiment and the headmen from every kraal! Onthe tenth day from now the circle of the Ingombocomust be set, andthere shall be such a smelling out of wizards and of witches as has not beenknown in Zululand!”

So the messengers went out to do the bidding of the king, taking the names ofthose who should be summoned from the lips of the indunas, and day by daypeople flocked up to the gates of the royal kraal, and, creeping on their kneesbefore the majesty of the king, praised him aloud. But he vouchsafed an answerto none. One noble only he caused to be killed, because he carried in his handa stick of the royal red wood, which Chaka himself had given him in bygoneyears.^[1]

[1] This beautifulwood is known in Natal as “red ivory.”—ED.

On the last night before the forming of the Ingomboco, thewitch-doctors, male and female, entered the kraal. There were a hundred and ahalf of them, and they were made hideous and terrible with the white bones ofmen, with bladders of fish and of oxen, with fat of wizards, and with skins ofsnakes. They walked in silence till they came in front of the Intunkulu,the royal house; then they stopped and sang this song for the king tohear:—

We have come, O king, we have come from the caves and the rocks and theswamps,
    To wash in the blood of the slain;
We have gathered our host from the air as vultures are gathered in war
    When they scent the blood of the slain.

We come not alone, O king: with each Wise One there passes a ghost,
    Who hisses the name of the doomed.
We come not alone, for we are the sons and Indunas of Death,
    And he guides our feet to the doomed.

Red rises the moon o’er the plain, red sinks the sun in the west,
    Look, wizards, and bid them farewell!
We count you by hundreds, you who cried for a curse on the king.
    Ha! soon shall we bid youfarewell!

Then they were silent, and went in silence to the place appointed for them,there to pass the night in mutterings and magic. But those who were gatheredtogether shivered with fear when they heard their words, for they knew wellthat many a man would be switched with the gnu’s tail before the sun sankonce more. And I, too, trembled, for my heart was full of fear. Ah! my father,those were evil days to live in when Chaka ruled, and death met us at everyturn! Then no man might call his life his own, or that of his wife or child, oranything. All were the king’s, and what war spared that the witch-doctorstook.

The morning dawned heavily, and before it was well light the heralds were outsummoning all to the king’s Ingomboco. Men came by hundreds,carrying short sticks only—for to be seen armed was death—andseated themselves in the great circle before the gates of the royal house. Oh!their looks were sad, and they had little stomach for eating that morning, theywho were food for death. They seated themselves; then round them on the outsideof the circle gathered knots of warriors, chosen men, great and fierce, armedwith kerries only. These were the slayers.

When all was ready, the king came out, followed by his indunas and by me. As heappeared, wrapped in the kaross of tiger-skins and towering a head higher thanany man there, all the multitude—and it was many as the game on thehills—cast themselves to earth, and from every lip sharp and sudden wentup the royal salute of Bayéte. But Chaka took no note; his brow wascloudy as a mountain-top. He cast one glance at the people and one at theslayers, and wherever his eye fell men turned grey with fear. Then he stalkedon, and sat himself upon a stool to the north of the great ring looking towardthe open space.

For awhile there was silence; then from the gates of the women’s quarterscame a band of maidens arrayed in their beaded dancing-dresses, and carryinggreen branches in their hands. As they came, they clapped their hands and sangsoftly:—

We are the heralds of the king’s feast. Ai! Ai!
    Vultures shall eat it. Ah! Ah!
It is good—it is good to die for the king!

They ceased, and ranged themselves in a body behind us. Then Chaka held up hishand, and there was a patter of running feet. Presently from behind the royalhuts appeared the great company of the Abangoma, thewitch-doctors—men to the right and women to the left. In the left hand ofeach was the tail of a vilderbeeste, in the right a bundle of assegais and alittle shield. They were awful to see, and the bones about them rattled as theyran, the bladders and the snake-skins floated in the air behind them, theirfaces shone with the fat of anointing, their eyes started like the eyes offishes, and their lips twitched hungrily as they glared round the death-ring.Ha! ha! little did those evil children guess who should be the slayers and whoshould be the slain before that sun sank!

On they came, like a grey company of the dead. On they came in silence brokenonly by the patter of their feet and the dry rattling of their bony necklets,till they stood in long ranks before the Black One. Awhile they stood thus,then suddenly every one of them thrust forward the little shield in his hand,and with a single voice they cried, “Hail, Father!”

“Hail, my children!” answered Chaka.

“What seekest thou, Father?” they cried again. “Blood?”

“The blood of the guilty,” he answered.

They turned and spoke each to each; the company of the men spoke to the companyof the women.

“The Lion of the Zulu seeks blood.”

“He shall be fed!” screamed the women.

“The Lion of the Zulu smells blood.”

“He shall see it!” screamed the women.

“His eyes search out the wizards.”

“He shall count their dead!” screamed the women.

“Peace!” cried Chaka. “Waste not the hours in talk, but tothe work. Hearken! Wizards have bewitched me! Wizards have dared to smite bloodupon the gateways of the king. Dig in the burrows of the earth and find them,ye rats! Fly through the paths of the air and find them, ye vultures! Smell atthe gates of the people and name them, ye jackals! ye hunters in the night!Drag them from the caves if they be hidden, from the distance if they be fled,from the graves if they be dead. To the work! to the work! Show them to metruly, and your gifts shall be great; and for them, if they be a nation, theyshall be slain. Now begin. Begin by companies of ten, for you are many, and allmust be finished ere the sun sink.”

“It shall be finished, Father,” they answered.

Then ten of the women stood forward, and at their head was the most famouswitch-doctress of that day—an aged woman named Nobela, a woman to whoseeyes the darkness was no evil, whose scent was keen as a dog’s, who heardthe voices of the dead as they cried in the night, and spoke truly of what sheheard. All the other Isanusis, male and female, sat down in a half-moonfacing the king, but this woman drew forward, and with her came nine of hersisterhood. They turned east and west, north and south, searching the heavens;they turned east and west, north and south, searching the earth; they turnedeast and west, north and south, searching the hearts of men. Then they creptround and round the great ring like cats; then they threw themselves upon theearth and smelt it. And all the time there was silence, silence deep asmidnight, and in it men hearkened to the beating of their hearts; only now andagain the vultures shrieked in the trees.

At length Nobela spoke:—

“Do you smell him, sisters?”

“We smell him,” they answered.

“Does he sit in the east, sisters?”

“He sits in the east,” they answered.

“Is he the son of a stranger, sisters?”

“He is the son of a stranger.”

Then they crept nearer, crept on their hands and knees, till they were withinten paces of where I sat among the indunas near to the king. The indunas lookedon each other and grew grey with fear; and for me, my father, my knees wereloosened and my marrow turned to water in my bones. For I knew well who wasthat son of a stranger of whom they spoke. It was I, my father, I who was aboutto be smelt out; and if I was smelt out I should be killed with all my house,for the king’s oath would scarcely avail me against the witch-doctors. Ilooked at the fierce faces of the Isanusisbefore me, as they crept,crept like snakes. I glanced behind and saw the slayers grasping their kerriesfor the deed of death, and I say I felt like one for whom the bitterness isoverpast. Then I remembered the words which the king and I had whisperedtogether of the cause for which this Ingombocowas set, and hope creptback to me like the first gleam of the dawn upon a stormy night. Still I didnot hope overmuch, for it well might happen that the king had but set a trap tocatch me.

Now they were quite near and halted.

“Have we dreamed falsely, sisters?” asked Nobela, the aged.

“What we dreamed in the night we see in the day,” they answered.

“Shall I whisper his name in your ears, sisters?”

They lifted their heads from the ground like snakes and nodded, and as theynodded the necklets of bones rattled on their skinny necks. Then they drewtheir heads to a circle, and Nobela thrust hers into the centre of the circleand said a word.

“Ha! ha!” they laughed, “we hear you! His is the name. Lethim be named by it in the face of Heaven, him and all his house; then let himhear no other name forever!”

And suddenly they sprang up and rushed towards me, Nobela, the agedIsanusi, at their head. They leaped at me, pointing to me with the tailsof the vilderbeestes in their hands. Then Nobela switched me in the face withthe tail of the beast, and cried aloud:—

“Greeting, Mopo, son of Makedama! Thou art the man who smotest blood onthe door-posts of the king to bewitch the king. Let thy house be stampedflat!”

I saw her come, I felt the blow on my face as a man feels in a dream. I heardthe feet of the slayers as they bounded forward to hale me to the dreadfuldeath, but my tongue clave to the roof of my mouth—I could not say aword. I glanced at the king, and, as I did so, I thought that I heard himmutter: “Near the mark, not in it.”

Then he held up his spear, and all was silence. The slayers stopped in theirstride, the witch-doctors stood with outstretched arms, the world of men was asthough it had been frozen into sleep.

“Hold!” he said. “Stand aside, son of Makedama, who art namedan evildoer! Stand aside, thou, Nobela, and those with thee who have named himevildoer! What? Shall I be satisfied with the life of one dog? Smell on, yevultures, company by company, smell on! For the day the labour, at night thefeast!”

So I rose, astonished, and stood on one side. The witch-doctresses also stoodon one side, wonderstruck, since no such smelling out as this had been seen inthe land. For till this hour, when a man was swept with the gnu’s tail ofthe Isanusithat was the instant of his death. Why, then, men asked intheir hearts, was the death delayed? The witch-doctors asked it also, andlooked to the king for light, as men look to a thunder-cloud for the flash. Butfrom the Black One there came no word.

So we stood on one side, and a second party of the Isanusiwomen begantheir rites. As the others had done, so they did, and yet they workedotherwise, for this is the fashion of the Isanusis, that no two of themsmell out in the same way. And this party swept the faces of certain of theking’s councillors, naming them guilty of the witch-work.

“Stand ye on one side!” said the king to those who had been smeltout; “and ye who have hunted out their wickedness, stand ye with thosewho named Mopo, son of Makedama. It well may be that all are guilty.”

So these stood on one side also, and a third party took up the tale. And theynamed certain of the great generals, and were in turn bidden to stand on oneside together with those whom they had named.

So it went on through all the day. Company by company the women doomed theirvictims, till there were no more left in their number, and were commanded tostand aside together with those whom they had doomed. Then the maleIsanusisbegan, and I could see well that by this time their hearts werefearful, for they smelt a snare. Yet the king’s bidding must be done, andthough their magic failed them here, victims must be found. So they smelt outthis man and that man till we were a great company of the doomed, who sat insilence on the ground looking at each other with sad eyes and watching the sun,which we deemed our last, climb slowly down the sky. And ever as the day wanedthose who were left untried of the witch-doctors grew madder and more fierce.They leaped into the air, they ground their teeth, and rolled upon the ground.They drew forth snakes and devoured them alive, they shrieked out to thespirits and called upon the names of ancient kings.

At length it drew on to evening, and the last company of the witch-doctors didtheir work, smelling out some of the keepers of the Emposeni, the houseof the women. But there was one man of their company, a young man and a tall,who held back and took no share in the work, but stood by himself in the centreof the great circle, fixing his eyes on the heavens.

And when this company had been ordered to stand aside also together with thosewhom they had smelt out, the king called aloud to the last of thewitch-doctors, asking him of his name and tribe, and why he alone did not dohis office.

“My name is Indabazimbi, the son of Arpi, O king,” he answered,“and I am of the tribe of the Maquilisini. Does the king bid me to smellout him of whom the spirits have spoken to me as the worker of thisdeed?”

“I bid thee,” said the king.

Then the young man Indabazimbi stepped straight forward across the ring, makingno cries or gestures, but as one who walks from his gate to the cattle kraal,and suddenly he struck the king in the face with the tail in his hand, saying,“I smell out the Heavens above me!”^[2]

[2] A Zulu title forthe king.—ED.

Now a great gasp of wonder went up from the multitude, and all looked to seethis fool killed by torture. But Chaka rose and laughed aloud.

“Thou hast said it,” he cried, “and thou alone! Listen, yepeople! Idid the deed! Ismote blood upon the gateways of mykraal; with my own hand I smote it, that I might learn who were the truedoctors and who were the false! Now it seems that in the land of the Zulu thereis one true doctor—this young man—and of the false, look at themand count them, they are like the leaves. See! there they stand, and by themstand those whom they have doomed—the innocent whom, with their wives andchildren, they have doomed to the death of the dog. Now I ask you, my people,what reward shall be given to them?”

Then a great roar went up from all the multitude, “Let them die, Oking!”

“Ay!” he answered. “Let them die as liars should!”

Now the Isanusis, men and women, screamed aloud in fear, and cried formercy, tearing themselves with their nails, for least of all things did theydesire to taste of their own medicine of death. But the king only laughed themore.

“Hearken ye!” he said, pointing to the crowd of us who had beensmelt out. “Ye were doomed to death by these false prophets. Now glutyourselves upon them. Slay them, my children! slay them all! wipe them away!stamp them out!—all! all, save this young man!”

Then we bounded from the ground, for our hearts were fierce with hate and withlonging to avenge the terrors we had borne. The doomed slew the doomers, whilefrom the circle of the Ingombocoa great roar of laughter went up, formen rejoiced because the burden of the witch-doctors had fallen from them.

At last it was done, and we drew back from the heap of the dead. Nothing washeard there now—no more cries or prayers or curses. The witch-finderstravelled the path on which they had set the feet of many. The king drew nearto look. He came alone, and all who had done his bidding bent their heads andcrept past him, praising him as they went. Only I stood still, covered, as Iwas with mire and filth, for I did not fear to stand in the presence of theking. Chaka drew near, and looked at the piled-up heaps of the slain and thecloud of dust that yet hung over them.

“There they lie, Mopo,” he said. “There lie those who daredto prophesy falsely to the king! That was a good word of thine, Mopo, whichtaught me to set the snare for them; yet methought I saw thee start whenNobela, queen of the witch-doctresses, switched death on thee. Well, they aredead, and the land breathes more freely; and for the evil which they have done,it is as yonder dust, that shall soon sink again to earth and there belost.”

Thus he spoke, then ceased—for lo! something moved beneath the cloud ofdust, something broke a way through the heap of the dead. Slowly it forced itspath, pushing the slain this way and that, till at length it stood upon itsfeet and tottered towards us—a thing dreadful to look on. The shape wasthe shape of an aged woman, and even through the blood and mire I knew her. Itwas Nobela, she who had doomed me, she whom but now I had smitten to earth, butwho had come back from the dead to curse me!

On she tottered, her apparel hanging round her in red rags, a hundred woundsupon her face and form. I saw that she was dying, but life still flickered inher, and the fire of hate burned in her snaky eyes.

“Hail, king!” she screamed.

“Peace, liar!” he answered; “thou art dead!”

“Not yet, king. I heard thy voice and the voice of yonder dog, whom Iwould have given to the jackals, and I will not die till I have spoken. I smelthim out this morning when I was alive; now that I am as one already dead, Ismell him out again. He shall bewitch thee with blood indeed, Chaka—heand Unandi, thy mother, and Baleka, thy wife. Think of my words when theassegai reddens before thee for the last time, king! Farewell!” And sheuttered a great cry and rolled upon the ground dead.

“The witch lies hard and dies hard,” said the king carelessly, andturned upon his heel. But those words of dead Nobela remained fixed in hismemory, or so much of them as had been spoken of Unandi and Baleka. There theyremained like seeds in the earth, there they grew to bring forth fruit in theirseason.

And thus ended the great Ingombocoof Chaka, the greatestIngombocothat ever was held in Zululand.

CHAPTER IX.
THE LOSS OF UMSLOPOGAAS

Now, after the smelling out of the witch-doctors, Chaka caused a watch to bekept upon his mother Unandi, and his wife Baleka, my sister, and report wasbrought to him by those who watched, that the two women came to my huts bystealth, and there kissed and nursed a boy—one of my children. Then Chakaremembered the prophecy of Nobela, the dead Isanusi, and his heart grewdark with doubt. But to me he said nothing of the matter, for then, as always,his eyes looked over my head. He did not fear me or believe that I plottedagainst him, I who was his dog. Still, he did this, though whether by chance ordesign I do not know: he bade me go on a journey to a distant tribe that livednear the borders of the Amaswazi, there to take count of certain of theking’s cattle which were in the charge of that tribe, and to bring himaccount of the tale of their increase. So I bowed before the king, and saidthat I would run like a dog to do his bidding, and he gave me men to go withme.

Then I returned to my huts to bid farewell to my wives and children, and thereI found that my wife, Anadi, the mother of Moosa, my son, had fallen sick witha wandering sickness, for strange things came into her mind, and what came intoher mind that she said, being, as I did not doubt, bewitched by some enemy ofmy house.

Still, I must go upon the king’s business, and I told this to my wifeMacropha, the mother of Nada, and, as it was thought, of Umslopogaas, the sonof Chaka. But when I spoke to Macropha of the matter she burst into tears andclung to me. I asked her why she wept thus, and she answered that the shadow ofevil lay upon her heart, for she was sure that if I left her at theking’s kraal, when I returned again I should find neither her nor Nada,my child, nor Umslopogaas, who was named my son, and whom I loved as a son,still in the land of life. Then I tried to calm her; but the more I strove themore she wept, saying that she knew well that these things would be so.

Now I asked her what could be done, for I was stirred by her tears, and thedread of evil crept from her to me as shadows creep from the valley to themountain.

She answered, “Take me with you, my husband, that I may leave this evilland, where the very skies rain blood, and let me rest awhile in the place ofmy own people till the terror of Chaka has gone by.”

“How can I do this?” I said. “None may leave the king’skraal without the king’s pass.”

“A man may put away his wife,” she replied. “The king doesnot stand between a man and his wife. Say, my husband, that you love me nolonger, that I bear you no more children, and that therefore you send me backwhence I came. By-and-bye we will come together again if we are left among theliving.”

“So be it,” I answered. “Leave the kraal with Nada andUmslopogaas this night, and to-morrow morning meet me at the river bank, and weshall go on together, and for the rest may the spirits of our fathers hold ussafe.”

So we kissed each other, and Macropha went on secretly with the children.

Now at the dawning on the morrow I summoned the men whom the king had given me,and we started upon our journey. When the sun was well up we came to the banksof the river, and there I found my wife Macropha, and with her the twochildren. They rose as I came, but I frowned at my wife and she gave me nogreeting. Those with me looked at her askance.

“I have divorced this woman,” I said to them. “She is awithered tree, a worn out old hag, and now I take her with me to send her tothe country of the Swazis, whence she came. Cease weeping,” I added toMacropha, “it is my last word.”

“What says the king?” asked the men.

“I will answer to the king,” I said. And we went on.

Now I must tell how we lost Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka, who was then a greatlad drawing on to manhood, fierce in temper, well grown and broad for hisyears.

We had journeyed seven days, for the way was long, and on the night of theseventh day we came to a mountainous country in which there were few kraals,for Chaka had eaten them all up years before. Perhaps you know the place, myfather. In it is a great and strange mountain. It is haunted also, and namedthe Ghost Mountain, and on the top of it is a grey peak rudely shaped like thehead of an aged woman. Here in this wild place we must sleep, for darkness drewon. Now we soon learned that there were many lions in the rocks around, for weheard their roaring and were much afraid, all except Umslopogaas, who fearednothing. So we made a circle of thorn-bushes and sat in it, holding ourassegais ready. Presently the moon came up—it was a full-grown moon andvery bright, so bright that we could see everything for a long way round. Nowsome six spear-throws from where we sat was a cliff, and at the top of thecliff was a cave, and in this cave lived two lions and their young. When themoon grew bright we saw the lions come out and stand upon the edge of thecliff, and with them were two little ones that played about like kittens, sothat had we not been frightened it would have been beautiful to see them.

“Oh! Umslopogaas,” said Nada, “I wish that I had one of thelittle lions for a dog.”

The boy laughed, saying, “Then, shall I fetch you one, sister?”

“Peace, boy,” I said. “No man may take young lions from theirlair and live.”

“Such things have been done, my father,” he answered, laughing. Andno more was said of the matter.

Now when the cubs had played awhile, we saw the lioness take up the cubs in hermouth and carry them into the cave. Then she came out again, and went away withher mate to seek food, and soon we heard them roaring in the distance. Now westacked up the fire and went to sleep in our enclosure of thorns without fear,for we knew that the lions were far away eating game. But Umslopogaas did notsleep, for he had determined that he would fetch the cub which Nada haddesired, and, being young and foolhardy, he did not think of the danger whichhe would bring upon himself and all of us. He knew no fear, and now, as ever,if Nada spoke a word, nay, even if she thought of a thing to desire it, hewould not rest till it was won for her. So while we slept Umslopogaas creptlike a snake from the fence of thorns, and, taking an assegai in his hand, heslipped away to the foot of the cliff where the lions had their den. Then heclimbed the cliff, and, coming to the cave, entered there and groped his wayinto it. The cubs heard him, and, thinking that it was their mother whoreturned, began to whine and purr for food. Guided by the light of their yelloweyes, he crept over the bones, of which there were many in the cave, and cameto where they lay. Then he put out his hands and seized one of the cubs,killing the other with his assegai, because he could not carry both of them.Now he made haste thence before the lions returned, and came back to the thornfence where we lay just as dawn was breaking.

I awoke at the coming of the dawn, and, standing up, I looked out. Lo! there,on the farther side of the thorn fence, looking large in the grey mist, stoodthe lad Umslopogaas, laughing. In his teeth he held the assegai, yet drippingwith blood, and in his hands the lion cub that, despite its whines andstruggles, he grasped by the skin of the neck and the hind legs.

“Awake, my sister!” he cried; “here is the dog you seek. Ah!he bites now, but he will soon grow tame.”

Nada awoke, and rising, cried out with joy at the sight of the cub, but for amoment I stood astonished.

“Fool!” I cried at last, “let the cub go before the lionscome to rend us!”

“I will not let it go, my father,” he answered sullenly. “Arethere not five of us with spears, and can we not fight two cats? I was notafraid to go alone into their den. Are you all afraid to meet them in theopen?”

“You are mad,” I said; “let the cub go!” And I rantowards Umslopogaas to take it from him. But he sprang aside and avoided me.

“I will never let that go of which I have got hold,” he said,“at least not living!” And suddenly he seized the head of the cuband twisted its neck; then threw it on to the ground, and added, “See,now I have done your bidding, my father!”

As he spoke we heard a great sound of roaring from the cave in the cliff. Thelions had returned and found one cub dead and the other gone.

“Into the fence!—back into the fence!” I cried, and we sprangover the thorn-bushes where those with us were making ready their spears,trembling as they handled them with fear and the cold of the morning. We lookedup. There, down the side of the cliff, came the lions, bounding on the scent ofhim who had robbed them of their young. The lion ran first, and as he came heroared; then followed the lioness, but she did not roar, for in her mouth wasthe cub that Umslopogaas had assegaied in the cave. Now they drew near, madwith fury, their manes bristling, and lashing their flanks with their longtails.

“Curse you for a fool, son of Mopo,” said one of the men with me toUmslopogaas; “presently I will beat you till the blood comes for thistrick.”

“First beat the lions, then beat me if you can,” answered the lad,“and wait to curse till you have done both.”

Now the lions were close to us; they came to the body of the second cub, thatlay outside the fence of thorns. The lion stopped and sniffed it. Then heroared—ah! he roared till the earth shook. As for the lioness, shedropped the dead cub which she was carrying, and took the other into her mouth,for she could not carry both.

“Get behind me, Nada,” cried Umslopogaas, brandishing his spear,“the lion is about to spring.”

As the words left his mouth the great brute crouched to the ground. Thensuddenly he sprang from it like a bird, and like a bird he travelled throughthe air towards us.

“Catch him on the spears!” cried Umslopogaas, and by nature, as itwere, we did the boy’s bidding; for huddling ourselves together, we heldout the assegais so that the lion fell upon them as he sprang, and their bladessank far into him. But the weight of his charge carried us to the ground, andhe fell on to us, striking at us and at the spears, and roaring with pain andfury as he struck. Presently he was on his legs biting at the spears in hisbreast. Then Umslopogaas, who alone did not wait his onslaught, but had steppedaside for his own ends, uttered a loud cry and drove his assegai into the lionbehind the shoulder, so that with a groan the brute rolled over dead.

Meanwhile, the lioness stood without the fence, the second dead cub in hermouth, for she could not bring herself to leave either of them. But when sheheard her mate’s last groan she dropped the cub and gathered herselftogether to spring. Umslopogaas alone stood up to face her, for he only hadwithdrawn his assegai from the carcase of the lion. She swept on towards thelad, who stood like a stone to meet her. Now she met his spear, it sunk in, itsnapped, and down fell Umslopogaas dead or senseless beneath the mass of thelioness. She sprang up, the broken spear standing in her breast, sniffed atUmslopogaas, then, as though she knew that it was he who had robbed her, sheseized him by the loins and moocha, and sprang with him over the fence.

“Oh, save him!” cried the girl Nada in bitter woe. And we rushedafter the lioness shouting.

For a moment she stood over her dead cubs, Umslopogaas hanging from her mouth,and looked at them as though she wondered; and we hoped that she might let himfall. Then, hearing our cries, she turned and bounded away towards the bush,bearing Umslopogaas in her mouth. We seized our spears and followed; but theground grew stony, and, search as we would, we could find no trace ofUmslopogaas or of the lioness. They had vanished like a cloud. So we came back,and, ah! my heart was sore, for I loved the lad as though he had indeed been myson. But I knew that he was dead, and there was an end.

“Where is my brother?” cried Nada when we came back.

“Lost,” I answered. “Lost, never to be found again.”

Then the girl gave a great and bitter cry, and fell to the earth saying,“I would that I were dead with my brother!”

“Let us be going,” said Macropha, my wife.

“Have you no tears to weep for your son?” asked a man of ourcompany.

“What is the use of weeping over the dead? Does it, then, bring themback?” she answered. “Let us be going!”

The man thought these words strange, but he did not know that Umslopogaas wasnot born of Macropha.

Still, we waited in that place a day, thinking that, perhaps, the lioness wouldreturn to her den and that, at least, we might kill her. But she came back nomore. So on the next morning we rolled up our blankets and started forward onour journey, sad at heart. In truth, Nada was so weak from grief that she couldhardly travel, but I never heard the name of Umslopogaas pass her lips againduring that journey. She buried him in her heart and said nothing. And I toosaid nothing, but I wondered why it had been brought about that I should savethe life of Umslopogaas from the jaws of the Lion of Zulu, that the lioness ofthe rocks might devour him.

And so the time went on till we reached the kraal where the king’sbusiness must be done, and where I and my wife should part.

On the morning after we came to the kraal, having kissed in secret, though inpublic we looked sullenly on one another, we parted as those part who meet nomore, for it was in our thoughts, that we should never see each other’sface again, nor, indeed, did we do so. And I drew Nada aside and spoke to herthus: “We part, my daughter; nor do I know when we shall meet again, forthe times are troubled and it is for your safety and that of your mother that Irob my eyes of the sight of you. Nada, you will soon be a woman, and you willbe fairer than any woman among our people, and it may come about that manygreat men will seek you in marriage, and, perhaps, that I, your father, shallnot be there to choose for you whom you shall wed, according to the custom ofour land. But I charge you, as far as may be possible for you to do so, takeonly a man whom you can love, and be faithful to him alone, for thus shall awoman find happiness.”

Here I stopped, for the girl took hold of my hand and looked into my face.“Peace, my father,” she said, “do not speak to me ofmarriage, for I will wed no man, now that Umslopogaas is dead because of myfoolishness. I will live and die alone, and, oh! may I die quickly, that I maygo to seek him whom I love only!”

“Nay, Nada,” I said, “Umslopogaas was your brother, and it isnot fitting that you should speak of him thus, even though he is dead.”

“I know nothing of such matters, my father,” she said. “Ispeak what my heart tells me, and it tells me that I loved Umslopogaas living,and, though he is dead, I shall love him alone to the end. Ah! you think me buta child, yet my heart is large, and it does not lie to me.”

Now I upbraided the girl no more, because I knew that Umslopogaas was not herbrother, but one whom she might have married. Only I marvelled that the voiceof nature should speak so truly in her, telling her that which was lawful, evenwhen it seemed to be most unlawful.

“Speak no more of Umslopogaas,” I said, “for surely he isdead, and though you cannot forget him, yet speak of him no more, and I pray ofyou, my daughter, that if we do not meet again, yet you should keep me in yourmemory, and the love I bear you, and the words which from time to time I havesaid to you. The world is a thorny wilderness, my daughter, and its thorns arewatered with a rain of blood, and we wander in our wretchedness like losttravellers in a mist; nor do I know why our feet are set on this wandering. Butat last there comes an end, and we die and go hence, none know where, butperhaps where we go the evil may change to the good, and those who were dear toeach other on the earth may become yet dearer in the heavens; for I believethat man is not born to perish altogether, but is rather gathered again to theUmkulunkulu who sent him on his journeyings. Therefore keep hope, my daughter,for if these things are not so, at least sleep remains, and sleep is soft, andso farewell.”

Then we kissed and parted, and I watched Macropha, my wife, and Nada, mydaughter, till they melted into the sky, as they walked upon their journey toSwaziland, and was very sad, because, having lost Umslopogaas, he who in afterdays was named the Slaughterer and the Woodpecker, I must lose them also.

CHAPTER X.
THE TRIAL OF MOPO

Now I sat four days in the huts of the tribe whither I had been sent, and didthe king’s business. And on the fifth morning I rose up, together withthose with me, and we turned our faces towards the king’s kraal. But whenwe had journeyed a little way we met a party of soldiers, who commanded us tostand.

“What is it, king’s men?” I asked boldly.

“This, son of Makedama,” answered their spokesman: “give overto us your wife Macropha and your children Umslopogaas and Nada, that we may dowith them as the king commands.”

“Umslopogaas,” I answered, “has gone where the king’sarm cannot stretch, for he is dead; and for my wife Macropha and my daughterNada, they are by now in the caves of the Swazis, and the king must seek themthere with an army if he will find them. To Macropha he is welcome, for I hateher, and have divorced her; and as for the girl, well, there are many girls,and it is no great matter if she lives or dies, yet I pray him to spareher.”

Thus I spoke carelessly, for I knew well that my wife and child were beyond thereach of Chaka.

“You do well to ask the girl’s life,” said the soldier,laughing, “for all those born to you are dead, by order of theking.”

“Is it indeed so?” I answered calmly, though my knees shook and mytongue clove to my lips. “The will of the king be done. A cut stick putsout new leaves; I can have more children.”

“Ay, Mopo; but first you must get new wives, for yours are dead also, allfive of them.”

“Is it indeed so?” I answered. “The king’s will bedone. I wearied of those brawling women.”

“So, Mopo,” said the soldier; “but to get other wives andhave more children born to you, you must live yourself, for no children areborn to the dead, and I think that Chaka has an assegai which you shallkiss.”

“Is it so?” I answered. “The king’s will be done. Thesun is hot, and I tire of the road. He who kisses the assegai sleepssound.”

Thus I spoke, my father, and, indeed, in that hour I desired to die. The worldwas empty for me. Macropha and Nada were gone, Umslopogaas was dead, and myother wives and children were murdered. I had no heart to begin to build up anew house, none were left for me to love, and it seemed well that I should diealso.

The soldiers asked those with me if that tale was true which I told of thedeath of Umslopogaas and of the going of Macropha and Nada into Swaziland. Theysaid, Yes, it was true. Then the soldiers said that they would lead me back tothe king, and I wondered at this, for I thought that they would kill me where Istood. So we went on, and piece by piece I learned what had happened at theking’s kraal.

On the day after I left, it came to the ears of Chaka, by the mouth of hisspies, that my second wife—Anadi—was sick and spoke strange wordsin her sickness. Then, taking three soldiers with him, he went to my kraal atthe death of the day. He left the three soldiers by the gates of the kraal,bidding them to suffer none to come in or go out, but Chaka himself entered thelarge hut where Anadi lay sick, having his toy assegai, with the shaft of theroyal red wood, in his hand. Now, as it chanced, in the hut were Unandi, themother of Chaka, and Baleka, my sister, the wife of Chaka, for, not knowingthat I had taken away Umslopogaas, the son of Baleka, according to theircustom, these two foolish women had come to kiss and fondle the lad. But whenthey entered the hut they found it full of my other wives and children. Thesethey sent away, all except Moosa, the son of Anadi—that boy who was borneight days before Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka. But they kept Moosa in thehut, and kissed him, giving him imphi^[1]to eat, fearing lest it should seem strange to the women, my wives, if,Umslopogaas being gone, they refused to take notice of any other child.

[1] A variety ofsugar-cane.—ED.

Now as they sat thus, presently the doorway was darkened, and, behold! the kinghimself crept through it, and saw them fondling the child Moosa. When they knewwho it was that entered, the women flung themselves upon the ground before himand praised him. But he smiled grimly, and bade them be seated. Then he spoketo them, saying, “You wonder, Unandi, my mother, and Baleka, my wife, whyit is that I am come here into the hut of Mopo, son of Makedama. I will tellyou: it is because he is away upon my business, and I hear that his wife Anadiis sick—it is she who lies there, is it not? Therefore, as the firstdoctor in the land, I am come to cure her, Unandi, my mother, and Baleka, mysister.”

Thus he spoke, eyeing them as he did so, and taking snuff from the blade of hislittle assegai, and though his words were gentle they shook with fear, for whenChaka spoke thus gently he meant death to many. But Unandi, Mother of theHeavens, answered, saying that it was well that the king had come, since hismedicine would bring rest and peace to her who lay sick.

“Yes,” he answered; “it is well. It is pleasant, moreover, mymother and sister, to see you kissing yonder child. Surely, were he of your ownblood you could not love him more.”

Now they trembled again, and prayed in their hearts that Anadi, the sick woman,who lay asleep, might not wake and utter foolish words in her wandering. Butthe prayer was answered from below and not from above, for Anadi woke, and,hearing the voice of the king, her sick mind flew to him whom she believed tobe the king’s child.

“Ah!” she said, sitting upon the ground and pointing to her ownson, Moosa, who squatted frightened against the wall of the hut. “Kisshim, Mother of the Heavens, kiss him! Whom do they call him, the young cub whobrings ill-fortune to our doors? They call him the son of Mopo andMacropha!” And she laughed wildly, stopped speaking, and sank back uponthe bed of skins.

“They call him the son of Mopo and Macropha,” said the king in alow voice. “Whose son is he, then, woman?”

“Oh, ask her not, O king,” cried his mother and his wife, castingthemselves upon the ground before him, for they were mad with fear. “Askher not; she has strange fancies such as are not meet for your ears to hear.She is bewitched, and has dreams and fancies.”

“Peace!” he answered. “I will listen to this woman’swanderings. Perhaps some star of truth shines in her darkness, and I would seelight. Who, then, is he, woman?”

“Who is he?” she answered. “Are you a fool that ask who heis? He is—hush!—put your ear close—let me speak low lest thereeds of the hut speak it to the king. He is—do you listen? Heis—the son of Chaka and Baleka, the sister of Mopo, the changeling whomUnandi, Mother of the Heavens, palmed off upon this house to bring a curse onit, and whom she would lead out before the people when the land is weary of thewickedness of the king, her son, to take the place of the king.”

“It is false, O king!” cried the two women. “Do not listen toher; it is false. The boy is her own son, Moosa, whom she does not know in hersickness.”

But Chaka stood up in the hut and laughed terribly. “Truly, Nobelaprophesied well,” he cried, “and I did ill to slay her. So this isthe trick thou hast played upon me, my mother. Thou wouldst give a son to mewho will have no son: thou wouldst give me a son to kill me. Good! Mother ofthe Heavens, take thou the doom of the Heavens! Thou wouldst give me a son toslay me and rule in my place; now, in turn, I, thy son, will rob me of amother. Die, Unandi!—die at the hand thou didst bring forth!” Andhe lifted the little assegai and smote it through her.

For a moment Unandi, Mother of the Heavens, wife of Senzangacona, stooduttering no cry. Then she put up her hand, and drew the assegai from her side.

“So shalt thou die also, Chaka the Evil!” she cried, and fell downdead there in the hut.

Thus, then, did Chaka murder his mother Unandi.

Now when Baleka saw what had been done, she turned and fled from the hut intothe Emposeni, and so swiftly that the guards at the gates could not stopher. But when she reached her own hut Baleka’s strength failed her, andshe fell senseless on the ground. But the boy Moosa, my son, being overcomewith terror, stayed where he was, and Chaka, believing him to be his son,murdered him also, and with his own hand.

Then he stalked out of the hut, and leaving the three guards at the gate,commanded a company of soldiers to surround the kraal and fire it. This theydid, and as the people rushed out they killed them, and those who did not runout were burned in the fire. Thus, then, perished all my wives, my children, myservants, and those who were within the gates in their company. The tree wasburned, and the bees in it, and I alone was left living—I and Macrophaand Nada, who were far away.

Nor was Chaka yet satisfied with blood, for, as has been told, he sentmessengers bidding them kill Macropha, my wife, and Nada, my daughter, and himwho was named my son. But he commanded the messengers that they should not slayme, but bring me living before him.

Now when the soldiers did not kill me I took counsel with myself, for it was mybelief that I was saved alive only that I might die later, and in a more cruelfashion. Therefore for awhile I thought that it would be well if I did that formyself which another purposed to do for me. Why should I, who was alreadydoomed, wait to meet my doom? What had I left to keep me in the place of life,seeing that all whom I loved were dead or gone? To die would be easy, for Iknew the ways of death. In my girdle I carried a secret medicine; he who eatsof it, my father, will see the sun’s shadow move no more, and will neverlook upon the stars again. But I was minded to know the assegai or the kerrie;nor would I perish more slowly beneath the knives of the tormentors, nor beparched by the pangs of thirst, or wander eyeless to my end. Therefore it wasthat, since I had sat in the doom ring looking hour after hour into the face ofdeath, I had borne this medicine with me by night and by day. Surely now wasthe time to use it.

So I thought as I sat through the watches of the night, ay! and drew out thebitter drug and laid it on my tongue. But as I did so I remembered my daughterNada, who was left to me, though she sojourned in a far country, and my wifeMacropha and my sister Baleka, who still lived, so said the soldiers, thoughhow it came about that the king had not killed her I did not know then. Alsoanother thought was born in my heart. While life remained to me, I might berevenged upon him who had wrought me this woe; but can the dead strike? Alas!the dead are strengthless, and if they still have hearts to suffer, they haveno hands to give back blow for blow. Nay, I would live on. Time to die whendeath could no more be put away. Time to die when the voice of Chaka spoke mydoom. Death chooses for himself and answers no questions; he is a guest to whomnone need open the door of his hut, for when he wills he can pass through thethatch like air. Not yet would I taste of that medicine of mine.

So I lived on, my father, and the soldiers led me back to the kraal of Chaka.Now when we came to the kraal it was night, for the sun had sunk as we passedthrough the gates. Still, as he had been commanded, the captain of those whowatched me went in before the king and told him that I lay without in bonds.And the king said, “Let him be brought before me, who was my physician,that I may tell him how I have doctored those of his house.”

So they took me and led me to the royal house, and pushed me through thedoorway of the great hut.

Now a fire burned in the hut, for the night was cold, and Chaka sat on thefurther side of the fire, looking towards the opening of the hut, and the smokefrom the fire wreathed him round, and its light shone upon his face andflickered in his terrible eyes.

At the door of the hut certain councillors seized me by the arms and dragged metowards the fire. But I broke from them, and prostrating myself, for my armswere free, I praised the king and called him by his royal names. Thecouncillors sprang towards me to seize me again, but Chaka said, “Let himbe; I would talk with my servant.” Then the councillors bowed themselveson either side, and laid their hands on their sticks, their foreheads touchingthe ground. But I sat down on the floor of the hut over against the king, andwe talked through the fire.

“Tell me of the cattle that I sent thee to number, Mopo, son ofMakedama,” said Chaka. “Have my servants dealt honestly with mycattle?”

“They have dealt honestly, O king,” I answered.

“Tell me, then, of the number of the cattle and of their markings, Mopo,forgetting none.”

So I sat and told him, ox by ox, cow by cow, and heifer by heifer, forgettingnone; and Chaka listened silently as one who is asleep. But I knew that he didnot sleep, for all the while the firelight flickered in his fierce eyes. Also Iknew that he did but torment me, or that, perhaps, he would learn of the cattlebefore he killed me. At length all the tale was told.

“So,” said the king, “it goes well. There are yet honest menleft in the land. Knowest thou, Mopo, that sorrow has come upon thy house whilethou wast about my business.”

“I have heard it, O king!” I answered, as one who speaks of a smallmatter.

“Yes, Mopo, sorrow has come upon thy house, the curse of Heaven hasfallen upon thy kraal. They tell me, Mopo, that the fire from above ran brisklythrough thy huts.”

“I have heard it, O king!”

“They tell me, Mopo, that those within thy gates grew mad at the sight ofthe fire, and dreaming there was no escape, that they stabbed themselves withassegais or leaped into the flames.”

“I have heard it, O king! What of it? Any river is deep enough to drown afool!”

“Thou hast heard these things, Mopo, but thou hast not yet heard all.Knowest thou, Mopo, that among those who died in thy kraal was she who bore me,she who was named Mother of the Heavens?”

Then, my father, I, Mopo, acted wisely, because of the thought which my goodspirit gave me, for I cast myself upon the ground, and wailed aloud as thoughin utter grief.

“Spare my ears, Black One!” I wailed. “Tell me not that shewho bore thee is dead, O Lion of the Zulu. For the others, what is it? It is abreath of wind, it is a drop of water; but this trouble is as the gale or asthe sea.”

“Cease, my servant, cease!” said the mocking voice of Chaka;“but know this, thou hast done well to grieve aloud, because the Motherof the Heavens is no more, and ill wouldst thou have done to grieve because thefire from above has kissed thy gates. For hadst thou done this last thing orleft the first undone, I should have known that thy heart was wicked, and bynow thou wouldst have wept indeed—tears of blood, Mopo. It is well forthee, then, that thou hast read my riddle aright.”

Now I saw the depths of the pit that Chaka had dug for me, and blessed myEhloséwho had put into my heart those words which I should answer. Ihoped also that Chaka would now let me go; but it was not to be, for this wasbut the beginning of my trial.

“Knowest thou, Mopo,” said the king, “that as my mother diedyonder in the flames of thy kraal she cried out strange and terrible wordswhich came to my ears through the singing of the fire. These were her words:that thou, Mopo, and thy sister Baleka, and thy wives, had conspired togetherto give a child to me who would be childless. These were her words, the wordsthat came to me through the singing of the fire. Tell me now, Mopo, where arethose children that thou leddest from thy kraal, the boy with the lion eyes whois named Umslopogaas, and the girl who is named Nada?”

“Umslopogaas is dead by the lion’s mouth, O king!” Ianswered, “and Nada sits in the Swazi caves.” And I told him of thedeath of Umslopogaas and of how I had divorced Macropha, my wife.

“The boy with the lion eyes to the lion’s mouth!” said Chaka.“Enough of him; he is gone. Nada may yet be sought for with the assegaiin the Swazi caves; enough of her. Let us speak of this song that mymother—who, alas! is dead, Mopo—this song she sang through thesinging of the flames. Tell me, Mopo, tell me now, was it a true tale.”

“Nay, O king! surely the Mother of the Heavens was maddened by theHeavens when she sang that song,” I answered. “I know nothing ofit, O king.”

“Thou knowest naught of it, Mopo?” said the king. And again helooked at me terribly through the reek of the fire. “Thou knowest naughtof it, Mopo? Surely thou art a-cold; thy hands shake with cold. Nay, man, fearnot—warm them, warm them, Mopo. See, now, plunge that hand of thine intothe heart of the flame!” And he pointed with his little assegai, theassegai handled with the royal wood, to where the fire glowed reddest—ay,he pointed and laughed.

Then, my father, I grew cold indeed—yes, I grew cold who soon should behot, for I saw the purpose of Chaka. He would put me to the trial by fire.

For a moment I sat silent, thinking. Then the king spoke again in a greatvoice: “Nay, Mopo, be not so backward; shall I sit warm and see theesuffer cold? What, my councillors, rise, take the hand of Mopo, and hold it tothe flame, that his heart may rejoice in the warmth of the flame while we speaktogether of this matter of the child that was, so my mother sang, born toBaleka, my wife, the sister of Mopo, my servant.”

“There is little need for that, O king,” I answered, being madebold by fear, for I saw that if I did nothing death would swiftly end mydoubts. Once, indeed, I bethought me of the poison that I bore, and was mindedto swallow it and make an end, but the desire to live is great, and keen is thethirst for vengeance, so I said to my heart, “Not yet awhile; I willendure this also; afterwards, if need be, I can die.”

“I thank the king for his graciousness, and I will warm me at the fire.Speak on, O king, while I warm myself, and thou shalt hear true words,” Isaid boldly.

Then, my father, I stretched out my left hand and plunged it into thefire—not into the hottest of the fire, but where the smoke leapt from theflame. Now my flesh was wet with the sweat of fear, and for a little moment theflames curled round it and did not burn me. But I knew that the torment was tocome.

For a short while Chaka watched me, smiling. Then he spoke slowly, that thefire might find time to do its work.

“Say, then, Mopo, thou knowest nothing of this matter of the birth of ason to thy sister Baleka?”

“I know this only, O king!” I answered, “that a son was bornin past years to thy wife Baleka, that I killed the child in obedience to thyword, and laid its body before thee.”

Now, my father, the steam from my flesh had been drawn from my hand by theheat, and the flame got hold of me and ate into my flesh, and its torment wasgreat. But of this I showed no sign upon my face, for I knew well that if Ishowed sign or uttered cry, then, having failed in the trial, death would be myportion.

Then the king spoke again, “Dost thou swear by my head, Mopo, that no sonof mine was suckled in thy kraals?”

“I swear it, O king! I swear it by thy head,” I answered.

And now, my father, the agony of the fire was such as may not be told. I feltmy eyes start forward in their sockets, my blood seemed to boil within me, itrushed into my head, and down my face there ran two tears of blood. But yet Iheld my hand in the fire and made no sign, while the king and his councillorswatched me curiously. Still, for a moment Chaka said nothing, and that momentseemed to me as all the years of my life.

“Ah!” he said at length, “I see that thou growest warm, Mopo!Withdraw thy hand from the flame. I am answered; thou hast passed the trial;thy heart is clean; for had there been lies in it the fire had given themtongue, and thou hadst cried aloud, making thy last music, Mopo!”

Now I took my hand from the flame, and for awhile the torment left me.

“It is well, O king,” I said calmly. “Fire has no power ofhurt on those whose heart is pure.”

But as I spoke I looked at my left hand. It was black, my father—black asa charred stick, and the nails were gone from the twisted fingers. Look at itnow, my father; you can see, though my eyes are blind. The hand is white, likeyours—it is white and dead and shrivelled. These are the marks of thefire in Chaka’s hut—the fire that kissed me many, many years ago; Ihave had but little use of that hand since this night of torment. But my rightarm yet remained to me, my father, and, ah! I used it.

“It seems that Nobela, the doctress, who is dead, lied when sheprophesied evil on me from thee, Mopo,” said Chaka again. “It seemsthat thou art innocent of this offence, and that Baleka, thy sister, isinnocent, and that the song which the Mother of the Heavens sang through thesinging flames was no true song. It is well for thee, Mopo, for in such amatter my oath had not helped thee. But my mother is dead—dead in theflames with thy wives and children, Mopo, and in this there is witchcraft. Wewill have a mourning, Mopo, thou and I, such a mourning as has not been seen inZululand, for all the people on the earth shall weep at it. And there shall bea ‘smelling out’ at this mourning, Mopo. But we will summon nowitch-doctors, thou and I will be witch-doctors, and ourselves shall smell outthose who have brought these woes upon us. What! shall my mother die unavenged,she who bore me and has perished by witchcraft, and shall thy wives andchildren die unavenged—thou being innocent? Go forth, Mopo, my faithfulservant, whom I have honoured with the warmth of my fire, go forth!” Andonce again he stared at me through the reek of the flame, and pointed with hisassegai to the door of the hut.

CHAPTER XI.
THE COUNSEL OF BALEKA

I rose, I praised the king with a loud voice, and I went from theIntunkulu, the house of the king. I walked slowly through the gates, butwhen I was without the gates the anguish that took me because of my burnt handwas more than I could bear. I ran to and fro groaning till I came to the hut ofone whom I knew. There I found fat, and having plunged my hand in the fat, Iwrapped it round with a skin and passed out again, for I could not stay still.I went to and fro, till at length I reached the spot where my huts had been.The outer fence of the huts still stood; the fire had not caught it. I passedthrough the fence; there within were the ashes of the burnt huts—they layankle-deep. I walked in among the ashes; my feet struck upon things that weresharp. The moon was bright, and I looked; they were the blackened bones of mywives and children. I flung myself down in the ashes in bitterness of heart; Icovered myself over with the ashes of my kraal and with the bones of my wivesand children. Yes, my father, there I lay, and on me were the ashes, and amongthe ashes were the bones. Thus, then, did I lie for the last time in my kraal,and was sheltered from the frost of the night by the dust of those to whom Ihad given life. Such were the things that befell us in the days of Chaka, myfather; yes, not to me alone, but to many another also.

I lay among the ashes and groaned with the pain of my burn, and groaned alsofrom the desolation of my heart. Why had I not tasted the poison, there in thehut of Chaka, and before the eyes of Chaka? Why did I not taste it now and makean end? Nay, I had endured the agony; I would not give him this last triumphover me. Now, having passed the fire, once more I should be great in the land,and I would become great. Yes, I would bear my sorrows, and become great, thatin a day to be I might wreak vengeance on the king. Ah! my father, there, as Irolled among the ashes, I prayed to the Amatongo, to the ghosts of myancestors. I prayed to my Ehlosé, to the spirit that watchesme—ay, and I even dared to pray to the Umkulunkulu, the great soul of theworld, who moves through the heavens and the earth unseen and unheard. And thusI prayed, that I might yet live to kill Chaka as he had killed those who weredear to me. And while I prayed I slept, or, if I did not sleep, the light ofthought went out of me, and I became as one dead. Then there came a vision tome, a vision that was sent in answer to my prayer, or, perchance, it was amadness born of my sorrows. For, my father, it seemed to me that I stood uponthe bank of a great and wide river. It was gloomy there, the light lay low uponthe face of the river, but far away on the farther side was a glow like theglow of a stormy dawn, and in the glow I saw a mighty bed of reeds that swayedabout in the breath of dawn, and out of the reeds came men and women andchildren, by hundreds and thousands, and plunged into the waters of the riverand were buffeted about by them. Now, my father, all the people that I saw inthe water were black people, and all those who were torn out of the reeds wereblack—they were none of them white like your people, my father, for thisvision was a vision of the Zulu race, who alone are “torn out of thereeds.” Now, I saw that of those who swam in the river some passed oververy quickly and some stood still, as it were, still in the water—as inlife, my father, some die soon and some live for many years. And I saw thecountless faces of those in the water, among them were many that I knew. There,my father, I saw the face of Chaka, and near him was my own face; there, too, Isaw the face of Dingaan, the prince, his brother, and the face of the boyUmslopogaas and the face of Nada, my daughter, and then for the first time Iknew that Umslopogaas was not dead, but only lost.

Now I turned in my vision, and looked at that bank of the river on which Istood. Then I saw that behind the bank was a cliff, mighty and black, and inthe cliff were doors of ivory, and through them came light and the sound oflaughter; there were other doors also, black as though fashioned of coal, andthrough them came darkness and the sounds of groans. I saw also that in frontof the doors was set a seat, and on the seat was the figure of a gloriouswoman. She was tall, and she alone was white, and clad in robes of white, andher hair was like gold which is molten in the fire, and her face shone like themidday sun. Then I saw that those who came up out of the river stood before thewoman, the water yet running from them, and cried aloud to her.

“Hail, Inkosazana-y-Zulu!Hail, Queen of the Heavens!”

Now the figure of the glorious woman held a rod in either hand, and the rod inher right hand was white and of ivory, and the rod in her left hand was blackand of ebony. And as those who came up before her throne greeted her, so shepointed now with the wand of ivory in her right hand, and now with the wand ofebony in her left hand. And with the wand of ivory she pointed to the gates ofivory, through which came light and laughter, and with the wand of ebony shepointed to the gates of coal, through which came blackness and groans. And asshe pointed, so those who greeted her turned, and went, some through the gatesof light and some through the gates of blackness.

Presently, as I stood, a handful of people came up from the bank of the river.I looked on them and knew them. There was Unandi, the mother of Chaka, therewas Anadi, my wife, and Moosa, my son, and all my other wives and children, andthose who had perished with them.

They stood before the figure of the woman, the Princess of the Heavens, to whomthe Umkulunkulu has given it to watch over the people of the Zulu, and criedaloud, “Hail, Inkosazana-y-Zulu!Hail!”

Then she, the Inkosazana, pointed with the rod of ivory to the gates of ivory;but still they stood before her, not moving. Now the woman spoke for the firsttime, in a low voice that was sad and awful to hear.

“Pass in, children of my people, pass in to the judgment. Why tarry ye?Pass in through the gates of light.”

But still they tarried, and in my vision Unandi spoke: “We tarry, Queenof the Heavens—we tarry to pray for justice on him who murdered us. I,who on earth was named Mother of the Heavens, on behalf of all this company,pray to thee, Queen of the Heavens, for justice on him who murdered us.”

“How is he named?” asked the voice that was low and awful.

“Chaka, king of the Zulus,” answered the voice of Unandi.“Chaka, my son.”

“Many have come to ask for vengeance on that head,” said the voiceof the Queen of the Heavens, “and many more shall come. Fear not, Unandi,it shall fall. Fear not, Anadi and ye wives and children of Mopo, it shallfall, I say. With the spear that pierced thy breast, Unandi, shall the breastof Chaka be also pierced, and, ye wives and children of Mopo, the hand thatpierces shall be the hand of Mopo. As I guide him so shall he go. Ay, I willteach him to wreak my vengeance on the earth! Pass in, children of mypeople—pass in to the judgment, for the doom of Chaka is written.”

Thus I dreamed, my father. Ay, this was the vision that was sent me as I lay inpain and misery among the bones of my dead in the ashes of my kraal. Thus itwas given me to see the Inkosazana of the Heavens as she is in her own place.Twice more I saw her, as you shall hear, but that was on the earth and with mywaking eyes. Yes, thrice has it been given to me in all to look upon that facethat I shall now see no more till I am dead, for no man may look four times onthe Inkosazana and live. Or am I mad, my father, and did I weave these visionsfrom the woof of my madness? I do not know, but it is true that I seemed to seethem.

I woke when the sky was grey with the morning light; it was the pain of myburnt hand that aroused me from my sleep or from my stupor. I rose shaking theashes from me, and went without the kraal to wash away their defilement. Then Ireturned, and sat outside the gates of the Emposeni, waiting till theking’s women, whom he named his sisters, should come to draw wateraccording to their custom. At last they came, and, sitting with my karossthrown over my face to hide it, looked for the passing of Baleka. Presently Isaw her; she was sad-faced, and walked slowly, her pitcher on her head. Iwhispered her name, and she drew aside behind an aloe bush, and, makingpretence that her foot was pierced with a thorn, she lingered till the otherwomen had gone by. Then she came up to me, and we greeted one another, gazingheavily into each other’s eyes.

“In an ill day did I hearken to you, Baleka,” I said, “to youand to the Mother of the Heavens, and save your child alive. See now what hassprung from this seed! Dead are all my house, dead is the Mother of theHeavens—all are dead—and I myself have been put to the torment byfire,” and I held out my withered hand towards her.

“Ay, Mopo, my brother,” she answered, “but flesh is nearestto flesh, and I should think little of it were not my son Umslopogaas alsodead, as I have heard but now.”

“You speak like a woman, Baleka. Is it, then, nothing to you that I, yourbrother, have lost—all I love?”

“Fresh seed can yet be raised up to you, my brother, but for me there isno hope, for the king looks on me no more. I grieve for you, but I had this onealone, and flesh is nearest to flesh. Think you that I shall escape? I tell younay. I am but spared for a little, then I go where the others have gone. Chakahas marked me for the grave; for a little while I may be left, then I die: hedoes but play with me as a leopard plays with a wounded buck. I care not, I amweary, but I grieve for the boy; there was no such boy in the land. Would thatI might die swiftly and go to seek him.”

“And if the boy is not dead, Baleka, what then?”

“What is that you said?” she answered, turning on me with wildeyes. “Oh, say it again—again, Mopo! I would gladly die a hundreddeaths to know that Umslopogaas still lives.”

“Nay, Baleka, I know nothing. But last night I dreamed a dream,”and I told her all my dream, and also of that which had gone before the dream.

She listened as one listens to the words of a king when he passes judgement forlife or for death.

“I think that there is wisdom in your dreams, Mopo,” she said atlength. “You were ever a strange man, to whom the gates of distance areno bar. Now it is borne in upon my heart that Umslopogaas still lives, and nowI shall die happy. Yes, gainsay me not; I shall die, I know it. I read it inthe king’s eyes. But what is it? It is nothing, if only the princeUmslopogaas yet lives.”

“Your love is great, woman,” I said; “and this love of yourshas brought many woes upon us, and it may well happen that in the end it shallall be for nothing, for there is an evil fate upon us. Say now, what shall Ido? Shall I fly, or shall I abide here, taking the chance of things?”

“You must stay here, Mopo. See, now! This is in the king’s mind. Hefears because of the death of his mother at his own hand—yes, even he; heis afraid lest the people should turn upon him who killed his own mother.Therefore he will give it out that he did not kill her, but that she perishedin the fire which was called down upon your kraals by witchcraft; and, thoughall men know the lie, yet none shall dare to gainsay him. As he said to you,there will be a smelling out, but a smelling out of a new sort, for he and youshall be the witch-finders, and at that smelling out he will give to death allthose whom he fears, all those whom he knows hate him for his wickedness andbecause with his own hand he slew his mother. For this cause, then, he willsave you alive, Mopo—yes, and make you great in the land, for if, indeed,his mother Unandi died through witchcraft, as he shall say, are you not alsowronged by him, and did not your wives and children also perish by witchcraft?Therefore, do not fly; abide here and become great—become great to thegreat end of vengeance, Mopo, my brother. You have much wrong to wreak; soonyou will have more, for I, too, shall be gone, and my blood also shall cry forvengeance to you. Hearken, Mopo. Are there not other princes in the land? Whatof Dingaan, what of Umhlangana, what of Umpanda, brothers to the king? Do notthese also desire to be kings? Do they not day by day rise from sleep feelingtheir limbs to know if they yet live, do they not night by night lie down tosleep not knowing if it shall be their wives that they shall kiss ere dawn orthe red assegai of the king? Draw near to them, my brother; creep into theirhearts and learn their counsel or teach them yours; so in the end shall Chakabe brought to that gate through which your wives have passed, and where I alsoam about to tread.”

Thus Baleka spoke and she was gone, leaving me pondering, for her words wereheavy with wisdom. I knew well that the brothers of the king went heavily andin fear of death, for his shadow was on them. With Panda, indeed, little couldbe done, for he lived softly, speaking always as one whose wits are few. ButDingaan and Umhlangana were of another wood, and from them might be fashioned akerrie that should scatter the brains of Chaka to the birds. But the time tospeak was not now; not yet was the cup of Chaka full.

Then, having finished my thought, I rose, and, going to the kraal of my friend,I doctored my burnt hand, that pained me, and as I was doctoring it there camea messenger to me summoning me before the king.

I went in before the king, and prostrated myself, calling him by his royalnames; but he took me by the hand and raised me up, speaking softly.

“Rise, Mopo, my servant!” he said. “Thou hast suffered muchwoe because of the witchcraft of thine enemies. I, I have lost my mother, andthou, thou hast lost thy wives and children. Weep, my councillors, weep,because I have lost my mother, and Mopo, my servant, has lost his wives andchildren, by the witchcraft of our foes!”

Then all the councillors wept aloud, while Chaka glared at them.

“Hearken, Mopo!” said the king, when the weeping was done.“None can give me back my mother; but I can give thee more wives, andthou shalt find children. Go in among the damsels who are reserved to the king,and choose thee six; go in among the cattle of the king, and choose thee tentimes ten of the best; call upon the servants of the king that they build upthy kraal greater and fairer than it was before! These things I give theefreely; but thou shalt have more, Mopo—yes! thou shalt have vengeance! Onthe first day of the new moon I summon a great meeting, a bandhlaof allthe Zulu people: yes, thine own tribe, the Langeni, shall be there also. Thenwe will mourn together over our woes; then, too, we will learn who broughtthese woes upon us. Go now, Mopo, go! And go ye also, my councillors, leavingme to weep alone because my mother is dead!”

Thus, then, my father, did the words of Baleka come true, and thus, because ofthe crafty policy of Chaka, I grew greater in the land than ever I had beenbefore. I chose the cattle, they were fat; I chose the wives, they were fair;but I took no pleasure in them, nor were any more children born to me. For myheart was like a withered stick; the sap and strength had gone from myheart—it was drawn out in the fire of Chaka’s hut, and lost in mysorrow for those whom I had loved.

CHAPTER XII.
THE TALE OF GALAZI THE WOLF

Now, my father, I will go back a little, for my tale is long and winds in andout like a river in a plain, and tell of the fate of Umslopogaas when the lionhad taken him, as he told it to me in the after years.

The lioness bounded away, and in her mouth was Umslopogaas. Once he struggled,but she bit him hard, so he lay quiet in her mouth, and looking back he saw theface of Nada as she ran from the fence of thorns, crying “Savehim!” He saw her face, he heard her words, then he saw and heard littlemore, for the world grew dark to him and he passed, as it were, into a deepsleep. Presently Umslopogaas awoke again, feeling pain in his thigh, where thelioness had bitten him, and heard a sound of shouting. He looked up; near tohim stood the lioness that had loosed him from her jaws. She was snorting withrage, and in front of her was a lad long and strong, with a grim face, and awolf’s hide, black and grey, bound about his shoulders in such fashionthat the upper jaw and teeth of the wolf rested on his head. He stood beforethe lioness, shouting, and in one hand he held a large war-shield, and in theother he grasped a heavy club shod with iron.

Now the lioness crouched herself to spring, growling terribly, but the lad withthe club did not wait for her onset. He ran in upon her and struck her on thehead with the club. He smote hard and well, but this did not kill her, for shereared herself upon her hind legs and struck at him heavily. He caught the blowupon his shield, but the shield was driven against his breast so strongly thathe fell backwards beneath it, and lay there howling like a wolf in pain. Thenthe lioness sprang upon him and worried him. Still, because of the shield, asyet she could not come at him to slay him; but Umslopogaas saw that this mightnot endure, for presently the shield would be torn aside and the stranger mustbe killed. Now in the breast of the lioness still stood the half ofUmslopogaas’s broken spear, and its blade was a span deep in her breast.Then this thought came into the mind of Umslopogaas, that he would drive thespear home or die. So he rose swiftly, for strength came back to him in hisneed, and ran to where the lioness worried at him who lay beneath the shield.She did not heed him, so he flung himself upon his knees before her, and,seizing the haft of the broken spear, drove it deep into her and wrenched itround. Now she saw Umslopogaas and turned roaring, and clawed at him, tearinghis breast and arms. Then, as he lay, he heard a mighty howling, and, behold!grey wolves and black leaped upon the lioness and rent and worried her till shefell and was torn to pieces by them. After this the senses of Umslopogaas lefthim again, and the light went out of his eyes so that he was as one dead.

At length his mind came back to him, and with it his memory, and he rememberedthe lioness and looked up to find her. But he did not find her, and he saw thathe lay in a cave upon a bed of grass, while all about him were the skins ofbeasts, and at his side was a pot filled with water. He put out his hand and,taking the pot, drank of the water, and then he saw that his arm was wasted aswith sickness, and that his breast was thick with scars scarcely skinned over.

Now while he lay and wondered, the mouth of the cave was darkened, and throughit entered that same lad who had done battle with the lioness and beenoverthrown by her, bearing a dead buck upon his shoulders. He put down the buckupon the ground, and, walking to where Umslopogaas lay, looked at him.

“Ou!” he said, “your eyes are open—do you, then,live, stranger?”

“I live,” answered Umslopogaas, “and I am hungry.”

“It is time,” said the other, “since with toil I bore youhere through the forest, for twelve days you have lain without sense, drinkingwater only. So deeply had the lion clawed you that I thought of you as dead.Twice I was near to killing you, that you might cease to suffer and I to betroubled; but I held my hand, because of a word which came to me from one whois dead. Now eat, that your strength may return to you. Afterwards, we willtalk.”

So Umslopogaas ate, and little by little his health returned to him—everyday a little. And afterwards, as they sat at night by the fire in the cave theyspoke together.

“How are you named?” asked Umslopogaas of the other.

“I am named Galazi the Wolf,” he answered, “and I am of Zulublood—ay, of the blood of Chaka the king; for the father of Senzangacona,the father of Chaka, was my great-grandfather.”

“Whence came you, Galazi?”

“I came from Swaziland—from the tribe of the Halakazi, which Ishould rule. This is the story: Siguyana, my grandfather, was a younger brotherof Senzangacona, the father of Chaka. But he quarrelled with Senzangacona, andbecame a wanderer. With certain of the people of the Umtetwa he wandered intoSwaziland, and sojourned with the Halakazi tribe in their great caves; and theend of it was that he killed the chief of the tribe and took his place. Afterhe was dead, my father ruled in his place; but there was a great party in thetribe that hated his rule because he was of the Zulu race, and it would haveset up a chief of the old Swazi blood in his place. Still, they could not dothis, for my father’s hand was heavy on the people. Now I was the onlyson of my father by his head wife, and born to be chief after him, andtherefore those of the Swazi party, and they were many and great, hated mealso. So matters stood till last year in the winter, and then my father set hisheart on killing twenty of the headmen, with their wives and children, becausehe knew that they plotted against him. But the headmen learned what was tocome, and they prevailed upon a wife of my father, a woman of their own blood,to poison him. So she poisoned him in the night and in the morning it was toldme that my father lay sick and summoned me, and I went to him. In his hut Ifound him, and he was writhing with pain.

“‘What is it, my father?’ I said. ‘Who has done thisevil?’

“‘It is this, my son,’ he gasped, ‘that I am poisoned,and she stands yonder who has done the deed.’ And he pointed to thewoman, who stood at the side of the hut near the door, her chin upon herbreast, trembling as she looked upon the fruit of her wickedness.

“Now the girl was young and fair, and we had been friends, yet I say thatI did not pause, for my heart was mad within me. I did not pause, but, seizingmy spear, I ran at her, and, though she cried for mercy, I killed her with thespear.

“‘That was well done, Galazi!’ said my father. ‘Butwhen I am gone, look to yourself, my son, for these Swazi dogs will drive youout and rob you of your place! But if they drive you out and you still live,swear this to me—that you will not rest till you have avenged me.’

“‘I swear it, my father,’ I answered. ‘I swear that Iwill stamp out the men of the tribe of Halakazi, every one of them, exceptthose of my own blood, and bring their women to slavery and their children tobonds!’

“‘Big words for a young mouth,’ said my father. ‘Yetshall you live to bring these things about, Galazi. This I know of you now inmy hour of death: you shall be a wanderer for a few years of your life, childof Siguyana, and wandering in another land you shall die a man’s death,and not such a death as yonder witch has given to me.’ Then, havingspoken thus, he lifted up his head, looked at me, and with a great groan hedied.

“Now I passed out of the hut dragging the body of the dead girl after me.In front of the hut were gathered many headmen waiting for the end, and I sawthat their looks were sullen.

“‘The chief, my father, is dead!’ I cried in a loud voice,‘and I, Galazi, who am the chief, have slain her who murdered him!’And I rolled the body of the girl over on to her back so that they might lookupon her face.

“Now the father of the girl was among those who stood before me, he whohad persuaded her to the deed, and he was maddened at the sight.

“‘What, my brothers?’ he cried. ‘Shall we suffer thatthis young Zulu dog, this murderer of a girl, be chief over us? Never! The oldlion is dead, now for the cub!’ And he ran at me with spear aloft.

“‘Never!’ shouted the others, and they, too, ran towards me,shaking their spears.

“I waited, I did not hasten, for I knew well that I should not die then,I knew it from my father’s last words. I waited till the man was near me;he thrust, I sprang aside and drove my spear through him, and on thedaughter’s body the father fell dead. Then I shouted aloud and rushedthrough them. None touched me; none could catch me; the man does not live whocan overtake me when my feet are on the ground and I am away.”

“Yet I might try,” said Umslopogaas, smiling, for of all lads amongthe Zulus he was the swiftest of foot.

“First walk again, then run,” answered Galazi.

“Take up the tale,” quoth Umslopogaas; “it is a merryone.”

“Something is left to tell, stranger. I fled from the country of theHalakazi, nor did I linger at all in the land of the Swazis, but came onswiftly into the Zulu. Now, it was in my mind to go to Chaka and tell him of mywrongs, asking that he would send an impi to make an end of the Halakazi. Butwhile I journeyed, finding food and shelter as I might, I came one night to thekraal of an old man who knew Chaka, and had known Siguyana, my grandfather, andto him, when I had stayed there two days, I told my tale. But the old mancounselled me against my plan, saying that Chaka, the king, did not love towelcome new shoots sprung from the royal stock, and would kill me; moreover,the man offered me a place in his kraal. Now, I held that there was wisdom inhis words, and thought no more of standing before the king to cry for justice,for he who cries to kings for justice sometimes finds death. Still, I would notstay in the kraal of the old man, for he had sons to come after him who lookedon me with no liking; moreover, I wished to be a chief myself, even if I livedalone. So I left the kraal by night and walked on, not knowing where I shouldgo.

“Now, on the third night, I came to a little kraal that stands on thefarther side of the river at the foot of the mountain. In front of the kraalsat a very old woman basking in the rays of the setting sun. She saw me, andspoke to me, saying, ‘Young man, you are tall and strong and swift offoot. Would you earn a famous weapon, a club, that destroys all who standbefore it?’

“I said that I wished to have such a club, and asked what I should do towin it.

“‘You shall do this,’ said the old woman: ‘to-morrowmorning, at the first light, you shall go up to yonder mountain,’ and shepointed to the mountain where you are now, stranger, on which the stone Witchsits forever waiting for the world to die. ‘Two-thirds of the way up themountain you will come to a path that is difficult to climb. You shall climbthe path and enter a gloomy forest. It is very dark in the forest, but you mustpush through it till you come to an open place with a wall of rock behind it.In the wall of rock is a cave, and in the cave you will find the bones of aman. Bring down the bones in a bag, and I will give you the club!’

“While she spoke thus people came out of the kraal and listened.

“‘Do not heed her, young man,’ they said, ‘unless youare weary of life. Do not heed her: she is crazy. The mountain is haunted; itis a place of ghosts. Look at the stone Witch who sits upon it! Evil spiritslive in that forest, and no man has walked there for many years. Thiswoman’s son was foolish: he went to wander in the forest, saying that hecared nothing for ghosts, and the Amatongo, the ghost-folk, killed him.That was many years ago, and none have dared to seek his bones. Ever she sitshere and asks of the passers by that they should bring him to her, offering thegreat club for a reward; but they dare not!’

“‘They lie!’ said the old woman. ‘There are no ghoststhere. The ghosts live only in their cowardly hearts; there are but wolves. Iknow that the bones of my son lie in the cave, for I have seen them in a dream;but, alas! my old limbs are too weak to carry me up the mountain path, and allthese are cowards; there is no man among them since the Zulus killed myhusband, covering him with wounds!’

“Now, I listened, answering nothing; but when all had done, I asked tosee the club which should be given to him who dared to face theAmatongo, the spirits who lived in the forest upon the Ghost Mountain.Then the old woman rose, and creeping on her hands went into the hut. Presentlyshe returned again, dragging the great club after her.

“Look at it, stranger! look at it! Was there ever such a club?” AndGalazi held it up before the eyes of Umslopogaas.

In truth, my father, that was a club, for I, Mopo, saw it in after days. It wasgreat and knotty, black as iron that had been smoked in the fire, and shod withmetal that was worn smooth with smiting.

“I looked at it,” went on Galazi, “and I tell you, stranger,a great desire came into my heart to possess it.

“‘How is this club named?’ I asked of the old woman.

“‘It is named Watcher of the Fords,’ she answered, ‘andit has not watched in vain. Five men have held that club in war and ahundred-and-seventy-three have given up their lives beneath its strokes. He whoheld it last slew twenty before he was slain himself, for this fortune goeswith the club—that he who owns it shall die holding it, but in a noblefashion. There is but one other weapon to match with it in Zululand, and thatis the great axe of Jikiza, the chief of the People of the Axe, who dwells inthe kraal yonder; the ancient horn-hafted Imbubuzi, the Groan-Maker,that brings victory. Were axe, Groan-Maker, and club, Watcher of the Fords,side by side, there are no thirty men in Zululand who could stand before them.I have said. Choose!’ And the aged woman watched me cunningly through herhorny eyes.

“‘She speaks truly now,’ said one of those who stood near.‘Let the club be, young man: he who owns it smites great blows indeed,but in the end he dies by the assegai. None dare own the Watcher of theFords.’

“‘A good death and a swift!’ I answered. And pondered a time,while still the old woman watched me through her horny eyes. At length sherose, ‘La!, la!’ she said, ‘the Watcher is not for this one.This is but a child, I must seek me a man, I must seek me a man!’

“‘Not so fast, old wife,’ I said. ‘Will you lend methis club to hold in my hand while I go to find the bones of your son and tosnatch them from the people of the ghosts?’

“‘Lend you the Watcher, boy? Nay, nay! I should see little of youagain or of the good club either.’

“‘I am no thief,’ I answered. ‘If the ghosts kill me,you will see me no more, or the club either; but if I live I will bring youback the bones, or, if I do not find them, I will render the Watcher into yourhands again. At the least I say that if you will not lend me the club, then Iwill not go into the haunted place.’

“‘Boy, your eyes are honest,’ she said, still peering at me.‘Take the Watcher, go seek the bones. If you die, let the club be lostwith you; if you fail, bring it back to me; but if you win the bones, then itis yours, and it shall bring you glory and you shall die a man’s death atlast holding him aloft among the dead.’

“So on the morrow at dawn I took the club Watcher in my hand and a littledancing shield, and made ready to start. The old woman blessed me and bade mefarewell, but the other people of the kraal mocked, saying: ‘A little manfor so big a club! Beware, little man, lest the ghosts use the club onyou!’ So they spoke, but one girl in the kraal—she is agranddaughter of the old woman—led me aside, praying me not to go, forthe forest on the Ghost Mountain had an evil name: none dared walk there, sinceit was certainly full of spirits, who howled like wolves. I thanked the girl,but to the others I said nothing, only I asked of the path to the GhostMountain.

“Now stranger, if you have strength, come to the mouth of the cave andlook out, for the moon is bright.”

So Umslopogaas rose and crept through the narrow mouth of the cave. There,above him, a great grey peak towered high into the air, shaped like a seatedwoman, her chin resting upon her breast, the place where the cave was being, asit were, on the lap of the woman. Below this place the rock sloped sharply, andwas clothed with little bushes. Lower down yet was a forest, great and dense,that stretched to the top of a cliff, and at the foot of the cliff, beyond thewaters of the river, lay the wide plains of Zululand.

“Yonder, stranger,” said Galazi, pointing with the club Watcher ofthe Fords far away to the plain beneath; “yonder is the kraal where theaged woman dwelt. There is a cliff rising from the plain, up which I mustclimb; there is the forest where dwell the Amatongo, the people of theghosts; there, on the hither side of the forest, runs the path to the cave, andhere is the cave itself. See this stone lying at the mouth of the cave, itturns thus, shutting up the entrance hole—it turns gently; though it isso large, a child may move it, for it rests upon a sharp point of rock. Onlymark this, the stone must not be pushed too far; for, look! if it came tohere,” and he pointed to a mark in the mouth of the cave, “thenthat man need be strong who can draw it back again, though I have done itmyself, who am not a man full grown. But if it pass beyond this mark, then,see, it will roll down the neck of the cave like a pebble down the neck of agourd, and I think that two men, one striving from within and one dragging fromwithout, scarcely could avail to push it clear. Look now, I close the stone, asis my custom of a night, so,”—and he grasped the rock and swung itround upon its pivot, on which it turned as a door turns. “Thus I leaveit, and though, except those to whom the secret is known, none would guess thata cave was here, yet it can be rolled back again with a push of the hand. Butenough of the stone. Enter again, wanderer, and I will go forward with my tale,for it is long and strange.

“I started from the kraal of the old woman, and the people of the kraalfollowed me to the brink of the river. It was in flood, and few had dared tocross it.

“‘Ha! ha!’ they cried, ‘now your journey is done,little man; watch by the ford you who would win the Watcher of the Ford! Beatthe water with the club, perhaps so it shall grow gentle that your feet maypass it!’

“I answered nothing to their mocking, only I bound the shield upon myshoulders with a string, and the bag that I had brought I made fast about mymiddle, and I held the great club in my teeth by the thong. Then I plunged intothe river and swam. Twice, stranger, the current bore me under, and those onthe bank shouted that I was lost; but I rose again, and in the end I won thefarther shore.

“Now those on the bank mocked no more; they stood still wondering, and Iwalked on till I came to the foot of the cliff. That cliff is hard to climb,stranger; when you are strong upon your feet, I will show you the path. Yet Ifound a way up it, and by midday I came to the forest. Here, on the edge of theforest, I rested awhile, and ate a little food that I had brought with me inthe bag, for now I must gather up my strength to meet the ghosts, if ghoststhere were. Then I rose and plunged into the forest. The trees were great thatgrow there, stranger, and their leaves are so thick that in certain places thelight is as that of night when the moon is young. Still, I wended on, oftenlosing my path. But from time to time between the tops of the trees I saw thefigure of the grey stone woman who sits on the top of Ghost Mountain, andshaped my course towards her knees. My heart beat as I travelled through theforest in dark and loneliness like that of the night, and ever I looked roundsearching for the eyes of the Amatongo. But I saw no spirits, though attimes great spotted snakes crept from before my feet, and perhaps these werethe Amatongo. At times, also, I caught glimpses of some grey wolf as heslunk from tree to tree watching me, and always high above my head the windsighed in the great boughs with a sound like the sighing of women.

“Still, I went on, singing to myself as I went, that my heart might notbe faint with fear, and at length, towards the end of the second hour, thetrees grew fewer, the ground sloped upwards, and the light poured down from theheavens again. But, stranger, you are weary, and the night wears on; sleep now,and to-morrow I will end the tale. Say, first, how are you named?”

“I am named Umslopogaas, son of Mopo,” he answered, “and mytale shall be told when yours is done; let us sleep!”

Now when Galazi heard this name he started and was troubled, but said nothing.So they laid them down to sleep, and Galazi wrapped Umslopogaas with the skinsof bucks.

But Galazi the Wolf was so hardy that he lay on the bare ground and had nocovering. So they slept, and without the door of the cave the wolves howled,scenting the blood of men.

CHAPTER XIII.
GALAZI BECOMES KING OF THE WOLVES

On the morrow Umslopogaas awoke, and knew that strength was growing on himfast. Still, all that day he rested in the cave, while Galazi went out to hunt.In the evening he returned, bearing a buck upon his shoulders, and they skinnedthe buck and ate of it as they sat by the fire. And when the sun was downGalazi took up his tale.

“Now Umslopogaas, son of Mopo, hear! I had passed the forest, and hadcome, as it were, to the legs of the old stone Witch who sits up aloft thereforever waiting for the world to die. Here the sun shone merrily, here lizardsran and birds flew to and fro, and though it grew towards the evening—forI had wandered long in the forest—I was afraid no more. So I climbed upthe steep rock, where little bushes grow like hair on the arms of a man, tillat last I came to the knees of the stone Witch, which are the space before thecave. I lifted my head over the brink of the rock and looked, and I tell you,Umslopogaas, my blood ran cold and my heart turned to water, for there, beforethe cave, rolled wolves, many and great. Some slept and growled in their sleep,some gnawed at the skulls of dead game, some sat up like dogs and their tongueshung from their grinning jaws. I looked, I saw, and beyond I discovered themouth of the cave, where the bones of the boy should be. But I had no wish tocome there, being afraid of the wolves, for now I knew that these were theghosts who live upon the mountain. So I bethought me that I would fly, andturned to go. And, Umslopogaas, even as I turned, the great club Watcher of theFords swung round and smote me on the back with such a blow as a man smitesupon a coward. Now whether this was by chance or whether the Watcher wouldshame him who bore it, say you, for I do not know. At the least, shame enteredinto me. Should I go back to be mocked by the people of the kraal and by theold woman? And if I wished to go, should I not be killed by the ghosts at nightin the forest? Nay, it was better to die in the jaws of the wolves, and atonce.

“Thus I thought in my heart; then, tarrying not, lest fear should comeupon me again, I swung up the Watcher, and crying aloud the war-cry of theHalakazi, I sprang over the brink of the rock and rushed upon the wolves. They,too, sprang up and stood howling, with bristling hides and fiery eyes, and thesmell of them came into my nostrils. Yet when they saw it was a man that rushedupon them, they were seized with sudden fear and fled this way and that,leaping by great bounds from the place of rock, which is the knees of the stoneWitch, so that presently I stood alone in front of the cave. Now, havingconquered the wolf ghosts and no blow struck, my heart swelled within me, and Iwalked to the mouth of the cave proudly, as a cock walks upon a roof, andlooked in through the opening. As it chanced, the sinking sun shone at thishour full into the cave, so that all its darkness was made red with light.Then, once more, Umslopogaas, I grew afraid indeed, for I could see the end ofthe cave.

“Look now! There is a hole in the wall of the cave, where the firelightfalls below the shadow of the roof, twice the height of a man from the floor.It is a narrow hole and a high, is it not?—as though one had cut it withiron, and a man might sit in it, his legs hanging towards the floor of thecave. Ay, Umslopogaas, a man might sit in it, might he not? And there a mansat, or that which had been a man. There sat the bones of a man, and the blackskin had withered on his bones, holding them together, and making him awful tosee. His hands were open beside him, he leaned upon them, and in the right handwas a piece of hide from his moocha. It was half eaten, Umslopogaas; he hadeaten it before he died. His eyes also were bound round with a band of leather,as though to hide something from their gaze, one foot was gone, one hung overthe edge of the niche towards the floor, and beneath it on the floor, red withrust, lay the blade of a broken spear.

“Now come hither, Umslopogaas, place your hand upon the wall of the cave,just here; it is smooth, is it not?—smooth as the stones on which womengrind their corn. ‘What made it so smooth?’ you ask. I will tellyou.

“When I peered through the door of the cave I saw this: on the floor ofthe cave lay a she-wolf panting, as though she had galloped many a mile; shewas great and fierce. Near to her was another wolf—he was a dog—oldand black, bigger than any I have seen, a very father of wolves, and all hishead and flanks were streaked with grey. But this wolf was on his feet. As Iwatched he drew back nearly to the mouth of the cave, then of a sudden he ranforward and bounded high into the air towards the withered foot of that whichhung from the cleft of the rock. His pads struck upon the rock here where it issmooth, and there for a second he seemed to cling, while his great jaws closedwith a clash but a spear’s breadth beneath the dead man’s foot.Then he fell back with a howl of rage, and drew slowly down the cave. Again heran and leaped, again the great jaws closed, again he fell down howling. Thenthe she-wolf rose, and they sprang together, striving to pull down him who satabove. But it was all in vain; they could never come nearer than within aspear’s breadth of the dead man’s foot. And now, Umslopogaas, youknow why the rock is smooth and shines. From month to month and year to yearthe wolves had ravened there, seeking to devour the bones of him who sat above.Night upon night they had leaped thus against the wall of the cave, but nevermight their clashing jaws close upon his foot. One foot they had, indeed, butthe other they could not come by.

“Now as I watched, filled with fear and wonder, the she-wolf, her tonguelolling from her jaws, made so mighty a bound that she almost reached thehanging foot, and yet not quite. She fell back, and then I saw that the leapwas her last for that time, for she had oversprung herself, and lay therehowling, the black blood flowing from her mouth. The wolf saw also: he drewnear, sniffed at her, then, knowing that she was hurt, seized her by the throatand worried her. Now all the place was filled with groans and choking howls, asthe wolves rolled over and over beneath him who sat above, and in the blood-redlight of the dying sun the sight and sounds were so horrid that I trembled likea child. The she-wolf grew faint, for the fangs of her mate were buried in herthroat. Then I saw that now was the time to smite him, lest when he had killedher he should kill me also. So I lifted the Watcher and sprang into the cave,having it in my mind to slay the wolf before he lifted up his head. But heheard my footsteps, or perhaps my shadow fell upon him. Loosing his grip, helooked up, this father of wolves; then, making no sound, he sprang straight atmy throat.

“I saw him, and whirling the Watcher aloft, I smote with all my strength.The blow met him in mid-air; it fell full on his chest and struck him backwardsto the earth. But there he would not stay, for, rising before I could smiteagain, once more he sprang at me. This time I leaped aside and struckdownwards, and the blow fell upon his right leg and broke it, so that he couldspring no more. Yet he ran at me on three feet, and, though the club fell onhis side, he seized me with his teeth, biting through that leather bag, whichwas wound about my middle, into the flesh behind. Then I yelled with pain andrage, and lifting the Watcher endways, drove it down with both hands, as a mandrives a stake into the earth, and that with so great a stroke that the skullof the wolf was shattered like a pot, and he fell dead, dragging me with him.Presently I sat up on the ground, and, placing the handle of the Watcherbetween his jaws, I forced them open, freeing my flesh from the grip of histeeth. Then I looked at my wounds; they were not deep, for the leather bag hadsaved me, yet I feel them to this hour, for there is poison in the mouth of awolf. Presently I glanced up, and saw that the she-wolf had found her feetagain, and stood as though unhurt; for this is the nature of these ghosts,Umslopogaas, that, though they fight continually, they cannot destroy eachother. They may be killed by man alone, and that hardly. There she stood, andyet she did not look at me or on her dead mate, but at him who sat above. Isaw, and crept softly behind her, then, lifting the Watcher, I dashed him downwith all my strength. The blow fell on her neck and broke it, so that sherolled over and at once was dead.

“Now I rested awhile, then went to the mouth of the cave and looked out.The sun was sinking: all the depth of the forest was black, but the light stillshone on the face of the stone woman who sits forever on the mountain. Here,then, I must bide this night, for, though the moon shone white and full in thesky, I dared not wend towards the plains alone with the wolves and the ghosts.And if I dared not go alone, how much less should I dare to go bearing with mehim who sat in the cleft of the rock! Nay, here I must bide, so I went out ofthe cave to the spring which flows from the rock on the right yonder and washedmy wounds and drank. Then I came back and sat in the mouth of the cave, andwatched the light die away from the face of the world. While it was dying therewas silence, but when it was dead the forest awoke. A wind sprang up and tossedit till the green of its boughs waved like troubled water on which the moonshines faintly. From the heart of it, too, came howlings of ghosts and wolves,that were answered by howls from the rocks above—hearken, Umslopogaas,such howlings as we hear to-night!

“It was awful here in the mouth of the cave, for I had not yet learnedthe secret of the stone, and if I had known it, should I have dared to closeit, leaving myself alone with the dead wolves and him whom the wolves hadstruggled to tear down? I walked out yonder on to the platform and looked up.The moon shone full upon the face of the stone Witch who sits aloft forever.She seemed to grin at me, and, oh! I grew afraid, for now I knew that this wasa place of dead men, a place where spirits perch like vultures in a tree, asthey sweep round and round the world. I went back to the cave, and feeling thatI must do something lest I should go mad, I drew to me the carcase of the greatdog-wolf which I had killed, and, taking my knife of iron, I began to skin itby the light of the moon. For an hour or more I skinned, singing to myself as Iworked, and striving to forget him who sat in the cleft above and the howlingswhich ran about the mountains. But ever the moonlight shone more clearly intothe cave: now by it I could see his shape of bone and skin, ay, and even thebandage about his eyes. Why had he tied it there? I wondered—perhaps tohide the faces of the fierce wolves as they sprang upwards to grip him. Andalways the howlings drew nearer; now I could see grey forms creeping to and froin the shadows of the rocky place before me. Ah! there before me glared two redeyes: a sharp snout sniffed at the carcase which I skinned. With a yell, Ilifted the Watcher and smote. There came a scream of pain, and somethinggalloped away into the shadows.

“Now the skin was off. I cast it behind me, and seizing the carcasedragged it to the edge of the rock and left it. Presently the sound of howlingsdrew near again, and I saw the grey shapes creep up one by one. Now theygathered round the carcase, now they fell upon it and rent it, fightinghorribly till all was finished. Then, licking their red chops, they slunk backto the forest.

“Did I sleep or did I wake? Nay, I cannot tell. But I know this, that ofa sudden I seemed to look up and see. I saw a light—perchance,Umslopogaas, it was the light of the moon, shining upon him that sat aloft atthe end of the cave. It was a red light, and he glowed in it as glows a thingthat is rotten. I looked, or seemed to look, and then I thought that thehanging jaw moved, and from it came a voice that was harsh and hollow as of onewho speaks from an empty belly, through a withered throat.

“‘Hail, Galazi, child of Siguyana!’ said the voice,‘Galazi the Wolf! Say, what dost thou here in the Ghost Mountain, wherethe stone Witch sits forever, waiting for the world to die?’

“Then, Umslopogaas, I answered, or seemed to answer, and my voice, too,sounded strange and hollow:—

“‘Hail, Dead One, who sittest like a vulture on a rock! I do thison the Ghost Mountain. I come to seek thy bones and bear them to thy mother forburial.’

“‘Many and many a year have I sat aloft, Galazi,’ answeredthe voice, ‘watching the ghost-wolves leap and leap to drag me down, tillthe rock grew smooth beneath the wearing of their feet. So I sat seven days andnights, being yet alive, the hungry wolves below, and hunger gnawing at myheart. So I have sat many and many a year, being dead in the heart of the oldstone Witch, watching the moon and the sun and the stars, hearkening to thehowls of the ghost-wolves as they ravened beneath me, and learning the wisdomof the old witch who sits above in everlasting stone. Yet my mother was youngand fair when I trod the haunted forest and climbed the knees of stone. Howseems she now, Galazi?’

“‘She is white and wrinkled and very aged,’ I answered.‘They call her mad, yet at her bidding I came to seek thee, Dead One,bearing the Watcher that was thy father’s and shall be mine.’

“‘It shall be thine, Galazi,’ said the voice, ‘for thoualone hast dared the ghosts to give me sleep and burial. Hearken, thine alsoshall be the wisdom of the old witch who sits aloft forever, frozen intoeverlasting stone—thine and one other’s. These are not wolves thatthou hast seen, that is no wolf which thou hast slain; nay, they areghosts—evil ghosts of men who lived in ages gone, and who must now livetill they be slain by men. And knowest thou how they lived, Galazi, and whatwas the food they ate? When the light comes again, Galazi, climb to the breastsof the stone Witch, and look in the cleft which is between her breasts. Thereshalt thou see how these men lived. And now this doom is on them: they mustwander gaunt and hungry in the shape of wolves, haunting that Ghost Mountainwhere they once fed, till they are led forth to die at the hands of men.Because of their devouring hunger they have leapt from year to year, strivingto reach my bones; and he whom thou hast slain was the king of them, and she athis side was their queen.

“‘Now, Galazi the Wolf, this is the wisdom that I give thee: thoushalt be king of the ghost-wolves, thou and another, whom a lion shall bringthee. Gird the black skin upon thy shoulders, and the wolves shall follow thee;all the three hundred and sixty and three of them that are left, and let himwho shall be brought to thee gird on the skin of grey. Where ye twain leadthem, there shall they raven, bringing you victory till all are dead. But knowthis, that there only may they raven where in life they ravened, seeking fortheir food. Yet, that was an ill gift thou tookest from my mother—thegift of the Watcher, for though without the Watcher thou hadst never slain theking of the ghost-wolves, yet, bearing the Watcher, thou shalt thyself beslain. Now, on the morrow carry me back to my mother, so that I may sleep wherethe ghost-wolves leap no more. I have spoken, Galazi.’

“Now the Dead One’s voice seemed to grow ever fainter and morehollow as he spoke, till at the last I could scarcely hear his words, yet Ianswered him, asking him this:—

“‘Who is it, then, that the lion shall bring to me to rule with meover the ghost-wolves, and how is he named?’

“Then the Dead One spoke once more very faintly, yet in the silence ofthe place I heard his words:—

“‘He is named Umslopogaas the Slaughterer, son of Chaka, Lion ofthe Zulu.”

Now Umslopogaas started up from his place by the fire.

“I am named Umslopogaas,” he said, “but the Slaughterer I amnot named, and I am the son of Mopo, and not the son of Chaka, Lion of theZulu; you have dreamed a dream, Galazi, or, if it was no dream, then the DeadOne lied to you.”

“Perchance this was so, Umslopogaas,” answered Galazi the Wolf.“Perhaps I dreamed, or perhaps the Dead One lied; nevertheless, if helied in this matter, in other matters he did not lie, as you shall hear.

“After I had heard these words, or had dreamed that I heard them, I sleptindeed, and when I woke the forest beneath was like the clouds of mist, but thegrey light glinted upon the face of her who sits in stone above. Now Iremembered the dream that I had dreamed, and I would see if it were all adream. So I rose, and leaving the cave, found a place where I might climb up tothe breasts and head of the stone Witch. I climbed, and as I went the rays ofthe sun lit upon her face, and I rejoiced to see them. But, when I drew near,the likeness to the face of a woman faded away, and I saw nothing before me butrugged heaps of piled-up rock. For this, Umslopogaas, is the way of witches, bethey of stone or flesh—when you draw near to them they change theirshape.

“Now I was on the breast of the mountain, and wandered to and fro awhilebetween the great heaps of stone. At length I found, as it were, a crack in thestone thrice as wide as a man can jump, and in length half a spear’sthrow, and near this crack stood great stones blackened by fire, and beneaththem broken pots and a knife of flint. I looked down into the crack—itwas very deep, and green with moss, and tall ferns grew about in it, for thedamp gathered there. There was nothing else. I had dreamed a lying dream. Iturned to go, then found another mind, and climbed down into the cleft, pushingaside the ferns. Beneath the ferns was moss; I scraped it away with theWatcher. Presently the iron of the club struck on something that was yellow andround like a stone, and from the yellow thing came a hollow sound. I lifted it,Umslopogaas; it was the skull of a child.

“I dug deeper and scraped away more moss, till presently I saw. Beneaththe moss was nothing but the bones of men—old bones that had lain theremany years; the little ones had rotted, the larger ones remained—somewere yellow, some black, and others still white. They were not broken, as arethose that hyenas and wolves have worried, yet on some of them I could see themarks of teeth. Then, Umslopogaas, I went back to the cave, never lookingbehind me.

“Now when I was come to the cave I did this: I skinned the she-wolf also.When I had finished the sun was up, and I knew that it was time to go. But Icould not go alone—he who sat aloft in the cleft of the cave must go withme. I greatly feared to touch him—this Dead One, who had spoken to me ina dream; yet I must do it. So I brought stones and piled them up till I couldreach him; then I lifted him down, for he was very light, being but skin andbones. When he was down, I bound the hides of the wolves about me, then leavingthe leather bag, into which he could not enter, I took the Dead One and placedhim on my shoulders as a man might carry a child, for his legs were fixedsomewhat apart, and holding him by the foot which was left on him, I set outfor the kraal. Down the slope I went as swiftly as I could, for now I knew theway, seeing and hearing nothing, except once, when there came a rush of wings,and a great eagle swept down at that which sat upon my shoulders. I shouted,and the eagle flew away, then I entered the dark of the forest. Here I mustwalk softly, lest the head of him I carried should strike against the boughsand be smitten from him.

“For awhile I went on thus, till I drew near to the heart of the forest.Then I heard a wolf howl on my right, and from the left came answering howls,and these, again, were answered by others in front of and behind me. I walkedon boldly, for I dared not stay, guiding myself by the sun, which from time totime shone down on me redly through the boughs of the great trees. Now I couldsee forms grey and black slinking near my path, sniffing at the air as theywent, and now I came to a little open place, and, behold! all the wolves in theworld were gathered together there. My heart melted, my legs trembled beneathme. On every side were the brutes, great and hungry. And I stood still, withclub aloft, and slowly they crept up, muttering and growling as they came, tillthey formed a deep circle round me. Yet they did not spring on me, only drewnearer and ever nearer. Presently one sprang, indeed, but not at me; he sprangat that which sat upon my shoulders. I moved aside, and he missed his aim, and,coming to the ground again, stood there growling and whining like a beastafraid. Then I remembered the words of my dream, if dream it were, how that theDead One had given me wisdom that I should be king of the ghost-wolves—Iand another whom a lion should bear to me. Was it not so? If it was not so, howcame it that the wolves did not devour me?

“For a moment I stood thinking, then I lifted up my voice and howled likea wolf, and lo! Umslopogaas, all the wolves howled in answer with a mightyhowling. I stretched out my hand and called to them. They ran to me, gatheringround me as though to devour me. But they did not harm me; they licked my legswith their red tongues, and fighting to come near me, pressed themselvesagainst me as does a cat. One, indeed, snatched at him who sat on my shoulder,but I struck him with the Watcher and he slunk back like a whipped hound;moreover, the others bit him so that he yelled. Now I knew that I had no moreto fear, for I was king of the ghost-wolves, so I walked on, and with me cameall the great pack of them. I walked on and on, and they trotted beside mesilently, and the fallen leaves crackled beneath their feet, and the dust roseup about them, till at length I reached the edge of the forest.

“Now I remembered that I must not be seen thus by men, lest they shouldthink me a wizard and kill me. Therefore, at the edge of the forest I haltedand made signs to the wolves to go back. At this they howled piteously, asthough in grief, but I called to them that I would come again and be theirking, and it seemed as though their brute hearts understood my words. Then theyall went, still howling, till presently I was alone.

“And now, Umslopogaas, it is time to sleep; to-morrow night I will end mytale.”

CHAPTER XIV.
THE WOLF-BRETHREN

Now, my father, on the morrow night, once again Umslopogaas and Galazi the wolfsat by the fire in the mouth of their cave, as we sit to-night, my father, andGalazi took up his tale.

“I passed on till I came to the river; it was still full, but the waterhad run down a little, so that my feet found foothold. I waded into the river,using the Watcher as a staff, and the stream reached to my elbows, but nohigher. Now one on the farther bank of the river saw that which sat upon myshoulders, and saw also the wolf’s skin on my head, and ran to the kraalcrying, ‘Here comes one who walks the waters on the back of awolf.’

“So it came about that when I drew towards the kraal all the people ofthe kraal were gathered together to meet me, except the old woman, who couldnot walk so far. But when they saw me coming up the slope of the hill, and whenthey knew what it was that sat upon my shoulders, they were smitten with fear.Yet they did not run, because of their great wonder, only they walked backwardbefore me, clinging each to each and saying nothing. I too came on silently,till at length I reached the kraal, and before its gates sat the old womanbasking in the sun of the afternoon. Presently she looked up and cried:—

“‘What ails you, people of my house, that you walk backwards likemen bewitched, and who is that tall and deathly man who comes towardyou?’

“But still they drew on backward, saying no word, the little childrenclinging to the women, the women clinging to the men, till they had passed theold wife and ranged themselves behind her like a regiment of soldiers. Thenthey halted against the fence of the kraal. But I came on to the old woman, andlifted him who sat upon my shoulders, and placed him on the ground before her,saying, ‘Woman, here is your son; I have snatched him with much toil fromthe jaws of the ghosts—and they are many up yonder—all save onefoot, which I could not find. Take him now and bury him, for I weary of hisfellowship.’

“She looked upon that which sat before her. She put out her withered handand drew the bandage from his sunken eyes. Then she screamed aloud a shrillscream, and, flinging her arms about the neck of the Dead One, she cried:‘It is my son whom I bore—my very son, whom for twice ten years andhalf a ten I have not looked upon. Greeting, my son, greeting! Now shalt thoufind burial, and I with thee—ay, I with thee!’

“And once more she cried aloud, standing upon her feet with armsoutstretched. Then of a sudden foam burst from her lips, and she fell forwardupon the body of her son, and was dead.

“Now silence came upon the place again, for all were fearful. At last onecried: ‘How is this man named who has won the body from theghosts?’

“‘I am named Galazi,’ I answered.

“‘Nay,’ said he. ‘The Wolf you are named. Look at thewolf’s red hide upon his head!’

“‘I am named Galazi, and the Wolf you have named me,’ I saidagain. ‘So be it: I am named Galazi the Wolf.’

“‘Methinks he is a wolf,’ said he. ‘Look, now, at histeeth, how they grin! This is no man, my brothers, but a wolf.’

“‘No wolf and no man,’ said another, ‘but a wizard.None but a wizard could have passed the forest and won the lap of her who sitsin stone forever.’

“‘Yes, yes! he is a wolf—he is a wizard!’ theyscreamed. ‘Kill him! Kill the wolf-wizard before he brings the ghostsupon us!’ And they ran towards me with uplifted spears.

“‘I am a wolf indeed,’ I cried, ‘and I am a wizardindeed, and I will bring wolves and ghosts upon you ere all is done.’ AndI turned and fled so swiftly that soon they were left behind me. Now as I ran Imet a girl; a basket of mealies was on her head, and she bore a dead kid in herhand. I rushed at her howling like a wolf, and I snatched the mealies from herhead and the kid from her hand. Then I fled on, and coming to the river, Icrossed it, and for that night I hid myself in the rocks beyond, eating themealies and the flesh of the kid.

“On the morrow at dawn I rose and shook the dew from the wolf-hide. ThenI went on into the forest and howled like a wolf. They knew my voice, theghost-wolves, and howled in answer from far and near. Then I heard thepattering of their feet, and they came round me by tens and by twenties, andfawned upon me. I counted their number; they numbered three hundred and sixtyand three.

“Afterwards, I went on to the cave, and I have lived there in the cave,Umslopogaas, for nigh upon twelve moons, and I have become a wolf-man. For withthe wolves I hunt and raven, and they know me, and what I bid them that theydo. Stay, Umslopogaas, now you are strong again, and, if your courage does notfail you, you shall see this very night. Come now, have you the heart,Umslopogaas?”

Then Umslopogaas rose and laughed aloud. “I am young in years,” hecried, “and scarcely come to the full strength of men; yet hitherto Ihave not turned my back on lion or witch, on wolf or man. Now let us see thisimpi of yours—this impi black and grey, that runs on four legs with fangsfor spears!”

“You must first bind on the she-wolf’s hide, Umslopogaas,”quoth Galazi, “else, before a man could count his fingers twice therewould be little enough left of you. Bind it about the neck and beneath thearms, and see that the fastenings do not burst, lest it be the worse foryou.”

So Umslopogaas took the grey wolf’s hide and bound it on with thongs ofleather, and its teeth gleamed upon his head, and he took a spear in his hand.Galazi also bound on the hide of the king of the wolves, and they went out onto the space before the cave. Galazi stood there awhile, and the moonlight fellupon him, and Umslopogaas saw that his face grew wild and beastlike, that hiseyes shone, and his teeth grinned beneath his curling lips. He lifted up hishead and howled out upon the night. Thrice Galazi lifted his head and thrice hehowled loudly, and yet more loud. But before ever the echoes had died in theair, from the heights of the rocks above and the depths of the forest beneath,there came howlings in answer. Nearer they grew and nearer; now there was asound of feet, and a wolf, great and grey, bounded towards them, and after himmany another. They came to Galazi, they sprang upon him, fawning round him, buthe beat them down with the Watcher. Then of a sudden they saw Umslopogaas, andrushed at him open-mouthed.

“Stand and do not move!” cried Galazi. “Be not afraid!”

“I have always fondled dogs,” answered Umslopogaas, “shall Ilearn to fear them now?”

Yet though he spoke boldly, in his heart he was afraid, for this was the mostterrible of all sights. The wolves rushed on him open-mouthed, from before andfrom behind, so that in a breath he was well-nigh hidden by their forms. Yet nofang pierced him, for as they leapt they smelt the smell of the skin upon him.Then Umslopogaas saw that the wolves leapt at him no more, but the she-wolvesgathered round him who wore the she-wolf’s skin. They were great andgaunt and hungry, all were full-grown, there were no little ones, and theirnumber was so many that he could not count them in the moonlight. Umslopogaas,looking into their red eyes, felt his heart become as the heart of a wolf, andhe, too, lifted up his head and howled, and the she-wolves howled in answer.

“The pack is gathered; now for the hunt!” cried Galazi. “Makeyour feet swift, my brother, for we shall journey far to-night. Ho, Blackfang!ho, Greysnout! Ho, my people black and grey, away! away!”

He spoke and bounded forward, and with him went Umslopogaas, and after himstreamed the ghost-wolves. They fled down the mountain sides, leaping fromboulder to boulder like bucks. Presently they stood by a kloof that was thickwith trees. Galazi stopped, holding up the Watcher, and the wolves stopped withhim.

“I smell a quarry,” he cried; “in, my people, in!”

Then the wolves plunged silently into the great kloof, but Galazi andUmslopogaas drew to the foot of it and waited. Presently there came a sound ofbreaking boughs, and lo! before them stood a buffalo, a bull who lowed fiercelyand sniffed the air.

“This one will give us a good chase, my brother; see, he is gaunt andthin! Ah! that meat is tender which my people have hunted to the death!”

As Galazi spoke, the first of the wolves drew from the covert and saw thebuffalo; then, giving tongue, they sprang towards it. The bull saw also, anddashed down the hill, and after him came Galazi and Umslopogaas, and with themall their company, and the rocks shook with the music of their hunting. Theyrushed down the mountain side, and it came into the heart of Umslopogaas, thathe, too, was a wolf. They rushed madly, yet his feet were swift as theswiftest; no wolf could outstrip him, and in him was but one desire—thedesire of prey. Now they neared the borders of the forest, and Galazi shouted.He shouted to Greysnout and to Blackfang, to Blood and to Deathgrip, and thesefour leaped forward from the pack, running so swiftly that their bellies seemedto touch the ground. They passed about the bull, turning him from the forestand setting his head up the slope of the mountain. Then the chase wheeled, thebull leaped and bounded up the mountain side, and on one flank lay Greysnoutand Deathgrip and on the other lay Blood and Blackfang, while behind came theWolf-Brethren, and after them the wolves with lolling tongues. Up the hill theysped, but the feet of Umslopogaas never wearied, his breath did not fail him.Once more they drew near the lap of the Grey Witch where the cave was. Onrushed the bull, mad with fear. He ran so swiftly that the wolves were leftbehind, since here for a space the ground was level to his feet. Galazi lookedon Umslopogaas at his side, and grinned.

“You do not run so ill, my brother, who have been sick of late. See nowif you can outrun me! Who shall touch the quarry first?”

Now the bull was ahead by two spear-throws. Umslopogaas looked and grinned backat Galazi. “Good!” he cried, “away!”

They sped forward with a bound, and for awhile it seemed to Umslopogaas asthough they stood side by side, only the bull grew nearer and nearer. Then heput out his strength and the swiftness of his feet, and lo! when he lookedagain he was alone, and the bull was very near. Never were feet so swift asthose of Umslopogaas. Now he reached the bull as he laboured on. Umslopogaasplaced his hands upon the back of the bull and leaped; he was on him, he sathim as you white men sit a horse. Then he lifted the spear in his hand, anddrove it down between the shoulders to the spine, and of a sudden the greatbuffalo staggered, stopped, and fell dead.

Galazi came up. “Who now is the swiftest, Galazi?” criedUmslopogaas, “I, or you, or your wolf host?”

“You are the swiftest, Umslopogaas,” said Galazi, gasping for hisbreath. “Never did a man run as you run, nor ever shall again.”

Now the wolves streamed up, and would have torn the carcase, but Galazi beatthem back, and they rested awhile. Then Galazi said, “Let us cut meatfrom the bull with a spear.”

So they cut meat from the bull, and when they had finished Galazi motioned tothe wolves, and they fell upon the carcase, fighting furiously. In a littlewhile nothing was left except the larger bones, and yet each wolf had but alittle.

Then they went back to the cave and slept.

Afterwards Umslopogaas told Galazi all his tale, and Galazi asked him if hewould abide with him and be his brother, and rule with him over the wolf-kind,or seek his father Mopo at the kraal of Chaka.

Umslopogaas said that it was rather in his mind to seek his sister Nada, for hewas weary of the kraal of Chaka, but he thought of Nada day and night.

“Where, then, is Nada, your sister?” asked Galazi.

“She sleeps in the caves of your people, Galazi; she tarries with theHalakazi.”

“Stay awhile, Umslopogaas,” cried Galazi; “stay till we aremen indeed. Then we will seek this sister of yours and snatch her from thecaves of the Halakazi.”

Now the desire of this wolf-life had entered into the heart of Umslopogaas, andhe said that it should be so, and on the morrow they made them blood-brethren,to be one till death, before all the company of ghost-wolves, and the wolveshowled when they smelt the blood of men. In all things thenceforth these twowere equal, and the ghost-wolves hearkened to the voice of both of them. And onmany a moonlight night they and the wolves hunted together, winning their food.At times they crossed the river, hunting in the plains, for game was scarce onthe mountain, and the people of the kraal would come out, hearing the mightyhowling, and watch the pack sweep across the veldt, and with them a man or men.Then they would say that the ghosts were abroad and creep into their hutsshivering with fear. But as yet the Wolf-Brethren and their pack killed no men,but game only, or, at times, elephants and lions.

Now when Umslopogaas had abode some moons in the Witch Mountain, on a night hedreamed of Nada, and awakening soft at heart, bethought himself that he wouldlearn tidings concerning me, his father, Mopo, and what had befallen me and herwhom he deemed his mother, and Nada, his sister, and his other brethren. So heclothed himself, hiding his nakedness, and, leaving Galazi, descended to thatkraal where the old woman had dwelt, and there gave it out that he was a youngman, a chief’s son from a far place, who sought a wife. The people of thekraal listened to him, though they held that his look was fierce and wild, andone asked if this were Galazi the Wolf, Galazi the Wizard. But another answeredthat this was not Galazi, for their eyes had seen him. Umslopogaas said that heknew nothing of Galazi, and little of wolves, and lo! while he spoke there camean impi of fifty men and entered the kraal. Umslopogaas looked at the leadersof the impi and knew them for captains of Chaka. At first he would have spokento them, but his Ehlosébade him hold his peace. So he sat in a cornerof the big hut and listened. Presently the headman of the kraal, who trembledwith fear, for he believed that the impi had been sent to destroy him and allthat were his, asked the captain what was his will.

“A little matter, and a vain,” said the captain. “We are sentby the king to search for a certain youth, Umslopogaas, the son of Mopo, theking’s doctor. Mopo gave it out that the youth was killed by a lion nearthese mountains, and Chaka would learn if this is true.”

“We know nothing of the youth,” said the headman. “But whatwould ye with him?”

“Only this,” answered the captain, “to kill him.”

“That is yet to do,” thought Umslopogaas.

“Who is this Mopo?” asked the headman.

“An evildoer, whose house the king has eaten up—man, woman, andchild,” answered the captain.

CHAPTER XV.
THE DEATH OF THE KING’S SLAYERS

When Umslopogaas heard these words his heart was heavy, and a great angerburned in his breast, for he thought that I, Mopo, was dead with the rest ofhis house, and he loved me. But he said nothing; only, watching till none werelooking, he slipped past the backs of the captains and won the door of the hut.Soon he was clear of the kraal, and, running swiftly, crossed the river andcame to the Ghost Mountain. Meanwhile, the captain asked the headman of thekraal if he knew anything of such a youth as him for whom they sought. Theheadman told the captain of Galazi the Wolf, but the captain said that thiscould not be the lad, for Galazi had dwelt many moons upon the Ghost Mountain.

“There is another youth,” said the headman; “a stranger,fierce, strong and tall, with eyes that shine like spears. He is in the hutnow; he sits yonder in the shadow.”

The captain rose and looked into the shadow, but Umslopogaas was gone.

“Now this youth is fled,” said the headman, “and yet none sawhim fly! Perhaps he also is a wizard! Indeed, I have heard that now there aretwo of them upon the Ghost Mountain, and that they hunt there at night with theghost-wolves, but I do not know if it is true.”

“Now I am minded to kill you,” said the captain in wrath,“because you have suffered this youth to escape me. Without doubt it isUmslopogaas, son of Mopo.”

“It is no fault of mine,” said the headman. “These young menare wizards, who can pass hither and thither at will. But I say this to you,captain of the king, if you will go on the Ghost Mountain, you must go therealone with your soldiers, for none in these parts dare to tread upon thatmountain.”

“Yet I shall dare to-morrow,” said the captain. “We growbrave at the kraal of Chaka. There men do not fear spears or ghosts or wildbeasts or magic, but they fear the king’s word alone. The sunsets—give us food. To-morrow we will search the mountain.”

Thus, my father, did this captain speak in his folly,—he who should neversee another sun.

Now Umslopogaas reached the mountain, and when he had passed theforest—of which he had learned every secret way—the darknessgathered, and the wolves awoke in the darkness and drew near howling.Umslopogaas howled in answer, and presently that great wolf Deathgrip came tohim. Umslopogaas saw him and called him by his name; but, behold! the brute didnot know him, and flew at him, growling. Then Umslopogaas remembered that theshe-wolf’s skin was not bound about his shoulders, and therefore it wasthat the wolf Deathgrip knew him not. For though in the daytime, when thewolves slept, he might pass to and fro without the skin, at night it was notso. He had not brought the skin, because he dared not wear it in the sight ofthe men of the kraal, lest they should know him for one of the Wolf-Brethren,and it had not been his plan to seek the mountain again that night, but ratheron the morrow. Now Umslopogaas knew that his danger was great indeed. He beatback Deathgrip with his kerrie, but others were behind him, for the wolvesgathered fast. Then he bounded away towards the cave, for he was so swift offoot that the wolves could not catch him, though they pressed him hard, andonce the teeth of one of them tore his moocha. Never before did he run so fast,and in the end he reached the cave and rolled the rock to, and as he did so thewolves dashed themselves against it. Then he clad himself in the hide of theshe-wolf, and, pushing aside the stone, came out. And, lo! the eyes of thewolves were opened, and they knew him for one of the brethren who ruled overthem, and slunk away at his bidding.

Now Umslopogaas sat himself down at the mouth of the cave waiting for Galazi,and he thought. Presently Galazi came, and in few words Umslopogaas told himall his tale.

“You have run a great risk, my brother,” said Galazi. “Whatnow?”

“This,” said Umslopogaas: “these people of ours are hungryfor the flesh of men; let us feed them full on the soldiers of Chaka, who sityonder at the kraal seeking my life. I would take vengeance for Mopo, myfather, and all my brethren who are dead, and for my mothers, the wives ofMopo. What say you?”

Galazi laughed aloud. “That will be merry, my brother,” he said.“I weary of hunting beasts, let us hunt men to-night.”

“Ay, to-night,” said Umslopogaas, nodding. “I long to lookupon that captain as a maid longs for her lover’s kiss. But first let usrest and eat, for the night is young; then, Galazi, summon our impi.”

So they rested and ate, and afterwards went out armed, and Galazi howled to thewolves, and they came in tens and twenties till all were gathered together.Galazi moved among them, shaking the Watcher, as they sat upon their haunches,and followed him with their fiery eyes.

“We do not hunt game to-night, little people,” he cried, “butmen, and you love the flesh of men.”

Now all the wolves howled as though they understood. Then the pack divideditself as was its custom, the she-wolves following Umslopogaas, the dog-wolvesfollowing Galazi, and in silence they moved swiftly down towards the plain.They came to the river and swam it, and there, eight spear throws away, on thefarther side of the river stood the kraal. Now the Wolf-Brethren took counseltogether, and Galazi, with the dog-wolves, went to the north gate, andUmslopogaas with the she-wolves to the south gate. They reached them safely andin silence, for at the bidding of the brethren the wolves ceased from theirhowlings. The gates were stopped with thorns, but the brethren pulled out thethorns and made a passage. As they did this it chanced that certain dogs in thekraal heard the sound of the stirred boughs, and awakening, caught the smell ofthe wolves that were with Umslopogaas, for the wind blew from that quarter.These dogs ran out barking, and presently they came to the south gate of thekraal, and flew at Umslopogaas, who pulled away the thorns. Now when the wolvessaw the dogs they could be restrained no longer, but sprang on them and torethem to fragments, and the sound of their worrying came to the ears of thesoldiers of Chaka and of the dwellers in the kraal, so that they sprang fromsleep, snatching their arms. And as they came out of the huts they saw in themoonlight a man wearing a wolf’s hide rushing across the empty cattlekraal, for the grass was long and the cattle were out at graze, and with himcountless wolves, black and grey. Then they cried aloud in terror, saying thatthe ghosts were on them, and turned to flee to the north gate of the kraal.But, behold! here also they met a man clad in a wolf’s skin only, andwith him countless wolves, black and grey.

Now, some flung themselves to earth screaming in their fear, and some strove torun away, but the greater part of the soldiers, and with them many of the menof the kraal, came together in knots, being minded to die like men at teeth ofthe ghosts, and that though they shook with fear. Then Umslopogaas howledaloud, and howled Galazi, and they flung themselves upon the soldiers and thepeople of the kraal, and with them came the wolves. Then a crying and a bayingrose up to heaven as the grey wolves leaped and bit and tore. Little theyheeded the spears and kerries of the soldiers. Some were killed, but the restdid not stay. Presently the knots of men broke up, and to each man wolves hungby twos and threes, dragging him to earth. Some few fled, indeed, but thewolves hunted them by gaze and scent, and pulled them down before they passedthe gates of the kraal.

The Wolf-Brethren also ravened with the rest. Busy was the Watcher, and manybowed beneath him, and often the spear of Umslopogaas flashed in the moonlight.It was finished; none were left living in that kraal, and the wolves growledsullenly as they took their fill, they who had been hungry for many days. Nowthe brethren met, and laughed in their wolf joy, because they had slaughteredthose who were sent out to slaughter. They called to the wolves, bidding themsearch the huts, and the wolves entered the huts as dogs enter a thicket, andkilled those who lurked there, or drove them forth to be slain without.Presently a man, great and tall, sprang from the last of the huts, where he hadhidden himself, and the wolves outside rushed on him to drag him down. ButUmslopogaas beat them back, for he had seen the face of the man: it was thatcaptain whom Chaka had sent out to kill him. He beat them back, and stalked upto the captain, saying: “Greeting to you, captain of the king! Now tellus what is your errand here, beneath the shadow of her who sits instone?” And he pointed with his spear to the Grey Witch on the GhostMountain, on which the moon shone bright.

Now the captain had a great heart, though he had hidden from the wolves, andanswered boldly:—

“What is that to you, wizard? Your ghost wolves had made an end of myerrand. Let them make an end of me also.”

“Be not in haste, captain,” said Umslopogaas. “Say, did younot seek a certain youth, the son of Mopo?”

“That is so,” answered the captain. “I sought one youth, andI have found many evil spirits.” And he looked at the wolves tearingtheir prey, and shuddered.

“Say, captain,” quoth Umslopogaas, drawing back his hood ofwolf’s hide so that the moonlight fell upon his face, “is this theface of that youth whom you sought?”

“It is the face,” answered the captain, astonished.

“Ay,” laughed Umslopogaas, “it is the face. Fool! I knew yourerrand and heard your words, and thus have I answered them.” And hepointed to the dead. “Now choose, and swiftly. Will you run for your lifeagainst my wolves? Will you do battle for your life against these four?”And he pointed to Greysnout and to Blackfang, to Blood and to Deathgrip, whowatched him with slavering lips; “or will you stand face to face with me,and if I am slain, with him who bears the club, and with whom I rule thispeople black and grey?”

“I fear ghosts, but of men I have no fear, though they be wizards,”answered the captain.

“Good!” cried Umslopogaas, shaking his spear.

Then they rushed together, and that fray was fierce. For presently the spear ofUmslopogaas was broken in the shield of the captain and he was left weaponless.Now Umslopogaas turned and fled swiftly, bounding over the dead and the wolveswho preyed upon them, and the captain followed with uplifted spear, and mockedhim as he came. Galazi also wondered that Umslopogaas should fly from a singleman. Hither and thither fled Umslopogaas, and always his eyes were on theearth. Of a sudden, Galazi, who watched, saw him sweep forward like a bird andstoop to the ground. Then he wheeled round, and lo! there was an axe in hishand. The captain rushed at him, and Umslopogaas smote as he rushed, and theblade of the great spear that was lifted to pierce him fell to the ground hewnfrom its haft. Again Umslopogaas smote: the moon-shaped axe sank through thestout shield deep into the breast beyond. Then the captain threw up his armsand fell to the earth.

“Ah!” cried Umslopogaas, “you sought a youth to slay him, andhave found an axe to be slain by it! Sleep softly, captain of Chaka.”

Then Umslopogaas spoke to Galazi, saying: “My brother, I will fight nomore with the spear, but with the axe alone; it was to seek an axe that I ranto and fro like a coward. But this is a poor thing! See, the haft is splitbecause of the greatness of my stroke! Now this is my desire—to win thatgreat axe of Jikiza, which is called Groan-Maker, of which we have heard tell,so that axe and club may stand together in the fray.”

“That must be for another night,” said Galazi. “We have notdone so ill for once. Now let us search for pots and corn, of which we stand inneed, and then to the mountain before dawn finds us.”

Thus, then, did the Wolf-Brethren bring death on the impi of Chaka, and thiswas but the first of many deaths that they wrought with the help of the wolves.For ever they ravened through the land at night, and, falling on those theyhated, they ate them up, till their name and the name of the ghost-wolvesbecame terrible in the ears of men, and the land was swept clean. But theyfound that the wolves would not go abroad to worry everywhere. Thus, on acertain night, they set out to fall upon the kraals of the People of the Axe,where dwelt the chief Jikiza, who was named the Unconquered, and owned the axeGroan-Maker, but when they neared the kraal the wolves turned back and fled.Then Galazi remembered the dream that he had dreamed, in which the Dead One inthe cave had seemed to speak, telling him that there only where the men-eatershad hunted in the past might the wolves hunt to-day. So they returned home, butUmslopogaas set himself to find a plan to win the axe.

CHAPTER XVI.
UMSLOPOGAAS VENTURES OUT TO WIN THE AXE

Now many moons had gone by since Umslopogaas became a king of the wolves, andhe was a man full grown, a man fierce and tall and keen; a slayer of men, fleetof foot and of valour unequalled, seeing by night as well as by day. But he wasnot yet named the Slaughterer, and not yet did he hold that iron chieftainess,the axe Groan-Maker. Still, the desire to win the axe was foremost in his mind,for no woman had entered there, who when she enters drives out all otherdesire—ay, my father, even that of good weapons. At times, indeed,Umslopogaas would lurk in the reeds by the river looking at the kraal of Jikizathe Unconquered, and would watch the gates of his kraal, and once as he lurkedhe saw a man great, broad and hairy, who bore upon his shoulder a shining axe,hafted with the horn of a rhinoceros. After that his greed for this axe enteredinto Umslopogaas more and more, till at length he scarcely could sleep forthinking of it, and to Galazi he spoke of little else, wearying him much withhis talk, for Galazi loved silence. But for all his longing he could find nomeans to win it.

Now it befell that as Umslopogaas hid one evening in the reeds, watching thekraal of Jikiza, he saw a maiden straight and fair, whose skin shone like thecopper anklets on her limbs. She walked slowly towards the reeds where he layhidden. Nor did she stop at the brink of the reeds; she entered them and satherself down within a spear’s length of where Umslopogaas was seated, andat once began to weep, speaking to herself as she wept.

“Would that the ghost-wolves might fall on him and all that ishis,” she sobbed, “ay, and on Masilo also! I would hound them on,even if I myself must next know their fangs. Better to die by the teeth of thewolves than to be sold to this fat pig of a Masilo. Oh! if I must wed him, Iwill give him a knife for the bride’s kiss. Oh! that I were a lady of theghost-wolves, there should be a picking of bones in the kraal of Jikiza beforethe moon grows young again.”

Umslopogaas heard, and of a sudden reared himself up before the maid, and hewas great and wild to look on, and the she-wolf’s fangs shone upon hisbrow.

“The ghost-wolves are at hand, damsel,” he said. “They areever at hand for those who need them.”

Now the maid saw him and screamed faintly, then grew silent, wondering at thegreatness and the fierce eyes of the man who spoke to her.

“Who are you?” she asked. “I fear you not, whoever youare.”

“There you are wrong, damsel, for all men fear me, and they have cause tofear. I am one of the Wolf-Brethren, whose names have been told of; I am awizard of the Ghost Mountain. Take heed, now, lest I kill you. It will be oflittle avail to call upon your people, for my feet are fleeter thantheirs.”

“I have no wish to call upon my people, Wolf-Man,” she answered.“And for the rest, I am too young to kill.”

“That is so, maiden,” answered Umslopogaas, looking at her beauty.“What were the words upon your lips as to Jikiza and a certain Masilo?Were they not fierce words, such as my heart likes well?”

“It seems that you heard them,” answered the girl. “What needto waste breath in speaking them again?”

“No need, maiden. Now tell me your story; perhaps I may find a way tohelp you.”

“There is little to tell,” she answered. “It is a small taleand a common. My name is Zinita, and Jikiza the Unconquered is my step-father.He married my mother, who is dead, but none of his blood is in me. Now he wouldgive me in marriage to a certain Masilo, a fat man and an old, whom I hate,because Masilo offers many cattle for me.”

“Is there, then, another whom you would wed, maiden?” askedUmslopogaas.

“There is none,” answered Zinita, looking him in the eyes.

“And is there no path by which you may escape from Masilo?”

“There is only one path, Wolf-Man—by death. If I die, I shallescape; if Masilo dies, I shall escape; but to little end, for I shall be givento another; but if Jikiza dies, then it will be well. What of that wolf-peopleof yours, are they not hungry, Wolf-Man?”

“I cannot bring them here,” answered Umslopogaas. “Is thereno other way?”

“There is another way,” said Zinita, “if one can be found totry it.” And again she looked at him strangely, causing the blood to beatwithin him. “Hearken! do you not know how our people are governed? Theyare governed by him who holds the axe Groan-Maker. He that can win the axe inwar from the hand of him who holds it, shall be our chief. But if he who holdsthe axe dies unconquered, then his son takes his place and with it the axe. Ithas been thus, indeed, for four generations, since he who held Groan-Maker hasalways been unconquerable. But I have heard that the great-grandfather ofJikiza won the axe from him who held it in his day; he won it by fraud. Forwhen the axe had fallen on him but lightly, he fell over, feigning death. Thenthe owner of the axe laughed, and turned to walk away. But the forefather ofJikiza sprang up behind him and pierced him through with a spear, and thus hebecame chief of the People of the Axe. Therefore, it is the custom of Jikiza tohew off the heads of those whom he kills with the axe.”

“Does he, then, slay many?” asked Umslopogaas.

“Of late years, few indeed,” she said, “for none dare standagainst him—no, not with all to win. For, holding the axe Groan-Maker, heis unconquerable, and to fight with him is sure death. Fifty-and-one have triedin all, and before the hut of Jikiza there are piled fifty-and-one whiteskulls. And know this, the axe must be won in fight; if it is stolen or found,it has no virtue—nay, it brings shame and death to him who holdsit.”

“How, then, may a man give battle to Jikiza?” he asked again.

“Thus: Once in every year, on the first day of the new moon of the summerseason, Jikiza holds a meeting of the headmen. Then he must rise and challengeall or any to come forward and do battle with him to win the axe and becomechief in his place. Now if one comes forward, they go into the cattle kraal,and there the matter is ended. Afterwards, when the head is hewn from his foe,Jikiza goes back to the meeting of the headmen, and they talk as before. Allare free to come to the meeting, and Jikiza must fight with them if they wishit, whoever they be.”

“Perhaps I shall be there,” said Umslopogaas.

“After this meeting at the new moon, I am to be given in marriage toMasilo,” said the maid. “But should one conquer Jikiza, then hewill be chief, and can give me in marriage to whom he will.”

Now Umslopogaas understood her meaning, and knew that he had found favour inher sight; and the thought moved him a little, for women were strange to him asyet.

“If perchance I should be there,” he said, “and if perchanceI should win the iron chieftainess, the axe Groan-Maker, and rule over thePeople of the Axe, you should not live far from the shadow of the axethenceforward, maid Zinita.”

“It is well, Wolf-Man, though some might not wish to dwell in thatshadow; but first you must win the axe. Many have tried, and all havefailed.”

“Yet one must succeed at last,” he said, “and so,farewell!” and he leaped into the torrent of the river, and swam it withgreat strokes.

Now the maid Zinita watched him till he was gone, and love of him entered intoher heart—a love that was fierce and jealous and strong. But as he wendedto the Ghost Mountain Umslopogaas thought rather of axe Groan-Maker than ofMaid Zinita; for ever, at the bottom, Umslopogaas loved war more than women,though this has been his fate, that women have brought sorrow on his head.

Fifteen days must pass before the day of the new moon, and during this timeUmslopogaas thought much and said little. Still, he told Galazi something ofthe tale, and that he was determined to do battle with Jikiza the Unconqueredfor the axe Groan-Maker. Galazi said that he would do well to let it be, andthat it was better to stay with the wolves than to go out seeking strangeweapons. He said also that even if he won the axe, the matter might not staythere, for he must take the girl also, and his heart boded no good of women. Ithad been a girl who poisoned his father in the kraals of the Halakazi. To allof which Umslopogaas answered nothing, for his heart was set both on the axeand the girl, but more on the first than the last.

So the time wore on, and at length came the day of the new moon. At the dawn ofthat day Umslopogaas arose and clad himself in a moocha, binding theshe-wolf’s skin round his middle beneath the moocha. In his hand he tooka stout fighting-shield, which he had made of buffalo hide, and that same lightmoon-shaped axe with which he had slain the captain of Chaka.

“A poor weapon with which to kill Jikiza the Unconquerable,” saidGalazi, eyeing it askance.

“It shall serve my turn,” answered Umslopogaas.

Now Umslopogaas ate, and then they moved together slowly down the mountain andcrossed the river by a ford, for he wished to save his strength. On the fartherside of the river Galazi hid himself in the reeds, because his face was known,and there Umslopogaas bade him farewell, not knowing if he should look upon himagain. Afterwards he walked up to the Great Place of Jikiza. Now when hereached the gates of the kraal, he saw that many people were streaming throughthem, and mingled with the people. Presently they came to the open space infront of the huts of Jikiza, and there the headmen were gathered together. Inthe centre of them, and before a heap of the skulls of men which were piled upagainst his door-posts, sat Jikiza, a huge man, a hairy and a proud, who glaredabout him rolling his eyes. Fastened to his arm by a thong of leather was thegreat axe Groan-Maker, and each man as he came up saluted the axe, calling it“Inkosikaas,” or chieftainess, but he did not salute Jikiza.Umslopogaas sat down with the people in front of the councillors, and few tookany notice of him, except Zinita, who moved sullenly to and fro bearing gourdsof beer to the councillors. Near to Jikiza, on his right hand, sat a fat manwith small and twinkling eyes, who watched the maid Zinita greedily.

“Yon man,” thought Umslopogaas, “is Masilo. The better forblood-letting will you be, Masilo.”

Presently Jikiza spoke, rolling his eyes: “This is the matter before you,councillors. I have settled it in my mind to give my step-daughter Zinita inmarriage to Masilo, but the marriage gift is not yet agreed on. I demand ahundred head of cattle from Masilo, for the maid is fair and straight, a propermaid, and, moreover, my daughter, though not of my blood. But Masilo offersfifty head only, therefore I ask you to settle it.”

“We hear you, Lord of the Axe,” answered one of the councillors,“but first, O Unconquered, you must on this day of the year, according toancient custom, give public challenge to any man to fight you for theGroan-Maker and for your place as chief of the People of the Axe.”

“This is a wearisome thing,” grumbled Jikiza. “Can I neverhave done in it? Fifty-and-three have I slain in my youth without a wound, andnow for many years I have challenged, like a cock on a dunghill, and none crowin answer.”

“Ho, now! Is there any man who will come forward and do battle with me,Jikiza, for the great axe Groan-Maker? To him who can win it, it shall be, andwith it the chieftainship of the People of the Axe.”

Thus he spoke very fast, as a man gabbles a prayer to a spirit in whom he haslittle faith, then turned once more to talk of the cattle of Masilo and of themaid Zinita. But suddenly Umslopogaas stood up, looking at him over the top ofhis war shield, and crying, “Here is one, O Jikiza, who will do battlewith you for the axe Groan-Maker and for the chieftainship that is to him whoholds the axe.”

Now, all the people laughed, and Jikiza glared at him.

“Come forth from behind that big shield of yours,” he said.“Come out and tell me your name and lineage—you who would do battlewith the Unconquered for the ancient axe.”

Then Umslopogaas came forward, and he looked so fierce, though he was butyoung, that the people laughed no more.

“What is my name and lineage to you, Jikiza?” he said. “Letit be, and hasten to do me battle, as you must by the custom, for I am eager tohandle the Groan-Maker and to sit in your seat and settle this matter of thecattle of Masilo the Pig. When I have killed you I will take a name who nowhave none.”

Now once more the people laughed, but Jikiza grew mad with wrath, and sprang upgasping.

“What!” he said, “you dare to speak thus to me, you babeunweaned, to me the Unconquered, the holder of the axe! Never did I think tolive to hear such talk from a long-legged pup. On to the cattle kraal, to thecattle kraal, People of the Axe, that I may hew this braggart’s head fromhis shoulders. He would stand in my place, would he?—the place that I andmy fathers have held for four generations by virtue of the axe. I tell you all,that presently I will stand upon his head, and then we will settle the matterof Masilo.”

“Babble not so fast, man,” quoth Umslopogaas, “or if you mustbabble, speak those words which you would say ere you bid the sunfarewell.”

Now, Jikiza choked with rage, and foam came from his lips so that he could notspeak, but the people found this sport—all except Masilo, who lookedaskance at the stranger, tall and fierce, and Zinita, who looked at Masilo, andwith no love. So they moved down to the cattle kraal, and Galazi, seeing itfrom afar, could keep away no longer, but drew near and mingled with the crowd.

CHAPTER XVII.
UMSLOPOGAAS BECOMES CHIEF OF THE PEOPLE OF THE AXE

Now, when Umslopogaas and Jikiza the Unconquered had come to the cattle kraal,they were set in its centre and there were ten paces between them. Umslopogaaswas armed with the great shield and the light moon-shaped axe, Jikiza carriedthe Groan-Maker and a small dancing shield, and, looking at the weapons of thetwo, people thought that the stranger would furnish no sport to the holder ofthe axe.

“He is ill-armed,” said an old man, “it should beotherwise—large axe, small shield. Jikiza is unconquerable, and the bigshield will not help this long-legged stranger when Groan-Maker rattles on thebuffalo hide.” The old man spoke thus in the hearing of Galazi the Wolf,and Galazi thought that he spoke wisely, and sorrowed for the fate of hisbrother.

Now, the word was given, and Jikiza rushed on Umslopogaas, roaring, for hisrage was great. But Umslopogaas did not stir till his foe was about to strike,then suddenly he leaped aside, and as Jikiza passed he smote him hard upon theback with the flat of his axe, making a great sound, for it was not his plan totry and kill Jikiza with this axe. Now, a shout of laughter went up from thehundreds of the people, and the heart of Jikiza nearly burst with rage becauseof the shame of that blow. Round he came like a bull that is mad, and once morerushed at Umslopogaas, who lifted his shield to meet him. Then, of a sudden,just when the great axe leapt on high, Umslopogaas uttered a cry as of fear,and, turning, fled before the face of Jikiza. Now once more the shout oflaughter went up, while Umslopogaas fled swiftly, and after him rushed Jikiza,blind with fury. Round and about the kraal sped Umslopogaas, scarcely aspear’s length ahead of Jikiza, and he ran keeping his back to the sun asmuch as might be, that he might watch the shadow of Jikiza. A second time hesped round, while the people cheered the chase as hunters cheer a dog whichpursues a buck. So cunningly did Umslopogaas run, that, though he seemed toreel with weakness in such fashion that men thought his breath was gone, yet hewent ever faster and faster, drawing Jikiza after him.

Now, when Umslopogaas knew by the breathing of his foe and by the staggering ofhis shadow that his strength was spent, suddenly he made as though he wereabout to fall himself, and stumbled out of the path far to the right, and as hestumbled he let drop his great shield full in the way of Jikiza’s feet.Then it came about that Jikiza, rushing on blindly, caught his feet in theshield and fell headlong to earth. Umslopogaas saw, and swooped on him like aneagle to a dove. Before men could so much as think, he had seized the axeGroan-Maker, and with a blow of the steel he held had severed the thong ofleather which bound it to the wrist of Jikiza, and sprung back, holding thegreat axe aloft, and casting down his own weapon upon the ground. Now, thewatchers saw all the cunning of his fight, and those of them who hated Jikizashouted aloud. But others were silent.

Slowly Jikiza gathered himself from the ground, wondering if he were stillalive, and as he rose he grasped the little axe of Umslopogaas, and, looking atit, he wept. But Umslopogaas held up the great Groan-Maker, the ironchieftainess, and examined its curved points of blue steel, the gouge thatstands behind it, and the beauty of its haft, bound about with wire of brass,and ending in a knob like the knob of a stick, as a lover looks upon the beautyof his bride. Then before all men he kissed the broad blade and criedaloud:—

“Greeting to thee, my Chieftainess, greeting to thee, Wife of my youth,whom I have won in war. Never shall we part, thou and I, and together will wedie, thou and I, for I am not minded that others should handle thee when I amgone.”

Thus he cried in the hearing of men, then turned to Jikiza, who stood weeping,because he had lost all.

“Where now is your pride, O Unconquered?” laughed Umslopogaas.“Fight on. You are as well armed as I was a while ago, when I did notfear to stand before you.”

Jikiza looked at him for a moment, then with a curse he hurled the little axeat him, and, turning, fled swiftly towards the gates of the cattle kraal.

Umslopogaas stooped, and the little axe sped over him. Then he stood for awhile watching, and the people thought that he meant to let Jikiza go. But thatwas not his desire; he waited, indeed, until Jikiza had covered nearly half thespace between him and the gate, then with a roar he leaped forward, as lightleaps from a cloud, and so fast did his feet fly that the watchers could scarcesee them move. Jikiza fled fast also, yet he seemed but as one who standsstill. Now he reached the gate of the kraal, now there was rush, a light ofdownward falling steel, and something swept past him. Then, behold! Jikiza fellin the gateway of the cattle kraal, and all saw that he was dead, smitten todeath by that mighty axe Groan-Maker, which he and his fathers had held formany years.

A great shout went up from the crowd of watchers when they knew that Jikiza theUnconquered was killed at last, and there were many who hailed Umslopogaas,naming him Chief and Lord of the People of the Axe. But the sons of Jikiza tothe number of ten, great men and brave, rushed on Umslopogaas to kill him.Umslopogaas ran backwards, lifting up the Groan-Maker, when certain councillorsof the people flung themselves in between them, crying, “Hold!”

“Is not this your law, ye councillors,” said Umslopogaas,“that, having conquered the chief of the People of the Axe, I myself amchief?”

“That is our law indeed, stranger,” answered an aged councillor,“but this also is our law: that now you must do battle, one by one, withall who come against you. So it was in my father’s time, when thegrandfather of him who now lies dead won the axe, and so it must be againto-day.”

“I have nothing to say against the rule,” said Umslopogaas.“Now who is there who will come up against me to do battle for the axeGroan-Maker and the chieftainship of the People of the Axe?”

Then all the ten sons of Jikiza stepped forward as one man, for their heartswere mad with wrath because of the death of their father and because thechieftainship had gone from their race, so that in truth they cared little ifthey lived or died. But there were none besides these, for all men feared tostand before Umslopogaas and the Groan-Maker.

Umslopogaas counted them. “There are ten, by the head of Chaka!” hecried. “Now if I must fight all these one by one, no time will be left tome this day to talk of the matter of Masilo and of the maid Zinita. Hearken!What say you, sons of Jikiza the Conquered? If I find one other to stand besideme in the fray, and all of you come on at once against us twain, ten againsttwo, to slay us or be slain, will that be to your minds?”

The brethren consulted together, and held that so they should be in better casethan if they went up one by one.

“So be it,” they said, and the councillors assented.

Now, as he fled round and round, Umslopogaas had seen the face of Galazi, hisbrother, in the throng, and knew that he hungered to share the fight. So hecalled aloud that he whom he should choose, and who would stand back to backwith him in the fray, if victory were theirs, should be the first after himamong the People of the Axe, and as he called, he walked slowly down the linescanning the faces of all, till he came to where Galazi stood leaning on theWatcher.

“Here is a great fellow who bears a great club,” said Umslopogaas.“How are you named, fellow?”

“I am named Wolf,” answered Galazi.

“Say, now, Wolf, are you willing to stand back to back with me in thisfray of two against ten? If victory is ours, you shall be next to me amongstthis people.”

“Better I love the wild woods and the mountain’s breast than thekraals of men and the kiss of wives, Axebearer,” answered Galazi.“Yet, because you have shown yourself a warrior of might, and to tasteagain of the joy of battle, I will stand back to back with you, Axebearer, andsee this matter ended.”

“A bargain, Wolf!” cried Umslopogaas. And they walked side byside—a mighty pair!—till they came to the centre of the cattlekraal. All there looked on them wondering, and it came into the thoughts ofsome of them that these were none other than the Wolf-Brethren who dwelt uponthe Ghost Mountain.

“Now axe Groan-maker and club Watcher are come together, Galazi,”said Umslopogaas as they walked, “and I think that few can stand beforethem.”

“Some shall find it so,” answered Galazi. “At the least, thefray will be merry, and what matter how frays end?”

“Ah,” said Umslopogaas, “victory is good, but death ends alland is best of all.”

Then they spoke of the fashion in which they would fight, and Umslopogaaslooked curiously at the axe he carried, and at the point on its hammer,balancing it in his hand. When he had looked long, the pair took their standback to back in the centre of the kraal, and people saw that Umslopogaas heldthe axe in a new fashion, its curved blade being inwards towards his breast,and the hollow point turned towards the foe. The ten brethren gatheredthemselves together, shaking their assegais; five of them stood beforeUmslopogaas and five before Galazi the Wolf. They were all great men, madefierce with rage and shame.

“Now nothing except witchcraft can save these two,” said acouncillor to one who stood by him.

“Yet there is virtue in the axe,” answered the other, “andfor the club, it seems that I know it: I think it is named Watcher of theFords, and woe to those who stand before the Watcher. I myself have seen himaloft when I was young; moreover, these are no cravens who hold the axe and theclub. They are but lads, indeed, yet they have drunk wolf’s milk.”

Meanwhile, an aged man drew near to speak the word of onset; it was that sameman who had set out the law to Umslopogaas. He must give the signal by throwingup a spear, and when it struck the ground, then the fight would begin. The oldman took the spear and threw it, but his hand was weak, and he cast so clumsilythat it fell among the sons of Jikiza, who stood before Umslopogaas, causingthem to open up to let it pass between them, and drawing the eyes of all ten ofthem to it, but Umslopogaas watched for the touching of the spear only, beingcareless where it touched. As the point of it kissed the earth, he said a word,and lo! Umslopogaas and Galazi, not waiting for the onslaught of the ten, asmen had thought they must, sprang forward, each at the line of foes who werebefore him. While the ten still stood confused, for it had been their plan toattack, the Wolf-Brethren were upon them. Groan-Maker was up, but as for nogreat stroke. He did but peck, as a bird pecks with his bill, and yet a mandropped dead. The Watcher also was up, but he fell like a falling tree, and wasthe death of one. Through the lines of the ten passed the Wolf-Brethren in thegaps that each had made. Then they turned swiftly and charged towards eachother again; again Groan-Maker pecked, again the Watcher thundered, and lo!once more Umslopogaas and Galazi stood back to back unhurt, but before them layfour men dead.

The onslaught and the return were so swift, that men scarcely understood whathad been done; even those of the sons of Jikiza who were left stared at eachother wondering. Then they knew that they were but six, for four of them weredead. With a shout of rage they rushed upon the pair from both sides, but ineither case one was the most eager, and outstepped the other two, and thus itcame about that time was given the Wolf-Brethren to strike at him alone, beforehis fellows were at his side. He who came at Umslopogaas drove at him with hisspear, but he was not to be caught thus, for he bent his middle sideways, sothat the spear only cut his skin, and as he bent tapped with the point of theaxe at the head of the smiter, dealing death on him.

“Yonder Woodpecker has a bill of steel, and he can use it well,”said the councillor to him who stood by him.

“This is a Slaughterer indeed,” the man answered, and the peopleheard the names. Thenceforth they knew Umslopogaas as the Woodpecker, and asBulalio, or the Slaughterer, and by no other names. Now, he who came atGalazi the Wolf rushed on wildly, holding his spear short. But Galazi wascunning in war. He took one step forward to meet him, then, swinging theWatcher backward, he let him fall at the full length of arms and club. Thechild of Jikiza lifted his shield to catch the blow, but the shield was to theWatcher what a leaf is to the wind. Full on its hide the huge club fell, makinga loud sound; the war-shield doubled up like a raw skin, and he who bore itfell crushed to the earth.

Now for a moment, the four who were left of the sons of Jikiza hovered roundthe pair, feinting at them from afar, but never coming within reach of axe orclub. One threw a spear indeed, and though Umslopogaas leaped aside, and as itsped towards him smote the haft in two with the blade of Groan-Maker, yet itshead flew on, wounding Galazi in the flank. Then he who had thrown the spearturned to fly, for his hands were empty, and the others followed swiftly, forthe heart was out of them, and they dared to do battle with these two no more.

Thus the fight was ended, and from its beginning till the finish was not longerthan the time in which men might count a hundred slowly.

“It seems that none are left for us to kill, Galazi,” saidUmslopogaas, laughing aloud. “Ah, that was a cunning fight! Ho! you sonsof the Unconquered, who run so fast, stay your feet. I give you peace; youshall live to sweep my huts and to plough my fields with the other women of mykraal. Now, councillors, the fighting is done, so let us to the chief’shut, where Masilo waits us,” and he turned and went with Galazi, andafter him followed all the people, wondering and in silence.

When he reached the hut Umslopogaas sat himself down in the place where Jikizahad sat that morning, and the maid Zinita came to him with a wet cloth andwashed the wound that the spear had made. He thanked her; then she would havewashed Galazi’s wound also, and this was deeper, but Galazi bade her tolet him be roughly, as he would have no woman meddling with his wounds. Forneither then nor at any other time did Galazi turn to women, but he hatedZinita most of them all.

Then Umslopogaas spoke to Masilo the Pig, who sat before him with a frightenedface, saying, “It seems, O Masilo, that you have sought this maid Zinitain marriage, and against her will, persecuting her. Now I had intended to killyou as an offering to her anger, but there has been enough blood-lettingto-day. Yet you shall have a marriage gift to this girl, whom I myself willtake in marriage: you shall give a hundred head of cattle. Then get you gonefrom among the People of the Axe, lest a worse thing befall you, Masilo thePig.”

So Masilo rose up and went, and his face was green with fear, but he paid thehundred head of cattle and fled towards the kraal of Chaka. Zinita watched himgo, and she was glad of it, and because the Slaughterer had named her for hiswife.

“I am well rid of Masilo,” she said aloud, in the hearing ofGalazi, “but I had been better pleased to see him dead before me.”

“This woman has a fierce heart,” thought Galazi, “and shewill bring no good to Umslopogaas, my brother.”

Now the councillors and the captains of the People of the Axe konzaedtohim whom they named the Slaughterer, doing homage to him as chief and holder ofthe axe, and also they did homage to the axe itself. So Umslopogaas becamechief over this people, and their number was many, and he grew great and fat incattle and wives, and none dared to gainsay him. From time to time, indeed, aman ventured to stand up before him in fight, but none could conquer him, andin a little while no one sought to face Groan-Maker when he lifted himself topeck.

Galazi also was great among the people, but dwelt with them little, for best heloved the wild woods and the mountain’s breast, and often, as of old, heswept at night across the forest and the plains, and the howling of theghost-wolves went with him.

But henceforth Umslopogaas the Slaughterer hunted very rarely with the wolvesat night; he slept at the side of Zinita, and she loved him much and bore himchildren.

CHAPTER XVIII.
THE CURSE OF BALEKA

Now, my father, my story winds back again as the river bends towards itssource, and I tell of those events which happened at the king’s kraal ofGibamaxegu, which you white people name Gibbeclack, the kraal that is called“Pick-out-the-old-men,” for it was there that Chaka murdered allthe aged who were unfit for war.

After I, Mopo, had stood before the king, and he had given me new wives and fatcattle and a kraal to dwell in, the bones of Unandi, the Great Mother Elephant,Mother of the Heavens, were gathered together from the ashes of my huts, andbecause all could not be found, some of the bones of my wives were collectedalso to make up the number. But Chaka never knew this. When all were broughttogether, a great pit was dug and the bones were set out in order in the pitand buried; but not alone, for round them were placed twelve maidens of theservants of Unandi, and these maidens were covered over with the earth, andleft to die in the pit by the bones of Unandi, their mistress. Moreover, allthose who were present at the burial were made into a regiment and commandedthat they should dwell by the grave for the space of a year. They were many, myfather, but I was not one of them. Also Chaka gave orders that no crops shouldbe sown that year, that the milk of the cows should be spilled upon the ground,and that no woman should give birth to a child for a full year, and that if anyshould dare to bear children, then that they should be slain and their husbandswith them. And for a space of some months these things were done, my father,and great sorrow came upon the land.

Then for a little while there was quiet, and Chaka went about heavily, and hewept often, and we who waited on him wept also as we walked, till at length itcame about by use that we could weep without ceasing for many hours. No angrywoman can weep as we wept in those days; it was an art, my father, for theteaching of which I received many cattle, for woe to him who had no tears inthose days. Then it was also that Chaka sent out the captain and fifty soldiersto search for Umslopogaas, for, though he said nothing more to me of thismatter, he did not believe all the tale that I had told him of the death ofUmslopogaas in the jaws of a lion and the tale of those who were with me. Howthat company fared at the hands of Umslopogaas and of Galazi the Wolf, and atthe fangs of the people black and grey, I have told you, my father. None ofthem ever came back again. In after days it was reported to the king that thesesoldiers were missing, never having returned, but he only laughed, saying thatthe lion which ate Umslopogaas, son of Mopo, was a fierce one, and had eatenthem also.

At last came the night of the new moon, that dreadful night to be followed by amore dreadful morrow. I sat in the kraal of Chaka, and he put his arm about myneck and groaned and wept for his mother, whom he had murdered, and I groanedalso, but I did not weep, because it was dark, and on the morrow I must weepmuch in the sight of king and men. Therefore, I spared my tears, lest theyshould fail me in my need.

All night long the people drew on from every side towards the kraal, and, asthey came in thousands and tens of thousands, they filled the night with theircries, till it seemed as though the whole world were mourning, and loudly. Nonemight cease their crying, and none dared to drink so much as a cup of water.The daylight came, and Chaka rose, saying, “Come, let us go forth, Mopo,and look on those who mourn with us.” So we went out, and after us camemen armed with clubs to do the bidding of the king.

Outside the kraal the people were gathered, and their number was countless asthe leaves upon the trees. On every side the land was black with them, as attimes the veldt is black with game. When they saw the king they ceased fromtheir howling and sang the war-song, then once again they howled, and Chakawalked among them weeping. Now, my father, the sight became dreadful, for, asthe sun rose higher the day grew hot, and utter weariness came upon the people,who were packed together like herds of cattle, and, though oxen slain insacrifice lay around, they might neither eat nor drink. Some fell to theground, and were trampled to death, others took too much snuff to make themweep, others stained their eyes with saliva, others walked to and fro, theirtongues hanging from their jaws, while groans broke from their parched throats.

“Now, Mopo, we shall learn who are the wizards that have brought theseills upon us,” said the king, “and who are the true-heartedmen.”

As we spoke we came upon a man, a chief of renown. He was named Zwaumbana,chief of the Amabovus, and with him were his wives and followers. This mancould weep no more; he gasped with thirst and heat. The king looked at him.

“See, Mopo,” he said, “see that brute who has no tears for mymother who is dead! Oh, the monster without a heart! Shall such as he live tolook upon the sun, while I and thou must weep, Mopo? Never! never! Take himaway, and all those who are with him! Take them away, the people withouthearts, who do not weep because my mother is dead by witchcraft!”

And Chaka walked on weeping, and I followed also weeping, but the chiefZwaumbana and those with him were all slain by those who do the bidding of theking, and the slayers also must weep as they slew. Presently we came uponanother man, who, seeing the king, took snuff secretly to bring tears to hiseyes. But the glance of Chaka was quick, and he noted it.

“Look at him, Mopo,” he said, “look at the wizard who has notears, though my mother is dead by witchcraft. See, he takes snuff to bringtears to his eyes that are dry with wickedness. Take him away, the heartlessbrute! Oh, take him away!”

So this one also was killed, and these were but the first of thousands, forpresently Chaka grew mad with wickedness, with fury, and with the lust ofblood. He walked to and fro, weeping, going now and again into his hut to drinkbeer, and I with him, for he said that we who sorrowed must have food. And everas he walked he would wave his arm or his assegai, saying, “Take themaway, the heartless brutes, who do not weep because my mother is dead,”and those who chanced to stand before his arm were killed, till at length theslayers could slay no more, and themselves were slain, because their strengthhad failed them, and they had no more tears. And I also, I must slay, lest if Islew not I should myself be slain.

And now, at length, the people also went mad with their thirst and the fury oftheir fear. They fell upon each other, killing each other; every man who had afoe sought him out and killed him. None were spared, the place was but ashambles; there on that day died full seven thousand men, and still Chakawalked weeping among them, saying, “Take them away, the heartless brutes,take them away!” Yet, my father, there was cunning in his cruelty, forthough he destroyed many for sport alone, also he slew on this day all thosewhom he hated or whom he feared.

At length the night came down, the sun sank red that day, all the sky was likeblood, and blood was all the earth beneath. Then the killing ceased, becausenone had now the strength to kill, and the people lay panting in heaps upon theground, the living and the dead together. I looked at them, and saw that ifthey were not allowed to eat and drink, before day dawned again the most ofthem would be dead, and I spoke to the king, for I cared little in that hour ifI lived or died; even my hope of vengeance was forgotten in the sickness of myheart.

“A mourning indeed, O King,” I said, “a merry mourning fortrue-hearted men, but for wizards a mourning such as they do not love. I thinkthat thy sorrows are avenged, O King, thy sorrows and mine also.”

“Not so, Mopo,” answered the king, “this is but thebeginning; our mourning was merry to-day, it shall be merrier to-morrow.”

“To-morrow, O King, few will be left to mourn; for the land will be sweptof men.”

“Why, Mopo, son of Makedama? But a few have perished of all the thousandswho are gathered together. Number the people and they will not bemissed.”

“But a few have died beneath the assegai and the kerrie, O King. Yethunger and thirst shall finish the spear’s work. The people have neithereaten nor drunk for a day and a night, and for a day and a night they havewailed and moaned. Look without, Black One, there they lie in heaps with thedead. By to-morrow’s light they also will be dead or dying.”

Now, Chaka thought awhile, and he saw that the work would go too far, leavinghim but a small people over whom to rule.

“It is hard, Mopo,” he said, “that thou and I must mournalone over our woes while these dogs feast and make merry. Yet, because of thegentleness of my heart, I will deal gently with them. Go out, son of Makedama,and bid my children eat and drink if they have the heart, for this mourning isended. Scarcely will Unandi, my mother, sleep well, seeing that so little bloodhas been shed on her grave—surely her spirit will haunt my dreams. Yet,because of the gentleness of my heart, I declare this mourning ended. Let mychildren eat and drink, if, indeed, they have the heart.”

“Happy are the people over whom such a king is set,” I said inanswer. Then I went out and told the words of Chaka to the chiefs and captains,and those of them who had the voice left to them praised the goodness of theking. But the most gave over sucking the dew from their sticks, and rushed tothe water like cattle that have wandered five days in the desert, and dranktheir fill. Some of them were trampled to death in the water.

Afterwards I slept as I might best; it was not well, my father, for I knew thatChaka was not yet gutted with slaughter.

On the morrow many of the people went back to their homes, having sought leavefrom the king, others drew away the dead to the place of bones, and yet otherswere sent out in impis to kill such as had not come to the mourning of theking. When midday was past, Chaka said that he would walk, and ordered me andother of his indunas and servants to walk with him. We went on in silence, theking leaning on my shoulder as on a stick. “What of thy people,Mopo,” he said at length, “what of the Langeni tribe? Were they atmy mourning? I did not see them.”

Then I answered that I did not know, they had been summoned, but the way waslong and the time short for so many to march so far.

“Dogs should run swiftly when their master calls, Mopo, myservant,” said Chaka, and the dreadful light came into his eyes thatnever shone in the eyes of any other man. Then I grew sick at heart, myfather—ay, though I loved my people little, and they had driven me away,I grew sick at heart. Now we had come to a spot where there is a great rift ofblack rock, and the name of that rift is U’Donga-lu-ka-Tatiyana. Oneither side of this donga the ground slopes steeply down towards its yawninglips, and from its end a man may see the open country. Here Chaka sat down atthe end of the rift, pondering. Presently he looked up and saw a vast multitudeof men, women, and children, who wound like a snake across the plain beneathtowards the kraal Gibamaxegu.

“I think, Mopo,” said the king, “that by the colour of theirshields, yonder should be the Langeni tribe—thine own people,Mopo.”

“It is my people, O King,” I answered.

Then Chaka sent messengers, running swiftly, and bade them summon the Langenipeople to him where he sat. Other messengers he sent also to the kraal,whispering in their ears, but what he said I did not know then.

Now, for a while, Chaka watched the long black snake of men winding towards himacross the plain till the messengers met them and the snake began to climb theslope of the hill.

“How many are these people of thine, Mopo?” asked the king.

“I know not, O Elephant,” I answered, “who have not seen themfor many years. Perhaps they number three full regiments.”

“Nay, more,” said the king; “what thinkest thou, Mopo, wouldthis people of thine fill the rift behind us?” and he nodded at the gulfof stone.

Now, my father, I trembled in all my flesh, seeing the purpose of Chaka; but Icould find no words to say, for my tongue clave to the roof of my mouth.

“The people are many,” said Chaka, “yet, Mopo, I bet theefifty head of cattle that they will not fill the donga.”

“The king is pleased to jest,” I said.

“Yea, Mopo, I jest; yet as a jest take thou the bet.”

“As the king wills,” I murmured—who could not refuse. Now thepeople of my tribe drew near: at their head was an old man, with white hair andbeard, and, looking at him, I knew him for my father, Makedama. When he camewithin earshot of the king, he gave him the royal salute of Bayéte, andfell upon his hands and knees, crawling towards him, and konzaedto theking, praising him as he came. All the thousands of the people also fell ontheir hands and knees, and praised the king aloud, and the sound of theirpraising was like the sound of a great thunder.

At length Makedama, my father, writhing on his breast like a snake, lay beforethe majesty of the king. Chaka bade him rise, and greeted him kindly; but allthe thousands of the people yet lay upon their breasts beating the dust withtheir heads.

“Rise, Makedama, my child, father of the people of the Langeni,”said Chaka, “and tell me why art thou late in coming to mymourning?”

“The way was far, O King,” answered Makedama, my father, who didnot know me. “The way was far and the time short. Moreover, the women andthe children grew weary and footsore, and they are weary in this hour.”

“Speak not of it, Makedama, my child,” said the king. “Surelythy heart mourned and that of thy people, and soon they shall rest from theirweariness. Say, are they here every one?”

“Every one, O Elephant!—none are wanting. My kraals are desolate,the cattle wander untended on the hills, birds pick at the unguardedcrops.”

“It is well, Makedama, thou faithful servant! Yet thou wouldst mourn withme an hour—is it not so? Now, hearken! Bid thy people pass to the rightand to the left of me, and stand in all their numbers upon the slopes of thegrass that run down to the lips of the rift.”

So Makedama, my father, bade the people do the bidding of the king, for neitherhe nor the indunas saw his purpose, but I, who knew his wicked heart, I saw it.Then the people filed past to the right and to the left by hundreds and bythousands, and presently the grass of the slopes could be seen no more, becauseof their number. When all had passed, Chaka spoke again to Makedama, my father,bidding him climb down to the bottom of the donga, and thence lift up his voicein mourning. The old man obeyed the king. Slowly, and with much pain, heclambered to the bottom of the rift and stood there. It was so deep and narrowthat the light scarcely seemed to reach to where he stood, for I could only seethe white of his hair gleaming far down in the shadows.

Then, standing far beneath, he lifted up his voice, and it reached thethousands of those who clustered upon the slopes. It seemed still and small,yet it came to them faintly like the voice of one speaking from a mountain-topin a time of snow:—

“Mourn, children of Makedama!”

And all the thousands of the people—men, women, and children—echoedhis words in a thunder of sound, crying:—

“Mourn, children of Makedama!”

Again he cried:—

“Mourn, people of the Langeni, mourn with the whole world!”

And the thousands answered:—

“Mourn, people of the Langeni, mourn with the whole world!”

A third time came his voice:—

“Mourn, children of Makedama, mourn, people of the Langeni, mourn withthe whole world!

“Howl, ye warriors; weep, ye women; beat your breasts, ye maidens;sob, ye little children!

“Drink of the water of tears, cover yourselves with the dust ofaffliction.

“Mourn, O tribe of the Langeni, because the Mother of the Heavens isno more.

“Mourn, children of Makedama, because the Spirit of Fruitfulness is nomore.

“Mourn, O ye people, because the Lion of the Zulu is left sodesolate.

“Let your tears fall as the rain falls, let your cries be as the criesof women who bring forth.

“For sorrow is fallen like the rain, the world has conceived andbrought forth death.

“Great darkness is upon us, darkness and the shadow of death.

“The Lion of the Zulu wanders and wanders in desolation, because theMother of the Heavens is no more.

“Who shall bring him comfort? There is comfort in the crying of hischildren.

“Mourn, people of the Langeni; let the voice of your mourning beatagainst the skies and rend them.

“Ou-ai! Ou-ai! Ou-ai!”

Thus sang the old man, my father Makedama, far down in the deeps of the cleft.He sang it in a still, small voice, but, line after line, his song was caughtup by the thousands who stood on the slopes above, and thundered to the heavenstill the mountains shook with its sound. Moreover, the noise of their cryingopened the bosom of a heavy rain-cloud that had gathered as they mourned, andthe rain fell in great slow drops, as though the sky also wept, and with therain came lightning and the roll of thunder.

Chaka listened, and large tears coursed down his cheeks, whose heart was easilystirred by the sound of song. Now the rain hissed fiercely, making as it were acurtain about the thousands of the people; but still their cry went up throughthe rain, and the roll of the thunder was lost in it. Presently there came ahush, and I looked to the right. There, above the heads of the people, comingover the brow of the hill, were the plumes of warriors, and in their handsgleamed a hedge of spears. I looked to the left; there also I saw the plumes ofwarriors dimly through the falling rain, and in their hands a hedge of spears.I looked before me, towards the end of the cleft; there also loomed the plumesof warriors, and in their hands was a hedge of spears.

Then, from all the people there arose another cry, a cry of terror and ofagony.

“Ah! now they mourn indeed, Mopo,” said Chaka in my ear; “nowthy people mourn from the heart and not with the lips alone.”

As he spoke the multitude of the people on either side of the rift surgedforward like a wave, surged back again, once more surged forward, then, with adreadful crying, driven on by the merciless spears of the soldiers, they beganto fall in a torrent of men, women, and children, far into the black depthsbelow.

My father, forgive me the tears that fall from these blind eyes of mine; I amvery aged, I am but as a little child, and as a little child I weep. I cannottell it. At last it was done, and all grew still.

Thus was Makedama buried beneath the bodies of his people; thus was ended thetribe of the Langeni; as my mother had dreamed, so it came about; and thus didChaka take vengeance for that cup of milk which was refused to him many a yearbefore.

“Thou hast not won thy bet, Mopo,” said the king presently.“See there is a little space where one more may find room to sleep. Fullto the brim is this corn-chamber with the ears of death, in which no livinggrain is left. Yet there is one little space, and is there not one to fill it?Are all the tribe of the Langeni dead indeed?”

“There is one, O King!” I answered. “I am of the tribe of theLangeni, let my carcase fill the place.”

“Nay, Mopo, nay! Who then should take the bet? Moreover, I slay thee not,for it is against my oath. Also, do we not mourn together, thou and I?”

“There is no other left living of the tribe of the Langeni, O King! Thebet is lost; it shall be paid.”

“I think that there is another,” said Chaka. “There is asister to thee and me, Mopo. Ah, see, she comes!”

I looked up, my father, and I saw this: I saw Baleka, my sister, walkingtowards us, and on her shoulders was a kaross of wild-cat skins, and behind herwere two soldiers. She walked proudly, holding her head high, and her step waslike the step of a queen. Now she saw the sight of death, for the dead laybefore her like black water in a sunless pool. A moment she stood shivering,having guessed all, then walked on and stood before Chaka.

“What is thy will with me, O King?” she said.

“Thou art come in a good hour, sister,” said Chaka, turning hiseyes from hers. “It is thus: Mopo, my servant and thy brother, made a betwith me, a bet of cattle. It was a little matter that we wagered on—as towhether the people of the Langeni tribe—thine own tribe, Baleka, mysister—would fill yonder place, U’Donga-lu-ka-Tatiyana. When theyheard of the bet, my sister, the people of the Langeni hurled themselves intothe rift by thousands, being eager to put the matter to the proof. And now itseems that thy brother has lost the bet, for there is yet place for one yonderere the donga is full. Then, my sister, thy brother Mopo brought it to my mindthat there was still one of the Langeni tribe left upon the earth, who, shouldshe sleep in that place, would turn the bet in his favour, and prayed me tosend for her. So, my sister, as I would not take that which I have not won, Ihave done so, and now do thou go apart and talk with Mopo, thy brother, aloneupon this matter, as once before thou didst talk when a child was born tothee, my sister!”

Now Baleka took no heed of the words of Chaka which he spoke of me, for sheknew his meaning well. Only she looked him in the eyes and said:—

“Ill shalt thou sleep from this night forth, Chaka, till thou comest to aland where no sleep is. I have spoken.”

Chaka saw and heard, and of a sudden he quailed, growing afraid in his heart,and turned his head away.

“Mopo, my brother,” said Baleka, “let us speak together forthe last time; it is the king’s word.”

So I drew apart with Baleka, my sister, and a spear was in my hand. We stoodtogether alone by the people of the dead and Baleka threw the corner of thekaross about her brows and spoke to me swiftly from beneath its shadow.

“What did I say to you a while ago, Mopo? It has come to pass. Swear tome that you will live on and that this same hand of yours shall take vengeancefor me.”

“I swear it, my sister.”

“Swear to me that when the vengeance is done you will seek out my sonUmslopogaas if he still lives, and bless him in my name.”

“I swear it, my sister.”

“Fare you well, Mopo! We have always loved each other much, and now allfades, and it seems to me that once more we are little children playing aboutthe kraals of the Langeni. So may we play again in another land! Now,Mopo”—and she looked at me steadily, and with greateyes—“I am weary. I would join the spirits of my people. I hearthem calling in my ears. It is finished.”

For the rest, I will not tell it to you, my father.

CHAPTER XIX.
MASILO COMES TO THE KRAAL DUGUZA

That night the curse of Baleka fell upon Chaka, and he slept ill. So ill did hesleep that he summoned me to him, bidding me walk abroad with him. I went, andwe walked alone and in silence, Chaka leading the way and I following afterhim. Now I saw that his feet led him towards the U’Donga-lu-ka-Tatiyana,that place where all my people lay dead, and with them Baleka, my sister. Weclimbed the slope of the hill slowly, and came to the mouth of the cleft, tothat same spot where Chaka had stood when the people fell over the lips of therock like water. Then there had been noise and crying, now there was silence,for the night was very still. The moon was full also, and lighted up the deadwho lay near to us, so that I could see them all; yes, I could see even theface of Baleka, my sister—they had thrown her into the midst of the dead.Never had it looked so beautiful as in this hour, and yet as I gazed I grewafraid. Only the far end of the donga was hid in shadow.

“Thou wouldst not have won thy bet now, Mopo, my servant,” saidChaka. “See, they have sunk together! The donga is not full by the lengthof a stabbing-spear.”

I did not answer, but at the sound of the king’s voice jackals stirredand slunk away.

Presently he spoke again, laughing loudly as he spoke: “Thou shouldstsleep well this night, my mother, for I have sent many to hush thee to rest.Ah, people of the Langeni tribe, you forgot, but I remembered! You forgot how awoman and a boy came to you seeking food and shelter, and you would give themnone—no, not a gourd of milk. What did I promise you on that day, peopleof the Langeni tribe? Did I not promise you that for every drop the gourd Icraved would hold I would take the life of a man? And have I not kept mypromise? Do not men lie here more in number than the drops of water in a gourd,and with them women and children countless as the leaves? O people of theLangeni tribe, who refused me milk when I was little, having grown great, I amavenged upon you! Having grown great! Ah! who is there so great as I? The earthshakes beneath my feet; when I speak the people tremble, when I frown theydie—they die in thousands. I have grown great, and great I shall remain!The land is mine, far as the feet of man can travel the land is mine, and mineare those who dwell in it. And I shall grow greater yet—greater, evergreater. Is it thy face, Baleka, that stares upon me from among the faces ofthe thousands whom I have slain? Thou didst promise me that I should sleep illhenceforth. Baleka, I fear thee not—at the least, thou sleepest sound.Tell me, Baleka—rise from thy sleep and tell me whom there is that Ishould fear!”—and suddenly he ceased the ravings of his pride.

Now, my father, while Chaka the king spoke thus, it came into my mind to makean end of things and kill him, for my heart was mad with rage and the thirst ofvengeance. Already I stood behind him, already the stick in my hand was liftedto strike out his brains, when I stopped also, for I saw something. There, inthe midst of the dead, I saw an arm stir. It stirred, it lifted itself, itbeckoned towards the shadow which hid the head of the cleft and the piled-upcorpses that lay there, and it seemed to me that the arm was the arm of Baleka.Perchance it was not her arm, perchance it was but the arm of one who yet livedamong the thousands of the dead, say you, my father! At the least, the arm roseat her side, and was ringed with such bracelets as Baleka wore, and it beckonedfrom her side, though her cold face changed not at all. Thrice the arm rose,thrice it stood awhile in air, thrice it beckoned with crooked finger, asthough it summoned something from the depths of the shadow, and from themultitudes of the dead. Then it fell down, and in the utter silence I heard itsfall and a clank of brazen bracelets. And as it fell there rose from the shadowa sound of singing, of singing wild and sweet, such as I had never heard. Thewords of that song came to me then, my father; but afterwards they passed fromme, and I remember them no more. Only I know this, that the song was of themaking of Things, and of the beginning and the end of Peoples. It told of howthe black folk grew, and of how the white folk should eat them up, andwherefore they were and wherefore they should cease to be. It told of Evil andof Good, of Woman and of Man, and of how these war against each other, and whyit is that they war, and what are the ends of the struggle. It told also of thepeople of the Zulu, and it spoke of a place of a Little Hand where they shouldconquer, and of a place where a White Hand should prevail against them, and howthey shall melt away beneath the shadow of the White Hand and be forgotten,passing to a land where things do not die, but live on forever, the Good withthe Good, the Evil with the Evil. It told of Life and of Death, of Joy and ofSorrow, of Time and of that sea in which Time is but a floating leaf, and ofwhy all these things are. Many names also came into the song, and I knew but afew of them, yet my own was there, and the name of Baleka and the name ofUmslopogaas, and the name of Chaka the Lion. But a little while did the voicesing, yet all this was in the song—ay, and much more; but the meaning ofthe song is gone from me, though I knew it once, and shall know it again whenall is done. The voice in the shadow sang on till the whole place was full ofthe sound of its singing, and even the dead seemed to listen. Chaka heard itand shook with fear, but his ears were deaf to its burden, though mine wereopen.

The voice came nearer, and now in the shadow there was a faint glow of light,like the glow that gathers on the six-days’ dead. Slowly it drew nearer,through the shadow, and as it came I saw that the shape of the light was theshape of a woman. Now I could see it well, and I knew the face of glory. Myfather, it was the face of the Inkosazana-y-Zulu, the Queen of Heaven! She cametowards us very slowly, gliding down the gulf that was full of dead, and thepath she trod was paved with the dead; and as she came it seemed to me thatshadows rose from the dead, following her, the Queen of theDead—thousands upon thousands of them. And, ah! her glory, myfather—the glory of her hair of molten gold—of her eyes, that wereas the noonday sky—the flash of her arms and breast, that were like thedriven snow, when it glows in the sunset. Her beauty was awful to look on, butI am glad to have lived to see it as it shone and changed in the shifting robeof light which was her garment.

Now she drew near to us, and Chaka sank upon the earth, huddled up in fear,hiding his face in his hands; but I was not afraid, my father—only thewicked need fear to look on the Queen of Heaven. Nay, I was not afraid: I stoodupright and gazed upon her glory face to face. In her hand she held a littlespear hafted with the royal wood: it was the shadow of the spear that Chakaheld in his hand, the same with which he had slain his mother and wherewith heshould himself be slain. Now she ceased her singing, and stood before thecrouching king and before me, who was behind the king, so that the light of herglory shone upon us. She lifted the little spear, and with it touched Chaka,son of Senzangacona, on the brow, giving him to doom. Then she spoke; but,though Chaka felt the touch, he did not hear the words, that were for my earsalone.

“Mopo, son of Makedama,” said the low voice, “stay thy hand,the cup of Chaka is not full. When, for the third time, thou seest me ridingdown the storm, then smite, Mopo, my child.”

Thus she spoke, and a cloud swept over the face of the moon. When it passed shewas gone, and once more I was alone with Chaka, with the night and the dead.

Chaka looked up, and his face was grey with the sweat of fear.

“Who was this, Mopo?” he said in a hollow voice.

“This was the Inkosazana of the Heavens, she who watches ever over thepeople of our race, O King, and who from time to time is seen of men ere greatthings shall befall.”

“I have heard speak of this queen,” said Chaka. “Whereforecame she now, what was the song she sang, and why did she touch me with aspear?”

“She came, O King, because the dead hand of Baleka summoned her, as thousawest. The song she sang was of things too high for me; and why she touchedthee on the forehead with the spear I do not know, O King! Perchance it was tocrown thee chief of a yet greater realm.”

“Yea, perchance to crown me chief of a realm of death.”

“That thou art already, Black One,” I answered, glancing at thesilent multitude before us and the cold shape of Baleka.

Again Chaka shuddered. “Come, let us be going, Mopo,” he said;“now I have learnt what it is to be afraid.”

“Early or late, Fear is a guest that all must feast, even kings, OEarth-Shaker!” I answered; and we turned and went homewards in silence.

Now after this night Chaka gave it out that the kraal of Gibamaxegu wasbewitched, and bewitched was the land of the Zulus, because he might sleep nomore in peace, but woke ever crying out with fear, and muttering the name ofBaleka. Therefore, in the end he moved his kraal far away, and built the greattown of Duguza here in Natal.

Look now, my father! There on the plain far away is a place of the whitemen—it is called Stanger. There, where is the white man’s town,stood the great kraal Duguza. I cannot see, for my eyes are dark; but you cansee. Where the gate of the kraal was built there is a house; it is the placewhere the white man gives out justice; that is the place of the gate of thekraal, through which Justice never walked. Behind is another house, where thewhite men who have sinned against Him pray to the King of Heaven forforgiveness; there on that spot have I seen many a one who had done no wrongpray to a king of men for mercy, but I have never seen but one who found it.Ou!the words of Chaka have come true: I will tell them to youpresently, my father. The white man holds the land, he goes to and fro abouthis business of peace where impis ran forth to kill; his children laugh andgather flowers where men died in blood by hundreds; they bathe in the waters ofthe Imbozamo, where once the crocodiles were fed daily with human flesh; hisyoung men woo the maidens where other maids have kissed the assegai. It ischanged, nothing is the same, and of Chaka are left only a grave yonder and aname of fear.

Now, after Chaka had come to the Duguza kraal, for a while he sat quiet, thenthe old thirst of blood came on him, and he sent his impis against the peopleof the Pondos, and they destroyed that people, and brought back their cattle.But the warriors might not rest; again they were doctored for war, and sent outby tens of thousands to conquer Sotyangana, chief of the people who live northof the Limpopo. They went singing, after the king had looked upon them andbidden them return victorious or not at all. Their number was so great thatfrom the hour of dawn till the sun was high in the heavens they passed thegates of the kraal like countless herds of cattle—they the unconquered.Little did they know that victory smiled on them no more; that they must die bythousands of hunger and fever in the marshes of the Limpopo, and that those ofthem who returned should come with their shields in their bellies, havingdevoured their shields because of their ravenous hunger! But what of them? Theywere nothing. Dustwas the name of one of the great regiments that wentout against Sotyangana, and dust they were—dust to be driven to death bythe breath of Chaka, Lion of the Zulu.

Now few men remained in the kraal Duguza, for nearly all had gone with theimpi, and only women and aged people were left. Dingaan and Umhlangana,brothers of the king, were there, for Chaka would not suffer them to depart,fearing lest they should plot against him, and he looked on them always with anangry eye, so that they trembled for their lives, though they dared not showtheir fear lest fate should follow fear. But I guessed it, and like a snake Iwound myself into their secrets, and we talked together darkly and in hints.But of that presently, my father, for I must tell of the coming of Masilo, hewho would have wed Zinita, and whom Umslopogaas the Slaughterer had driven outfrom the kraals of the People of the Axe.

It was on the day after the impi had left that Masilo came to the kraal Duguza,craving leave to speak with the king. Chaka sat before his hut, and with himwere Dingaan and Umhlangana, his royal brothers. I was there also, and certainof the indunas, councillors of the king. Chaka was weary that morning, for hehad slept badly, as now he always did. Therefore, when one told him that acertain wanderer named Masilo would speak with him, he did not command that theman should be killed, but bade them bring him before him. Presently there was asound of praising, and I saw a fat man, much worn with travel, who crawledthrough the dust towards us giving the sibonga, that is, naming the kingby his royal names. Chaka bade him cease from praising and tell his business.Then the man sat up and told all that tale which you have heard, my father, ofhow a young man, great and strong, came to the place of the People of the Axeand conquered Jikiza, the holder of the axe, and became chief of that people,and of how he had taken the cattle of Masilo and driven him away. Now Chakaknew nothing of this People of the Axe, for the land was great in those days,my father, and there were many little tribes in it, living far away, of whomthe king had not even heard; so he questioned Masilo about them, and of thenumber of their fighting-men, of their wealth in cattle, of the name of theyoung man who ruled them, and especially as to the tribute which they paid tothe king.

Masilo answered, saying that the number of their fighting-men was perhaps thehalf of a full regiment, that their cattle were many, for they were rich, thatthey paid no tribute, and that the name of the young man was Bulalio theSlaughterer—at the least, he was known by that name, and he had heard noother.

Then the king grew wroth. “Arise, Masilo,” he said, “and runto this people, and speak in the ear of the people, and of him who is named theSlaughterer, saying: ‘There is another Slaughterer, who sits in a kraalthat is named Duguza, and this is his word to you, O People of the Axe, and tothee, thou who holdest the axe. Rise up with all the people, and with all thecattle of your people, and come before him who sits in the kraal Duguza, andlay in his hands the great axe Groan-Maker. Rise up swiftly and do thisbidding, lest ye sit down shortly and for the last time of all.’”^[1]

[1] The Zulu areburied sitting.—ED.

Masilo heard, and said that it should be so, though the way was far, and hefeared greatly to appear before him who was called the Slaughterer, and who sattwenty days’ journey to the north, beneath the shadow of the WitchMountain.

“Begone,” said the king, “and stand before me on thethirtieth day from now with the answer of this boy with an axe! If thoustandest not before me, then some shall come to seek thee and the boy with anaxe also.”

So Masilo turned and fled swiftly to do the bidding of the king, and Chakaspoke no more of that matter. But I wondered in my heart who this young manwith an axe might be; for I thought that he had dealt with Jikiza and with thesons of Jikiza as Umslopogaas would have dealt with them had he come to theyears of his manhood. But I also said nothing of the matter.

Now on this day also there came to me news that my wife Macropha and mydaughter Nada were dead among their people in Swaziland. It was said that themen of the chief of the Halakazi tribe had fallen on their kraal and put all init to the assegai, and among them Macropha and Nada. I heard the news, but Iwept no tear, for, my father, I was so lost in sorrows that nothing could moveme any more.

CHAPTER XX.
MOPO BARGAINS WITH THE PRINCES

Eight-and-twenty days went by, my father, and on the nine-and-twentieth itbefell that Chaka, having dreamed a dream in his troubled sleep, summonedbefore him certain women of the kraal, to the number of a hundred or more. Someof these were his women, whom he named his “sisters,” and some weremaidens not yet given in marriage; but all were young and fair. Now what thisdream of Chaka may have been I do not know, or have forgotten, for in thosedays he dreamed many dreams, and all his dreams led to one end, the death ofmen. He sat in front of his hut scowling, and I was with him. To the left ofhim were gathered the girls and women, and their knees were weak with fear. Oneby one they were led before him, and stood before him with bowed heads. Then hewould bid them be of good cheer, and speak softly to them, and in the end wouldask them this question: “Hast thou, my sister, a cat in thy hut?”

Now, some would say that they had a cat, and some would say that they had none,and some would stand still and make no answer, being dumb with fear. But,whatever they said, the end was the same, for the king would sigh gently andsay: “Fare thee well, my sister; it is unfortunate for thee that there isa cat in thy hut,” or “that there is no cat in thy hut,” or“that thou canst not tell me whether there be a cat in thy hut orno.”

Then the woman would be taken by the slayers, dragged without the kraal, andtheir end was swift. So it went on for the most part of that day, tillsixty-and-two women and girls had been slaughtered. But at last a maiden wasbrought before the king, and to this one her snake had given a ready wit; forwhen Chaka asked her whether or no there was a cat in her hut, she answered,saying that she did not know, “but that there was a half a cat uponher,” and she pointed to a cat’s-skin which was bound about herloins.

Then the king laughed, and clapped his hands, saying that at length his dreamwas answered; and he killed no more that day nor ever again—save onceonly.

That evening my heart was heavy within me, and I cried in my heart, “Howlong?”—nor might I rest. So I wandered out from the kraal that wasnamed Duguza to the great cleft in the mountains yonder, and sat down upon arock high up in the cleft, so that I could see the wide lands rolling to thenorth and the south, to my right and to my left. Now, the day was drawingtowards the night, and the air was very still, for the heat was great and atempest was gathering, as I, who am a Heaven-Herd, knew well. The sun sankredly, flooding the land with blood; it was as though all the blood that Chakahad shed flowed about the land which Chaka ruled. Then from the womb of thenight great shapes of cloud rose up and stood before the sun, and he crownedthem with his glory, and in their hearts the lightning quivered like a blood offire. The shadow of their wings fell upon the mountain and the plains, andbeneath their wings was silence. Slowly the sun sank, and the shapes of cloudgathered together like a host at the word of its captain, and the flicker ofthe lightning was as the flash of the spears of a host. I looked, and my heartgrew afraid. The lightning died away, the silence deepened and deepened till Icould hear it, no leaf moved, no bird called, the world seemed dead—Ialone lived in the dead world.

Now, of a sudden, my father, a bright star fell from the height of heaven andlit upon the crest of the storm, and as it lit the storm burst. The grey airshivered, a moan ran about the rocks and died away, then an icy breath burstfrom the lips of the tempest and rushed across the earth. It caught the fallingstar and drove it on towards me, a rushing globe of fire, and as it came thestar grew and took shape, and the shape it took was the shape of a woman. Iknew her now, my father; while she was yet far off I knew her—theInkosazana who came as she had promised, riding down the storm. On she swept,borne forward by the blast, and oh! she was terrible to see, for her garmentwas the lightning, lightnings shone from her wide eyes and lightnings were inher streaming hair, while in her hand was a spear of fire, and she shook it asshe came. Now she was at the mouth of the pass; before her was stillness,behind her beat the wings of the storm, the thunder roared, the rain hissedlike snakes; she rushed on past me, and as she passed she turned her awful eyesupon me, withering me. She was there! she was gone! but she spoke no word, onlyshook her flaming spear. Yet it seemed to me that the storm spoke, that therocks cried aloud, that the rain hissed out a word in my ear, and the wordwas:—

“Smite, Mopo!”

I heard it in my heart, or with my ears, what does it matter? Then I turned tolook; through the rush of the tempest and the reek of the rain, still I couldsee her sweeping forward high in air. Now the kraal Duguza was beneath herfeet, and the flaming spear fell from her hand upon the kraal and fire leapedup in answer.

Then she passed on over the edge of the world, seeking her own place. Thus, myfather, for the third and last time did my eyes see the Inkosazana-y-Zulu, ormayhap my heart dreamed that I saw her. Soon I shall see her again, but it willnot be here.

For a while I sat there in the cleft, then I rose and fought my way through thefury of the storm back to the kraal Duguza. As I drew near the kraal I heardcries of fear coming through the roaring of the wind and the hiss of the rain.I entered and asked one of the matter, and it was told me that fire from abovehad fallen on the hut of the king as he lay sleeping, and all the roof of thehut was burned away, but that the rain had put out the fire.

Then I went on till I came to the front of the great hut, and I saw by thelight of the moon, which now shone out in the heavens, that there before itstood Chaka, shaking with fear, and the water of the rain was running down him,while he stared at the great hut, of which all the thatch was burned.

I saluted the king, asking him what evil thing had happened. Seeing me, heseized me by the arm, and clung to me as, when the slayers are at hand, a childclings to his father, drawing me after him into a small hut that was near.

“What evil thing has befallen, O King?” I said again, when lighthad been made.

“Little have I known of fear, Mopo,” said Chaka, “yet I amafraid now; ay, as much afraid as when once on a bygone night the dead hand ofBaleka summoned something that walked upon the faces of the dead.”

“And what fearest thou, O King, who art the lord of all the earth?”

Now Chaka leaned forward and whispered to me: “Hearken, Mopo, I havedreamed a dream. When the judgment of those witches was done with, I went andlaid me down to sleep while it was yet light, for I can scarcely sleep at allwhen darkness has swallowed up the world. My sleep has gone from me—thatsister of thine, Baleka, took my sleep with her to the place of death. I laidme down and I slept, but a dream arose and sat by me with a hooded face, andshowed me a picture. It seemed to me that the wall of my hut fell down, and Isaw an open place, and in the centre of the place I lay dead, covered with manywounds, while round my corpse my brothers Dingaan and Umhlangana stalked inpride like lions. On the shoulders of Umhlangana was my royal kaross, and therewas blood on the kaross; and in the hand of Dingaan was my royal spear, andthere was blood upon the spear. Then, in the vision of my dream, Mopo, thoudidst draw near, and, lifting thy hand, didst give the royal salute ofBayéteto these brothers of mine, and with thy foot didst spurn thecarcase of me, thy king. Then the hooded Dream pointed upwards and was gone,and I awoke, and lo! fire burned in the roof of my hut. Thus I dreamed, Mopo,and now, my servant, say thou, wherefore should I not slay thee, thou whowouldst serve other kings than I, thou who wouldst give my royal salute to theprinces, my brothers?” and he glared upon me fiercely.

“As thou wilt, O King!” I answered gently. “Doubtless thydream was evil, and yet more evil was the omen of the fire that fell upon thyhut. And yet—” and I ceased.

“And yet—Mopo, thou faithless servant?”

“And yet, O King, it seems to me in my folly that it were well to strikethe head of the snake and not its tail, for without the tail the head may live,but not the tail without the head.”

“Thou wouldst say, Mopo, that if these princes die never canst thou orany other man give them the royal names. Do I hear aright, Mopo?”

“Who am I that I should lift up my voice asking for the blood ofprinces?” I answered. “Judge thou, O King!”

Now, Chaka brooded awhile, then he spoke: “Say, Mopo, can it be done thisnight?”

“There are but few men in the kraal, O King. All are gone out to war; andof those few many are the servants of the princes, and perhaps they might giveblow for blow.”

“How then, Mopo?”

“Nay, I know not, O King; yet at the great kraal beyond the river sitsthat regiment which is named the Slayers. By midday to-morrow they might behere, and then—”

“Thou speakest wisely, my child Mopo; it shall be for to-morrow. Gosummon the regiment of the Slayers, and, Mopo, see that thou fail menot.”

“If I fail thee, O King, then I fail myself, for it seems that my lifehangs on this matter.”

“If all the words that ever passed thy lips are lies, yet is that wordtrue, Mopo,” said Chaka: “moreover, know this, my servant: if aughtmiscarries thou shalt die no common death. Begone!”

“I hear the king,” I answered, and went out.

Now, my father, I knew well that Chaka had doomed me to die, though first hewould use me to destroy the princes. But I feared nothing, for I knew thisalso, that the hour of Chaka was come at last.

For a while I sat in my hut pondering, then when all men slept I arose andcrept like a snake by many paths to the hut of Dingaan the prince, who awaitedme on that night. Following the shadow of the hut, I came to the door andscratched upon it after a certain fashion. Presently it was opened, and Icrawled in, and the door was shut again. Now there was a little light in thehut, and by its flame I saw the two princes sitting side by side, wrapped aboutwith blankets which hung before their brows.

“Who is this that comes?” said the Prince Dingaan.

Then I lifted the blanket from my head so that they might see my face, and theyalso drew the blankets from their brows. I spoke, saying: “Hail to you,Princes, who to-morrow shall be dust! Hail to you, sons of Senzangacona, whoto-morrow shall be spirits!” and I pointed towards them with my witheredhand.

Now the princes were troubled, and shook with fear.

“What meanest thou, thou dog, that thou dost speak to us words of suchill-omen?” said the Prince Dingaan in a low voice.

“Where dost thou point at us with that white and withered hand of thine,Wizard?” hissed the Prince Umhlangana.

“Have I not told you, O ye Princes!” I whispered, “that yemust strike or die, and has not your heart failed you? Now hearken! Chaka hasdreamed another dream; now it is Chaka who strikes, and ye are already dead, yechildren of Senzangacona.”

“If the slayers of the king be without the gates, at least thou shalt diefirst, thou who hast betrayed us!” quoth the Prince Dingaan, and drew anassegai from under his kaross.

“First hear the king’s dream, O Prince,” I said; “then,if thou wilt, kill me, and die. Chaka the king slept and dreamed that he laydead, and that one of you, the princes, wore his royal kaross.”

“Who wore the royal kaross?” asked Dingaan, eagerly; and bothlooked up, waiting on my words.

“The Prince Umhlangana wore it—in the dream of Chaka—ODingaan, shoot of a royal stock!” I answered slowly, taking snuff as Ispoke, and watching the two of them over the edge of my snuff-spoon.

Now Dingaan scowled heavily at Umhlangana; but the face of Umhlangana was asthe morning sky.

“Chaka dreamed this also,” I went on: “that one of you, theprinces, held his royal spear.”

“Who held the royal spear?” asked Umhlangana.

“The Prince Dingaan held it—in the dream of Chaka—OUmhlangana, sprung from the root of kings!—and it dripped blood.”

Now the face of Umhlangana grew dark as night, but that of Dingaan brightenedlike the dawn.

“Chaka dreamed this also: that I, Mopo, your dog, who am not worthy to bementioned with such names, came up and gave the royal salute, even theBayéte.”

“To whom didst thou give the Bayéte, O Mopo, son ofMakedama?” asked both of the princes as with one breath, waiting on mywords.

“I gave it to both of you, O twin stars of the morning, princes of theZulu—in the dream of Chaka I gave it to both of you.”

Now the princes looked this way and that, and were silent, not knowing what tosay, for these princes hated each other, though adversity and fear had broughtthem to one bed.

“But what avails it to talk thus, ye lords of the land,” I went on,“seeing that, both of you, ye are already as dead men, and that vultureswhich are hungry to-night to-morrow shall be filled with meat of the best?Chaka the king is now a Doctor of Dreams, and to clear away such a dream asthis he has a purging medicine.”

Now the brows of these brothers grew black indeed, for they saw that their fatewas on them.

“These are the words of Chaka the king, O ye bulls who lead the herd! Allare doomed, ye twain and I, and many another man who loves us. In the greatkraal beyond the river there sits a regiment: it is summoned—andthen—good-night! Have ye any words to say to those yet left upon theearth? Perhaps it will be given to me to live a little while after ye are gone,and I may bring them to their ears.”

“Can we not rise up now and fall upon Chaka?” asked Dingaan.

“It is not possible,” I said; “the king is guarded.”

“Hast thou no plan, Mopo?” groaned Umhlangana. “Methinks thouhast a plan to save us.”

“And if I have a plan, ye Princes, what shall be my reward? It must begreat, for I am weary of life, and I will not use my wisdom for a littlething.”

Now both the princes offered me good things, each of them promising more thanthe other, as two young men who are rivals promise to the father of a girl whomboth would wed. I listened, saying always that it was not enough, till in theend both of them swore by their heads, and by the bones of Senzangacona, theirfather, and by many other things, that I should be the first man in the land,after them, its kings, and should command the impis of the land, if I would butshow them a way to kill Chaka and become kings. Then, when they had doneswearing, I spoke, weighing my words:—

“In the great kraal beyond the river, O ye Princes, there sit, not oneregiment but two. One is named the Slayers and loves Chaka the king, who hasdone well by them, giving them cattle and wives. The other is named the Bees,and that regiment is hungry and longs for cattle and girls; moreover, of thatregiment the Prince Umhlangana is the general, and it loves him. Now this is myplan—to summon the Bees in the name of Umhlangana, not the Slayers in thename of Chaka. Bend forward, O Princes, that I may whisper in your ears.”

So they bent forward, and I whispered awhile of the death of a king, and thesons of Senzangacona nodded their heads as one man in answer. Then I rose up,and crept from the hut as I had entered it, and rousing certain trustymessengers, I dispatched them, running swiftly through the night.

CHAPTER XXI.
THE DEATH OF CHAKA

Now, on the morrow, two hours before midday, Chaka came from the hut where hehad sat through the night, and moved to a little kraal surrounded by a fencethat was some fifty paces distant from the hut. For it was my duty, day by day,to choose that place where the king should sit to hear the counsel of hisindunas, and give judgment on those whom he would kill, and to-day I had chosenthis place. Chaka went alone from his hut to the kraal, and, for my ownreasons, I accompanied him, walking after him. As we went the king glanced backat me over his shoulder, and said in a low voice:—

“Is all prepared, Mopo?”

“All is prepared, Black One,” I answered. “The regiment ofthe Slayers will be here by noon.”

“Where are the princes, Mopo?” asked the king again.

“The princes sit with their wives in the houses of their women, OKing,” I answered; “they drink beer and sleep in the laps of theirwives.”

Chaka smiled grimly, “For the last time, Mopo!”

“For the last time, O King.”

We came to the kraal, and Chaka sat down in the shade of the reed fence, uponan ox-hide that was brayed soft. Near to him stood a girl holding a gourd ofbeer; there were also present the old chief Inguazonca, brother of Unandi,Mother of the Heavens, and the chief Umxamama, whom Chaka loved. When we hadsat a little while in the kraal, certain men came in bearing cranes’feathers, which the king had sent them to gather a month’s journey fromthe kraal Duguza, and they were admitted before the king. These men had beenaway long upon their errand, and Chaka was angry with them. Now the leader ofthe men was an old captain of Chaka’s, who had fought under him in manybattles, but whose service was done, because his right hand had been shorn awayby the blow of an axe. He was a great man and very brave.

Chaka asked the man why he had been so long in finding the feathers, and heanswered that the birds had flown from that part of the country whither he wassent, and he must wait there till they returned, that he might snare them.

“Thou shouldst have followed the cranes, yes, if they flew through thesunset, thou disobedient dog!” said the king. “Let him be takenaway, and all those who were with him.”

Now some of the men prayed a little for mercy, but the captain did but salutethe king, calling him “Father,” and craving a boon before he died.

“What wouldst thou?” asked Chaka.

“My father,” said the man, “I would ask thee two things. Ihave fought many times at thy side in battle while we both were young; nor didI ever turn my back upon the foe. The blow that shore the hand from off thisarm was aimed at thy head, O King; I stayed it with my naked arm. It isnothing; at thy will I live, and at thy will I die. Who am I that I shouldquestion the word of the king? Yet I would ask this, that thou wilt withdrawthe kaross from about thee, O King, that for the last time my eyes may feastthemselves upon the body of him whom, above all men, I love.”

“Thou art long-winded,” said the king, “what more?”

“This, my father, that I may bid farewell to my son; he is a littlechild, so high, O King,” and he held his hand above his knee.

“Thy first boon is granted,” said the king, slipping the karossfrom his shoulders and showing the great breast beneath. “For the secondit shall be granted also, for I will not willingly divide the father and theson. Bring the boy here; thou shalt bid him farewell, then thou shalt slay himwith thine own hand ere thou thyself art slain; it will be good sport tosee.”

Now the man turned grey beneath the blackness of his skin, and trembled alittle as he murmured, “The king’s will is the will of his servant;let the child be brought.”

But I looked at Chaka and saw that the tears were running down his face, andthat he only spoke thus to try the captain who loved him to the last.

“Let the man go,” said the king, “him and those withhim.”

So they went glad at heart, and praising the king.

I have told you this, my father, though it has not to do with my story, becausethen, and then only, did I ever see Chaka show mercy to one whom he had doomedto die.

As the captain and his people left the gate of the kraal, it was spoken in theear of the king that a man sought audience with him. He was admitted crawlingon his knees. I looked and saw that this was that Masilo whom Chaka had chargedwith a message to him who was named Bulalio, or the Slaughterer, and who ruledover the People of the Axe. It was Masilo indeed, but he was no longer fat, formuch travel had made him thin; moreover, on his back were the marks of rods, asyet scarcely healed over.

“Who art thou?” said Chaka.

“I am Masilo, of the People of the Axe, to whom command was given to runwith a message to Bulalio the Slaughterer, their chief, and to return on thethirtieth day. Behold, O King, I have returned, though in a sorryplight!”

“It seems so!” said the king, laughing aloud. “I remembernow: speak on, Masilo the Thin, who wast Masilo the Fat; what of thisSlaughterer? Does he come with his people to lay the axe Groan-Maker in myhands?”

“Nay, O King, he comes not. He met me with scorn, and with scorn he droveme from his kraal. Moreover, as I went I was seized by the servants of Zinita,she whom I wooed, but who is now the wife of the Slaughterer, and laid on myface upon the ground and beaten cruelly while Zinita numbered thestrokes.”

“Hah!” said the king. “And what were the words of thispuppy?”

“These were his words, O King: ‘Bulalio the Slaughterer, who sitsbeneath the shadow of the Witch Mountain, to Bulalio the Slaughterer who sitsin the kraal Duguza—To thee I pay no tribute; if thou wouldst have theaxe Groan-Maker, come to the Ghost Mountain and take it. This I promise thee:thou shalt look on a face thou knowest, for there is one there who would beavenged for the blood of a certain Mopo.’”

Now, while Masilo told this tale I had seen two things—first, that alittle piece of stick was thrust through the straw of the fence, and, secondly,that the regiment of the Bees was swarming on the slope opposite to the kraalin obedience to the summons I had sent them in the name of Umhlangana. Thestick told me that the princes were hidden behind the fence waiting the signal,and the coming of the regiment that it was time to do the deed.

When Masilo had spoken Chaka sprang up in fury. His eyes rolled, his faceworked, foam flew from his lips, for such words as these had never offended hisears since he was king, and Masilo knew him little, else he had not dared toutter them.

For a while he gasped, shaking his small spear, for at first he could notspeak. At length he found words:—

“The dog,” he hissed, “the dog who dares thus to spit in myface! Hearken all! As with my last breath I command that this Slaughterer betorn limb from limb, he and all his tribe! And thou, thou darest to bring methis talk from a skunk of the mountains. And thou, too, Mopo, thy name is namedin it. Well, of thee presently. Ho! Umxamama, my servant, slay me this slave ofa messenger, beat out his brains with thy stick. Swift! swift!”

Now, the old chief Umxamama sprang up to do the king’s bidding, but hewas feeble with age, and the end of it was that Masilo, being mad with fear,killed Umxamama, not Umxamama Masilo. Then Inguazonca, brother of Unandi,Mother of the Heavens, fell upon Masilo and ended him, but was hurt himself inso doing. Now I looked at Chaka, who stood shaking the little red spear, andthought swiftly, for the hour had come.

“Help!” I cried, “one is slaying the King!”

As I spoke the reed fence burst asunder, and through it plunged the princesUmhlangana and Dingaan, as bulls plunge through a brake.

Then I pointed to Chaka with my withered hand, saying, “Behold yourking!”

Now, from beneath the shelter of his kaross, each Prince drew out a shortstabbing spear, and plunged it into the body of Chaka the king. Umhlanganasmote him on the left shoulder, Dingaan struck him in the right side. Chakadropped the little spear handled with the red wood and looked round, and soroyally that the princes, his brothers, grew afraid and shrank away from him.

Twice he looked on each; then he spoke, saying: “What! do you slay me, mybrothers—dogs of mine own house, whom I have fed? Do you slay me,thinking to possess the land and to rule it? I tell you it shall not be forlong. I hear a sound of running feet—the feet of a great white people.They shall stamp you flat, children of my father! They shall rule the land thatI have won, and you and your people shall be their slaves!”

Thus Chaka spoke while the blood ran down him to the ground, and again helooked on them royally, like a buck at gaze.

“Make an end, O ye who would be kings!” I cried; but their heartshad turned to water and they could not. Then I, Mopo, sprang forward and pickedfrom the ground that little assegai handled with the royal wood—the sameassegai with which Chaka had murdered Unandi, his mother, and Moosa, my son,and lifted it on high, and while I lifted it, my father, once more, as when Iwas young, a red veil seemed to wave before my eyes.

“Wherefore wouldst thou kill me, Mopo?” said the king.

“For the sake of Baleka, my sister, to whom I swore the deed, and of allmy kin,” I cried, and plunged the spear through him. He sank down uponthe tanned ox-hide, and lay there dying. Once more he spoke, and once only,saying: “Would now that I had hearkened to the voice of Nobela, whowarned me against thee, thou dog!”

Then he was silent for ever. But I knelt over him and called in his ear thenames of all those of my blood who had died at his hands—the names ofMakedama, my father, of my mother, of Anadi my wife, of Moosa my son, and allmy other wives and children, and of Baleka my sister. His eyes and ears wereopen, and I think, my father, that he saw and understood; I think also that thehate upon my face as I shook my withered hand before him was more fearful tohim than the pain of death. At the least, he turned his head aside, shut hiseyes, and groaned. Presently they opened again, and he was dead.

Thus then, my father, did Chaka the King, the greatest man who has ever livedin Zululand, and the most evil, pass by my hand to those kraals of theInkosazana where no sleep is. In blood he died as he had lived in blood, forthe climber at last falls with the tree, and in the end the swimmer is borneaway by the stream. Now he trod that path which had been beaten flat for him bythe feet of people whom he had slaughtered, many as the blades of grass upon amountain-side; but it is a lie to say, as some do, that he died a coward,praying for mercy. Chaka died, as he had lived, a brave man. Ou!myfather, I know it, for these eyes saw it and this hand let out his life.

Now he was dead and the regiment of the Bees drew near, nor could I know howthey would take this matter, for, though the Prince Umhlangana was theirgeneral, yet all the soldiers loved the king, because he had no equal inbattle, and when he gave he gave with an open hand. I looked round; the princesstood like men amazed; the girl had fled; the chief Umxamama was dead at thehands of dead Masilo; and the old chief Inguazonca, who had killed Masilo,stood by, hurt and wondering; there were no others in the kraal.

“Awake, ye kings,” I cried to the brothers, “the impi is atthe gates! Swift, now stab that man!”—and I pointed to the oldchief—“and leave the matter to my wit.”

Then Dingaan roused himself, and springing upon Inguazonca, the brother ofUnandi, smote him a great blow with his spear, so that he sank down deadwithout a word. Then again the princes stood silent and amazed.

“This one will tell no tales,” I cried, pointing at the fallenchief.

Now a rumour of the slaying had got abroad among the women, who had heard criesand seen the flashing of spears above the fence, and from the women it had cometo the regiment of the Bees, who advanced to the gates of the kraal singing.Then of a sudden they ceased their singing and rushed towards the hut in frontof which we stood.

Then I ran to meet them, uttering cries of woe, holding in my hand the littleassegai of the king red with the king’s blood, and spoke with thecaptains in the gate, saying:—

“Lament, ye captains and ye soldiers, weep and lament, for your father isno more! He who nursed you is no more! The king is dead! now earth and heavenwill come together, for the king is dead!”

“How so, Mopo?” cried the leader of the Bees. “How is ourfather dead?”

“He is dead by the hand of a wicked wanderer named Masilo, who, when hewas doomed to die by the king, snatched this assegai from the king’s handand stabbed him; and afterwards, before he could be cut down himself by usthree, the princes and myself, he killed the chiefs Inguazonca and Umxamamaalso. Draw near and look on him who was the king; it is the command of Dingaanand Umhlangana, the kings, that you draw near and look on him who was the king,that his death at the hand of Masilo may be told through all the land.”

“You are better at making of kings, Mopo, than at the saving of one whowas your king from the stroke of a wanderer,” said the leader of theBees, looking at me doubtfully.

But his words passed unheeded, for some of the captains went forward to look onthe Great One who was dead, and some, together with most of the soldiers, ranthis way and that, crying in their fear that now the heaven and earth wouldcome together, and the race of man would cease to be, because Chaka, the king,was dead.

Now, my father, how shall I, whose days are few, tell you of all the mattersthat happened after the death of Chaka? Were I to speak of them all they wouldfill many books of the white men, and, perhaps, some of them are written downthere. For this reason it is, that I may be brief, I have only spoken of a fewof those events which befell in the reign of Chaka; for my tale is not of thereign of Chaka, but of the lives of a handful of people who lived in thosedays, and of whom I and Umslopogaas alone are left alive—if, indeed,Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka, is still living on the earth. Therefore, in afew words I will pass over all that came about after the fall of Chaka and tillI was sent down by Dingaan, the king, to summon him to surrender to the kingwho was called the Slaughterer and who ruled the People of the Axe. Ah! wouldthat I had known for certain that this was none other than Umslopogaas, forthen had Dingaan gone the way that Chaka went and which Umhlangana followed,and Umslopogaas ruled the people of the Zulus as their king. But, alas! mywisdom failed me. I paid no heed to the voice of my heart which told me thatthis was Umslopogaas who sent the message to Chaka threatening vengeance forone Mopo, and I knew nothing till too late; surely, I thought, the man spoke ofsome other Mopo. For thus, my father, does destiny make fools of us men. Wethink that we can shape our fate, but it is fate that shapes us, and nothingbefalls except fate will it. All things are a great pattern, my father, drawnby the hand of the Umkulunkulu upon the cup whence he drinks the water of hiswisdom; and our lives, and what we do, and what we do not do, are but a littlebit of the pattern, which is so big that only the eyes of Him who is above, theUmkulunkulu, can see it all. Even Chaka, the slayer of men, and all those heslew, are but as a tiny grain of dust in the greatness of that pattern. How,then, can we be wise, my father, who are but the tools of wisdom? how can webuild who are but pebbles in a wall? how can we give life who are babes in thewomb of fate? or how can we slay who are but spears in the hands of the slayer?

This came about, my father. Matters were made straight in the land after thedeath of Chaka. At first people said that Masilo, the stranger, had stabbed theking; then it was known that Mopo, the wise man, the doctor and thebody-servant of the king, had slain the king, and that the two great bulls, hisbrothers Umhlangana and Dingaan, children of Senzangacona, had also liftedspears against him. But he was dead, and earth and heaven had not cometogether, so what did it matter? Moreover, the two new kings promised to dealgently with the people, and to lighten the heavy yoke of Chaka, and men in abad case are always ready to hope for a better. So it came about that the onlyenemies the princes found were each other and Engwade, the son of Unandi,Chaka’s half-brother. But I, Mopo, who was now the first man in the landafter the kings, ceasing to be a doctor and becoming a general, went up againstEngwade with the regiment of the Bees and the regiment of the Slayers and smotehim in his kraals. It was a hard fight, but in the end I destroyed him and allhis people: Engwade killed eight men with his own hand before I slew him. ThenI came back to the kraal with the few that were left alive of the tworegiments.

After that the two kings quarrelled more and more, and I weighed them both inmy balance, for I would know which was the most favourable to me. In the end Ifound that both feared me, but that Umhlangana would certainly put me to deathif he gained the upper hand, whereas this was not yet in the mind of Dingaan.So I pressed down the balance of Umhlangana and raised that of Dingaan, sendingthe fears of Umhlangana to sleep till I could cause his hut to be surrounded.Then Umhlangana followed upon the road of Chaka his brother, the road of theassegai; and Dingaan ruled alone for awhile. Such are the things that befallprinces of this earth, my father. See, I am but a little man, and my lot ishumble at the last, yet I have brought about the death of three of them, and ofthese two died by my hand.

It was fourteen days after the passing away of the Prince Umhlangana that thegreat army came back in a sorry plight from the marshes of the Limpopo, forhalf of them were left dead of fever and the might of the foe, and the restwere starving. It was well for them who yet lived that Chaka was no more, elsethey had joined their brethren who were dead on the way; since never before formany years had a Zulu impi returned unvictorious and without a single head ofcattle. Thus it came about that they were glad enough to welcome a king whospared their lives, and thenceforth, till his fate found him, Dingaan reignedunquestioned.

Now, Dingaan was a prince of the blood of Chaka indeed; for, like Chaka, he wasgreat in presence and cruel at heart, but he had not the might and the mind ofChaka. Moreover, he was treacherous and a liar, and these Chaka was not. Also,he loved women much, and spent with them the time that he should have given tomatters of the State. Yet he reigned awhile in the land. I must tell this also;that Dingaan would have killed Panda, his half-brother, so that the house ofSenzangacona, his father, might be swept out clean. Now Panda was a man ofgentle heart, who did not love war, and therefore it was thought that he washalf-witted; and, because I loved Panda, when the question of his slaying cameon, I and the chief Mapita spoke against it, and pleaded for him, saying thatthere was nothing to be feared at his hands who was a fool. So in the endDingaan gave way, saying, “Well, you ask me to spare this dog, and I willspare him, but one day he will bite me.”

So Panda was made governor of the king’s cattle. Yet in the end the wordsof Dingaan came true, for it was the grip of Panda’s teeth that pulledhim from the throne; only, if Panda was the dog that bit, I, Mopo, was the manwho set him on the hunt.

CHAPTER XXII.
MOPO GOES TO SEEK THE SLAUGHTERER

Now Dingaan, deserting the kraal Duguza, moved back to Zululand, and built agreat kraal by the Mahlabatine, which he named“Umgugundhlovu”—that is, “the rumbling of theelephant.” Also, he caused all the fairest girls in the land to be soughtout as his wives, and though many were found yet he craved for more. And atthis time a rumour came to the ears of the King Dingaan that there lived inSwaziland among the Halakazi tribe a girl of the most wonderful beauty, who wasnamed the Lily, and whose skin was whiter than are the skins of our people, andhe desired greatly to have this girl to wife. So Dingaan sent an embassy to thechief of the Halakazi, demanding that the girl should be given to him. At theend of a month the embassy returned again, and told the king that they hadfound nothing but hard words at the kraal of the Halakazi, and had been driventhence with scorn and blows.

This was the message of the chief of the Halakazi to Dingaan, king of theZulus: That the maid who was named the Lily, was, indeed, the wonder of theearth, and as yet unwed; for she had found no man upon whom she looked withfavour, and she was held in such love by this people that it was not their wishto force any husband on her. Moreover, the chief said that he and his peopledefied Dingaan and the Zulus, as their fathers had defied Chaka before him, andspat upon his name, and that no maid of theirs should go to be the wife of aZulu dog.

Then the chief of the Halakazi caused the maid who was named the Lily to be ledbefore the messengers of Dingaan, and they found her wonderfully fair, for sothey said: she was tall as a reed, and her grace was the grace of a reed thatis shaken in the wind. Moreover, her hair curled, and hung upon her shoulders,her eyes were large and brown, and soft as a buck’s, her colour was thecolour of rich cream, her smile was like a ripple on the waters, and when shespoke her voice was low and sweeter than the sound of an instrument of music.They said also that the girl wished to speak with them, but the chief forbadeit, and caused her to be led thence with all honour.

Now, when Dingaan heard this message he grew mad as a lion in a net, for hedesired this maid above everything, and yet he who had all things could not winthe maid. This was his command, that a great impi should be gathered and sentto Swaziland against the Halakazi tribe, to destroy them and seize the maid.But when the matter came on to be discussed with the indunas in the presence ofthe king, at the Amapakatior council, I, as chief of the indunas, spokeagainst it, saying that the tribe of the Halakazi were great and strong, andthat war with them would mean war with the Swazis also; moreover, they hadtheir dwelling in caves which were hard to win. Also, I said, that this was notime to send impis to seek a single girl, for few years had gone by since theBlack One fell; and foes were many, and the soldiers of the land had waxed fewwith slaughter, half of them having perished in the marshes of the Limpopo.Now, time must be given them to grow up again, for to-day they were as a littlechild, or like a man wasted with hunger. Maids were many, let the king takethem and satisfy his heart, but let him make no war for this one.

Thus I spoke boldly in the face of the king, as none had dared to speak beforeChaka; and courage passed from me to the hearts of the other indunas andgenerals, and they echoed my words, for they knew that, of all follies, tobegin a new war with the Swazi people would be the greatest.

Dingaan listened, and his brow grew dark, yet he was not so firmly seated onthe throne that he dared put away our words, for still there were many in theland who loved the memory of Chaka, and remembered that Dingaan had murderedhim and Umhlangana also. For now that Chaka was dead, people forgot how evillyhe had dealt with them, and remembered only that he was a great man, who hadmade the Zulu people out of nothing, as a smith fashions a bright spear from alump of iron. Also, though they had changed masters, yet their burden was notlessened, for, as Chaka slew, so Dingaan slew also, and as Chaka oppressed, sodid Dingaan oppress. Therefore Dingaan yielded to the voice of his indunas andno impi was sent against the Halakazi to seek the maid that was named the Lily.But still he hankered for her in his heart, and from that hour he hated mebecause I had crossed his will and robbed him of his desire.

Now, my father, there is this to be told: though I did not know it then, themaid who was named the Lily was no other than my daughter Nada. The thought,indeed, came into my mind, that none but Nada could be so fair. Yet I knew forcertain that Nada and her mother Macropha were dead, for he who brought me thenews of their death had seen their bodies locked in each other’s arms,killed, as it were, by the same spear. Yet, as it chanced, he was wrong; forthough Macropha indeed was killed, it was another maid who lay in blood besideher; for the people whither I had sent Macropha and Nada were tributary to theHalakazi tribe, and that chief of the Halakazi who sat in the place of Galazithe Wolf had quarrelled with them, and fallen on them by night and eaten themup.

As I learned afterwards, the cause of their destruction, as in later days itwas the cause of the slaying of the Halakazi, was the beauty of Nada andnothing else, for the fame of her loveliness had gone about the land, and theold chief of the Halakazi had commanded that the girl should be sent to hiskraal to live there, that her beauty might shine upon his place like the sun,and that, if so she willed, she should choose a husband from the great men ofthe Halakazi. But the headmen of the kraal refused, for none who had looked onher would suffer their eyes to lose sight of Nada the Lily, though there wasthis fate about the maid that none strove to wed her against her will. Many,indeed, asked her in marriage, both there and among the Halakazi people, butever she shook her head and said, “Nay, I would wed no man,” and itwas enough.

For it was the saying among men, that it was better that she should remainunmarried, and all should look on her, than that she should pass from theirsight into the house of a husband; since they held that her beauty was given tobe a joy to all, like the beauty of the dawn and of the evening. Yet thisbeauty of Nada’s was a dreadful thing, and the mother of much death, asshall be told; and because of her beauty and the great love she bore, she, theLily herself, must wither, and the cup of my sorrows must be filled tooverflowing, and the heart of Umslopogaas the Slaughterer, son of Chaka theking, must become desolate as the black plain when fire has swept it. So it wasordained, my father, and so it befell, seeing that thus all men, white andblack, seek that which is beautiful, and when at last they find it, then itpasses swiftly away, or, perchance, it is their death. For great joy and greatbeauty are winged, nor will they sojourn long upon the earth. They come downlike eagles out of the sky, and into the sky they return again swiftly.

Thus then it came about, my father, that I, Mopo, believing my daughter Nada tobe dead, little guessed that it was she who was named the Lily in the kraals ofthe Halakazi, and whom Dingaan the king desired for a wife.

Now after I had thwarted him in this matter of the sending of an impi to pluckthe Lily from the gardens of the Halakazi, Dingaan learned to hate me. Also Iwas in his secrets, and with me he had killed his brother Chaka and his brotherUmhlangana, and it was I who held him back from the slaying of his brotherPanda also; and, therefore, he hated me, as is the fashion of small-hearted menwith those who have lifted them up. Yet he did not dare to do away with me, formy voice was loud in the land, and when I spoke the people listened. Therefore,in the end, he cast about for some way to be rid of me for a while, till heshould grow strong enough to kill me.

“Mopo,” said the king to me one day as I sat before him in councilwith others of the indunas and generals, “mindest thou of the last wordsof the Great Elephant, who is dead?” This he said meaning Chaka hisbrother, only he did not name him, for now the name of Chaka was hlonipain the land, as is the custom with the names of dead kings—that is, myfather, it was not lawful that it should pass the lips.

“I remember the words, O King,” I answered. “They wereominous words, for this was their burden: that you and your house should notsit long in the throne of kings, but that the white men should take away yourroyalty and divide your territories. Such was the prophecy of the Lion of theZulu, why speak of it? Once before I heard him prophesy, and his words werefulfilled. May the omen be an egg without meat; may it never become fledged;may that bird never perch upon your roof, O King!”

Now Dingaan trembled with fear, for the words of Chaka were in his mind bynight and by day; then he grew angry and bit his lip, saying:—

“Thou fool, Mopo! canst thou not hear a raven croak at the gates of akraal but thou must needs go tell those who dwell within that he waits to picktheir eyes? Such criers of ill to come may well find ill at hand, Mopo.”He ceased, looked on me threateningly awhile, and went on: “I did notspeak of those words rolling by chance from a tongue half loosed by death, butof others that told of a certain Bulalio, of a Slaughterer who rules the Peopleof the Axe and dwells beneath the shadow of the Ghost Mountain far away to thenorth yonder. Surely I heard them all as I sat beneath the shade of thereed-fence before ever I came to save him who was my brother from the spear ofMasilo, the murderer, whose spear stole away the life of a king?”

“I remember those words also, O King!” I said. “Is it thewill of the king that an impi should be gathered to eat up this upstart? Suchwas the command of the one who is gone, given, as it were, with his lastbreath.”

“Nay, Mopo, that is not my will. If no impi can be found by thee to wipeaway the Halakazi and bring one whom I desire to delight my eyes, then surelynone can be found to eat up this Slaughterer and his people. Moreover, Bulalio,chief of the People of the Axe, has not offended against me, but against anelephant whose trumpetings are done. Now this is my will, Mopo, my servant:that thou shouldst take with thee a few men only and go gently to this Bulalio,and say to him: ‘A greater Elephant stalks through the land than he whohas gone to sleep, and it has come to his ears—that thou, Chief of thePeople of the Axe, dost pay no tribute, and hast said that, because of thedeath of a certain Mopo, thou wilt have nothing to do with him whose shadowlies upon the land. Now one Mopo is sent to thee, Slaughterer, to know if thistale is true, for, if it be true, then shalt thou learn the weight of the hoofof that Elephant who trumpets in the kraal of Umgugundhlovu. Think, then, andweigh thy words before thou dost answer, Slaughterer.’”

Now I, Mopo, heard the commands of the king and pondered them in my mind, for Iknew well that it was the design of Dingaan to be rid of me for a space that hemight find time to plot my overthrow, and that he cared little for this matterof a petty chief, who, living far away, had dared to defy Chaka. Yet I wishedto go, for there had arisen in me a great desire to see this Bulalio, who spokeof vengeance to be taken for one Mopo, and whose deeds were such as the deedsof Umslopogaas would have been, had Umslopogaas lived to look upon the light.Therefore I answered:—

“I hear the king. The king’s word shall be done, though, O King,thou sendest a big man upon a little errand.”

“Not so, Mopo,” answered Dingaan. “My heart tells me thatthis chicken of a Slaughterer will grow to a great cock if his comb is not cutpresently; and thou, Mopo, art versed in cutting combs, even of thetallest.”

“I hear the king,” I answered again.

So, my father, it came about that on the morrow, taking with me but ten chosenmen, I, Mopo, started on my journey towards the Ghost Mountain, and as Ijourneyed I thought much of how I had trod that path in bygone days. Then,Macropha, my wife, and Nada, my daughter, and Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka,who was thought to be my son, walked at my side. Now, as I imagined, all weredead and I walked alone; doubtless I also should soon be dead. Well, peoplelived few days and evil in those times, and what did it matter? At the least Ihad wreaked vengeance on Chaka and satisfied my heart.

At length I came one night to that lonely spot where we had camped in the evilhour when Umslopogaas was borne away by the lioness, and once more I lookedupon the cave whence he had dragged the cub, and upon the awful face of thestone Witch who sits aloft upon the Ghost Mountain forever and forever. I couldsleep little that night, because of the sorrow at my heart, but sat awakelooking, in the brightness of the moon, upon the grey face of the stone Witch,and on the depths of the forest that grew about her knees, wondering the whileif the bones of Umslopogaas lay broken in that forest. Now as I journeyed, manytales had been told to me of this Ghost Mountain, which all swore was haunted,so said some, by men in the shape of wolves; and so said some, by theEsemkofu—that is, by men who have died and who have been broughtback again by magic. They have no tongues, the Esemkofu, for had theytongues they would cry aloud to mortals the awful secrets of the dead,therefore, they can but utter a wailing like that of a babe. Surely one mayhear them in the forests at night as they wail “Ai!—ah!Ai—ah!” among the silent trees!

You laugh, my father, but I did not laugh as I thought of these tales; for, ifmen have spirits, where do the spirits go when the body is dead? They must gosomewhere, and would it be strange that they should return to look upon thelands where they were born? Yet I never thought much of such matters, though Iam a doctor, and know something of the ways of the Amatongo, the peopleof the ghosts. To speak truth, my father, I have had so much to do with theloosing of the spirits of men that I never troubled myself overmuch with themafter they were loosed; there will be time to do this when I myself am of theirnumber.

So I sat and gazed on the mountain and the forest that grew over it like hairon the head of a woman, and as I gazed I heard a sound that came from far away,out of the heart of the forest as it seemed. At first it was faint and far off,a distant thing like the cry of children in a kraal across a valley; then itgrew louder, but still I could not say what it might be; now it swelled andswelled, and I knew it—it was the sound of wild beats at chase. Nearercame the music, the rocks rang with it, and its voice set the blood beating butto hearken to it. That pack was great which ran a-hunting through the silentnight; and now it was night, on the other side of the slope only, and the soundswelled so loud that those who were with me awoke also and looked forth. Now ofa sudden a great koodoo bull appeared for an instant standing out against thesky on the crest of the ridge, then vanished in the shadow. He was runningtowards us; presently we saw him again speeding on his path with great bounds.We saw this also—forms grey and gaunt and galloping, in number countless,that leaped along his path, appearing on the crest of the rise, disappearinginto the shadow, seen again on the slope, lost in the valley; and with them twoother shapes, the shapes of men.

Now the big buck bounded past us not half a spear’s throw away, andbehind him streamed the countless wolves, and from the throats of the wolveswent up that awful music. And who were these two that came with the wolves,shapes of men great and strong? They ran silently and swift, wolves’teeth gleamed upon their heads, wolves’ hides hung about their shoulders.In the hands of one was an axe—the moonlight shone upon it—in thehand of the other a heavy club. Neck and neck they ran; never before had weseen men travel so fast. See! they sped down the slope towards us; the wolveswere left behind, all except four of them; we heard the beating of their feet;they came, they passed, they were gone, and with them their unnumbered company.The music grew faint, it died, it was dead; the hunt was far away, and thenight was still again!

“Now, my brethren,” I asked of those who were with me, “whatis this that we have seen?”

Then one answered, “We have seen the Ghosts who live in the lap of theold Witch, and those men are the Wolf-Brethren, the wizards who are kings ofthe Ghosts.”

CHAPTER XXIII.
MOPO REVEALS HIMSELF TO THE SLAUGHTERER

All that night we watched, but we neither saw nor heard any more of the wolves,nor of the men who hunted with them. On the morrow, at dawn, I sent a runner toBulalio, chief of the People of the Axe, saying that a messenger came to himfrom Dingaan, the king, who desired to speak with him in peace within the gatesof his kraal. I charged the messenger, however, that he should not tell myname, but should say only that it was “Mouth of Dingaan.” Then Iand those with me followed slowly on the path of the man whom I sent forward,for the way was still far, and I had bidden him return and meet me bearing thewords of the Slaughterer, Holder of the Axe.

All that day till the sun grew low we walked round the base of the great GhostMountain, following the line of the river. We met no one, but once we came tothe ruins of a kraal, and in it lay the broken bones of many men, and with thebones rusty assegais and the remains of ox-hide shields, black and white incolour. Now I examined the shields, and knew from their colour that they hadbeen carried in the hands of those soldiers who, years ago, were sent out byChaka to seek for Umslopogaas, but who had returned no more.

“Now,” I said, “it has fared ill with those soldiers of theBlack One who is gone, for I think that these are the shields they bore, andthat their eyes once looked upon the world through the holes in yonderskulls.”

“These are the shields they bore, and those are the skulls theywore,” answered one. “See, Mopo, son of Makedama, this is noman’s work that has brought them to their death. Men do not break thebones of their foes in pieces as these bones are broken. Wow!men do notbreak them, but wolves do, and last night we saw wolves a-hunting; nor did theyhunt alone, Mopo. Wow!this is a haunted land!”

Then we went on in silence, and all the way the stone face of the Witch whosits aloft forever stared down on us from the mountain top. At length, an hourbefore sundown, we came to the open lands, and there, on the crest of a risebeyond the river, we saw the kraal of the People of the Axe. It was a greatkraal and well built, and their cattle were spread about the plains like toherds of game for number. We went to the river and passed it by the ford, thensat down and waited, till presently I saw the man whom I had sent forwardreturning towards us. He came and saluted me, and I asked him for news.

“This is my news, Mopo,” he said: “I have seen him who isnamed Bulalio, and he is a great man—long and lean, with a fierce face,and carrying a mighty axe, such an axe as he bore last night who hunted withthe wolves. When I had been led before the chief I saluted him and spoke tohim—the words you laid upon my tongue I told to him. He listened, thenlaughed aloud, and said: ‘Tell him who sent you that the mouth of Dingaanshall be welcome, and shall speak the words of Dingaan in peace; yet I wouldthat it were the head of Dingaan that came and not his mouth only, for then AxeGroan-Maker would join in our talk—ay, because of one Mopo, whom hisbrother Chaka murdered, it would also speak with Dingaan. Still, the mouth isnot the head, so the mouth may come in peace.’”

Now I started when for the second time I heard talk of one Mopo, whose name hadbeen on the lips of Bulalio the Slaughterer. Who was there that would thus haveloved Mopo except one who was long dead? And yet, perhaps the chief spoke ofsome other Mopo, for the name was not my own only—in truth, Chaka hadkilled a chief of that name at the great mourning, because he said that twoMopos in the land were one too many, and that though this Mopo wept sorely whenthe tears of others were dry. So I said only that this Bulalio had a highstomach, and we went on to the gates of the kraal.

There were none to meet us at the gates, and none stood by the doors of thehuts within them, but beyond, from the cattle kraal that was in the centre ofthe huts, rose a dust and a din as of men gathering for war. Now some of thosewith me were afraid, and would have turned back, fearing treachery, and theywere yet more afraid when, on coming to the inner entrance of the cattle kraal,we saw some five hundred soldiers being mustered there company by company, bytwo great men, who ran up and down the ranks shouting.

But I cried, “Nay! nay! Turn not back! Bold looks melt the hearts offoes. Moreover, if this Bulalio would have murdered us, there was no need forhim to call up so many of his warriors. He is a proud chief, and would show hismight, not knowing that the king we serve can muster a company for every man hehas. Let us go on boldly.”

So we walked forward towards the impi that was gathered on the further side ofthe kraal. Now the two great men who were marshalling the soldiers saw us, andcame to meet us, one following the other. He who came first bore the axe uponhis shoulder, and he who followed swung a huge club. I looked upon the foremostof them, and ah! my father, my heart grew faint with joy, for I knew him acrossthe years. It was Umslopogaas! my fosterling, Umslopogaas! and none other, nowgrown into manhood—ay, into such a man as was not to be found beside himin Zululand. He was great and fierce, somewhat spare in frame, but wideshouldered and shallow flanked. His arms were long and not over big, but themuscles stood out on them like knots in a rope; his legs were long also, andvery thick beneath the knee. His eye was like an eagle’s, his nosesomewhat hooked, and he held his head a little forward, as a man who searchescontinually for a hidden foe. He seemed to walk slowly, and yet he cameswiftly, but with a gliding movement like that of a wolf or a lion, and alwayshis fingers played round the horn handle of the axe Groan-Maker. As for him whofollowed, he was great also, shorter than Umslopogaas by the half of a head,but of a sturdier build. His eyes were small, and twinkled unceasingly likelittle stars, and his look was very wild, for now and again he grinned, showinghis white teeth.

When I saw Umslopogaas, my father, my bowels melted within me, and I longed torun to him and throw myself upon his neck. Yet I took council with myself anddid not—nay, I dropped the corner of the kaross I wore over my eyes,hiding my face lest he should know me. Presently he stood before me, searchingme out with his keen eyes, for I drew forward to greet him.

“Greeting, Mouth of Dingaan!” he said in a loud voice. “Youare a little man to be the mouth of so big a chief.”

“The mouth is a little member, even of the body of a great king, O ChiefBulalio, ruler of the People of the Axe, wizard of the wolves that are upon theGhost Mountain, who aforetime was named Umslopogaas, son of Mopo, son ofMakedama.”

Now when Umslopogaas heard these words he started like a child at a rustling inthe dark and stared hard at me.

“You are well instructed,” he said.

“The ears of the king are large, if his mouth be small, O ChiefBulalio,” I answered, “and I, who am but the mouth, speak what theears have heard.”

“How know you that I have dwelt with the wolves upon the Ghost Mountain,O Mouth?” he asked.

“The eyes of the king see far, O Chief Bulalio. Thus last night they sawa great chase and a merry. It seems that they saw a koodoo bull running atspeed, and after him countless wolves making their music, and with the wolvestwo men clad in wolves’ skins, such men as you, Bulalio, and he with theclub who follows you.”

Now Umslopogaas lifted the axe Groan-Maker as though he would cut me down, thenlet it fall again, while Galazi the Wolf glared at me with wide-opened eyes.

“How know you that once I was named Umslopogaas, who have lost that namethese many days? Speak, O Mouth, lest I kill you.”

“Slay if you will, Umslopogaas,” I answered, “but know thatwhen the brains are scattered the mouth is dumb. He who scatters brains loseswisdom.”

“Answer!” he said.

“I answer not. Who are you that I should answer you? I know; it isenough. To my business.”

Now Umslopogaas ground his teeth in anger. “I am not wont to be thwartedhere in my own kraal,” he said; “but do your business. Speak it,little Mouth.”

“This is my business, little Chief. When the Black One who is gone yetlived, you sent him a message by one Masilo—such a message as his earshad never heard, and that had been your death, O fool puffed up with pride, butdeath came first upon the Black One, and his hand was stayed. Now Dingaan,whose shadow lies upon the land, the king whom I serve, and who sits in theplace of the Black One who is gone, speaks to you by me, his mouth. He wouldknow this: if it is true that you refuse to own his sovereignty, to pay tributeto him in men and maids and cattle, and to serve him in his wars? Answer, youlittle headman!—answer in few words and short!”

Now Umslopogaas gasped for breath in his rage, and again he fingered the greataxe. “It is well for you, O Mouth,” he said, “that I sworesafe conduct to you, else you had not gone hence—else you had been servedas I served certain soldiers who in bygone years were sent to search out oneUmslopogaas. Yet I answer you in few words and short. Look on thosespears—they are but a fourth part of the number I can muster: that is myanswer. Look now on yonder mountain, the mountain of ghosts andwolves—unknown, impassable, save to me and one other: that is my answer.Spears and mountains shall come together—the mountain shall be alive withspears and with the fangs of beasts. Let Dingaan seek his tribute there! I havespoken!”

Now I laughed shrilly, desiring to try the heart of Umslopogaas, my fosterling,yet further.

“Fool!” I said. “Boy with the brain of a monkey, for everyspear you have Dingaan, whom I serve, can send a hundred, and your mountainshall be stamped flat; and for your ghosts and wolves, see, with the mouth ofDingaan I spit upon them!” and I spat upon the ground.

Now Umslopogaas shook in his rage, and the great axe glimmered as he shook. Heturned to the captain who was behind him, and said: “Say, Galazi theWolf, shall we kill this man and those with him?”

“Nay,” answered the Wolf, grinning, “do not kill them; youhave given them safe conduct. Moreover, let them go back to their dog of aking, that he may send out his puppies to do battle with our wolves. It will bea pretty fight.”

“Get you gone, O Mouth,” said Umslopogaas; “get you goneswiftly, lest mischief befall you! Without my gates you shall find food tosatisfy your hunger. Eat of it and begone, for if to-morrow at the noon you arefound within a spear’s throw of this kraal, you and those with you shallbide there forever, O Mouth of Dingaan the king!”

Now I made as though I would depart, then, turning suddenly, I spoke once more,saying:—

“There were words in your message to the Black One who is dead of acertain man—nay, how was he named?—of a certain Mopo.”

Now Umslopogaas started as one starts who is wounded by a spear, and stared atme.

“Mopo! What of Mopo, O Mouth, whose eyes are veiled? Mopo is dead, whoseson I was!”

“Ah!” I said, “yes, Mopo is dead—that is, the Black Onewho is gone killed a certain Mopo. How came it, O Bulalio, that you were hisson?”

“Mopo is dead,” quoth Umslopogaas again; “he is dead with allhis house, his kraal is stamped flat, and that is why I hated the Black One,and therefore I hate Dingaan, his brother, and will be as are Mopo and thehouse of Mopo before I pay him tribute of a single ox.”

All this while I had spoken to Umslopogaas in a feigned voice, my father, butnow I spoke again and in my own voice, saying:—

“So! Now you speak from your heart, young man, and by digging I havereached the root of the matter. It is because of this dead dog of a Mopo thatyou defy the king.”

Umslopogaas heard the voice, and trembled no more with anger, but rather withfear and wonder. He looked at me hard, answering nothing.

“Have you a hut near by, O Chief Bulalio, foe of Dingaan the king, whereI, the mouth of the king, may speak with you a while apart, for I would learnyour message word by word that I may deliver it without fault. Fear not,Slaughterer, to sit alone with me in an empty hut! I am unarmed and old, andthere is that in your hand which I should fear,” and I pointed to theaxe.

Now Umslopogaas, still shaking in his limbs, answered “Follow me, OMouth, and you, Galazi, stay with these men.”

So I followed Umslopogaas, and presently we came to a large hut. He pointed tothe doorway, and I crept through it and he followed after me. Now for a whileit seemed dark in the hut, for the sun was sinking without and the place wasfull of shadow; so I waited while a man might count fifty, till our eyes couldsearch the darkness. Then of a sudden I threw the blanket from my face andlooked into the eyes of Umslopogaas.

“Look on me now, O Chief Bulalio, O Slaughterer, who once was namedUmslopogaas—look on me and say who am I?” Then he looked at me andhis jaw fell.

“Either you are Mopo my father grown old—Mopo, who is dead, or theGhost of Mopo,” he answered in a low voice.

“I am Mopo, your father, Umslopogaas,” I said. “You have beenlong in knowing me, who knew you from the first.”

Then Umslopogaas cried aloud, but yet softly, and letting fall the axeGroan-Maker, he flung himself upon my breast and wept there. And I wept also.

“Oh! my father,” he said, “I thought that you were dead withthe others, and now you have come back to me, and I, I would have lifted theaxe against you in my folly. Oh, it is well that I have lived, and not died,since once more I look upon your face—the face that I thought dead, butwhich yet lives, though it be sorely changed, as though by grief andyears.”

“Peace, Umslopogaas, my son,” I said. “I also deemed you deadin the lion’s mouth, though in truth it seemed strange to me that anyother man than Umslopogaas could have wrought the deeds which I have heard ofas done by Bulalio, Chief of the People of the Axe—ay, and throwndefiance in the teeth of Chaka. But you are not dead, and I, I am not dead. Itwas another Mopo whom Chaka killed; I slew Chaka, Chaka did not slay me.”

“And of Nada, what of Nada, my sister?” he said.

“Macropha, your mother, and Nada, your sister, are dead, Umslopogaas.They are dead at the hands of the people of the Halakazi, who dwell inSwaziland.”

“I have heard of that people,” he answered presently, “and sohas Galazi the Wolf, yonder. He has a hate to satisfy against them—theymurdered his father; now I have two, for they have murdered my mother and mysister. Ah, Nada, my sister! Nada, my sister!” and the great man coveredhis face with his hands, and rocked himself to and fro in his grief.

Now, my father, it came into my thoughts to make the truth plain toUmslopogaas, and tell him that Nada was no sister of his, and that he was noson of mine, but rather of that Chaka whom my hand had finished. And yet I didnot, though now I would that I had done so. For I saw well how great was thepride and how high was the heart of Umslopogaas, and I saw also that if once heshould learn that the throne of Zululand was his by right, nothing could holdhim back, for he would swiftly break into open rebellion against Dingaan theking, and in my judgment the time was not ripe for that. Had I known, indeed,but one short year before that Umslopogaas still lived, he had sat whereDingaan sat this day; but I did not know it, and the chance had gone by for awhile. Now Dingaan was king and mustered many regiments about him, for I hadheld him back from war, as in the case of the raid that he wished to make uponthe Swazis. The chance had gone by, but it would come again, and till it came Imust say nothing. I would do this rather, I would bring Dingaan and Umslopogaastogether, that Umslopogaas might become known in the land as a great chief andthe first of warriors. Then I would cause him to be advanced to be an induna,and a general ready to lead the impis of the king, for he who leads the impisis already half a king.

So I held my peace upon this matter, but till the dawn was grey Umslopogaas andI sat together and talked, each telling the tale of those years that had gonesince he was borne from me in the lion’s mouth. I told him how all mywives and children had been killed, how I had been put to the torment, andshowed him my white and withered hand. I told him also of the death of Baleka,my sister, and of all my people of the Langeni, and of how I had revenged mywrongs upon Chaka, and made Dingaan to be king in his place, and was now thefirst man in the land under the king, though the king feared me much and lovedme little. But I did not tell him that Baleka, my sister, was his own mother.

When I had done my tale, Umslopogaas told me his: how Galazi had rescued himfrom the lioness; how he became one of the Wolf-Brethren; how he had conqueredJikiza and the sons of Jikiza, and become chief of the People of the Axe, andtaken Zinita to wife, and grown great in the land.

I asked him how it came about that he still hunted with the wolves as he haddone last night. He answered that now he was great and there was nothing moreto win, and at times a weariness of life came upon him, and then he must up,and together with Galazi hunt and harry with the wolves, for thus only could hefind rest.

I said that I would show him better game to hunt before all was done, and askedhim further if he loved his wife, Zinita. Umslopogaas answered that he wouldlove her better if she loved him not so much, for she was jealous and quick toanger, and that was a sorrow to him. Then, when he had slept awhile, he led mefrom the hut, and I and my people were feasted with the best, and I spoke withZinita and with Galazi the Wolf. For the last, I liked him well. This was agood man to have at one’s back in battle; but my heart spoke to meagainst Zinita. She was handsome and tall, but with fierce eyes which alwayswatched Umslopogaas, my fosterling; and I noted that he who was fearless of allother things yet seemed to fear Zinita. Neither did she love me, for when shesaw how the Slaughterer clung to me, as it were, instantly she grewjealous—as already she was jealous of Galazi—and would have beenrid of me if she might. Thus it came about that my heart spoke against Zinita;nor did it tell me worse things of her than those which she was to do.

CHAPTER XXIV.
THE SLAYING OF THE BOERS

On the morrow I led Umslopogaas apart, and spoke to him thus:— “Myson, yesterday, when you did not know me except as the Mouth of Dingaan, youcharged me with a certain message for Dingaan the king, that, had it beendelivered into the ears of the king, had surely brought death upon you and allyour people. The tree that stands by itself on a plain, Umslopogaas, thinksitself tall and that there is no shade to equal its shade. Yet are there otherand bigger trees. You are such a solitary tree, Umslopogaas, but the topmostbranches of him whom I serve are thicker than your trunk, and beneath hisshadow live many woodcutters, who go out to lop those that would grow too high.You are no match for Dingaan, though, dwelling here alone in an empty land, youhave grown great in your own eyes and in the eyes of those about you. Moreover,Umslopogaas, know this: Dingaan already hates you because of the words which inbygone years you sent by Masilo the fool to the Black One who is dead, for heheard those words, and it is his will to eat you up. He has sent me hither forone reason only, to be rid of me awhile, and, whatever the words I bring backto him, the end will be the same—that night shall come when you will findan impi at your gates.”

“Then what need to talk more of the matter, my father?” askedUmslopogaas. “That will come which must come. Let me wait here for theimpi of Dingaan, and fight till I die.”

“Not so, Umslopogaas, my son; there are more ways of killing a man thanby the assegai, and a crooked stick can still be bent straight in the stream.It is my desire, Umslopogaas, that instead of hate Dingaan should give youlove; instead of death, advancement; and that you shall grow great in hisshadow. Listen! Dingaan is not what Chaka was, though, like Chaka, he is cruel.This Dingaan is a fool, and it may well come about that a man can be found who,growing up in his shadow, in the end shall overshadow him. I might doit—I myself; but I am old, and, being worn with sorrow, have no longingto rule. But you are young, Umslopogaas, and there is no man like you in theland. Moreover, there are other matters of which it is not well to speak, thatshall serve you as a raft whereon to swim to power.”

Now Umslopogaas glanced up sharply, for in those days he was ambitious, anddesired to be first among the people. Indeed, having the blood of Chaka in hisveins, how could it be otherwise?

“What is your plan, my father?” he asked. “Say how can thisbe brought about?”

“This and thus, Umslopogaas. Among the tribe of the Halakazi in Swazilandthere dwells a maid who is named the Lily. She is a girl of the most wonderfulbeauty, and Dingaan is afire with longing to have her to wife. Now, awhilesince Dingaan dispatched an embassy to the chief of the Halakazi asking theLily in marriage, and the chief of the Halakazi sent back insolent words,saying that the Beauty of the Earth should be given to no Zulu dog as a wife.Then Dingaan was angry, and he would have gathered his impis and sent themagainst the Halakazi to destroy them, and bring him the maid, but I held himback from it, saying that now was no time to begin a new war; and it is forthis cause that Dingaan hates me, he is so set upon the plucking of the SwaziLily. Do you understand now, Umslopogaas?”

“Something,” he answered. “But speak clearly.”

“Wow, Umslopogaas! Half words are better than whole ones in this land ofours. Listen, then! This is my plan: that you should fall upon the Halakazitribe, destroy it, and bring back the maid as a peace-offering toDingaan.”

“That is a good plan, my father,” he answered. “At the least,maid or no maid, there will be fighting in it, and cattle to divide when thefighting is done.”

“First conquer, then reckon up the spoils, Umslopogaas.”

Now he thought awhile, then said, “Suffer that I summon Galazi the Wolf,my captain. Do not fear, he is trusty and a man of few words.”

Presently Galazi came and sat down before us. Then I put the matter to himthus: that Umslopogaas would fall upon the Halakazi and bring to Dingaan themaid he longed for as a peace-offering, but that I wished to hold him back fromthe venture because the Halakazi people were great and strong. I spoke in thissense so that I might have a door to creep out should Galazi betray the plot;and Umslopogaas read my purpose, though my craft was needless, for Galazi was atrue man.

Galazi the Wolf listened in silence till I had finished, then he answeredquietly, but it seemed to me that a fire shone in his eyes as he spoke:—

“I am chief by right of the Halakazi, O Mouth of Dingaan, and know themwell. They are a strong people, and can put two full regiments under arms,whereas Bulalio here can muster but one regiment, and that a small one.Moreover, they have watchmen out by night and day, and spies scattered throughthe land, so that it will be hard to take them unawares; also their strongholdis a vast cave open to the sky in the middle, and none have won that strongholdyet, nor could it be found except by those who know its secret. They are few,yet I am one of them, for my father showed it to me when I was a lad.Therefore, Mouth of Dingaan, you will know that this is no easy task whichBulalio would set himself and us—to conquer the Halakazi. That is theface of the matter so far as it concerns Bulalio, but for me, O Mouth, it hasanother face. Know that, long years ago, I swore to my father as he lay dyingby the poison of a witch of this people that I would not rest till I hadavenged him—ay, till I had stamped out the Halakazi, and slain their men,and brought their women to the houses of strangers, and their children tobonds! Year by year and month by month, and night by night, as I have lainalone upon the Ghost Mountain yonder, I have wondered how I might bring my oathto pass, and found no way. Now it seems that there is a way, and I am glad. Yetthis is a great adventure, and perhaps before it is done with the People of theAxe will be no more.” And he ceased and took snuff, watching our facesover the spoon.

“Galazi the Wolf,” said Umslopogaas, “for me also the matterhas another face. You have lost your father at the hands of these Halakazidogs, and, though till last night I did not know it, I have lost my mother bytheir spears, and with her one whom I loved above all in the world, my sisterNada, who loved me also. Both are dead and the Halakazi have killed them. Thisman, the mouth of Dingaan,” and he pointed to me, Mopo, “this mansays that if I can stamp out the Halakazi and make captive of the Lily maid, Ishall win the heart of Dingaan. Little do I care for Dingaan, I who would go myway alone, and live while I may live, and die when I must, by the hands ofDingaan as by those of another—what does it matter? Yet, for this reason,because of the death of Macropha, my mother, and Nada, the sister who was dearto me, I will make war upon these Halakazi and conquer them, or be conquered bythem. Perhaps, O Mouth of Dingaan, you will see me soon at the king’skraal on the Mahlabatine, and with me the Lily maid and the cattle of theHalakazi; or perhaps you shall not see me, and then you will know that I amdead, and the Warriors of the Axe are no more.”

So Umslopogaas spoke to me before Galazi the Wolf, but afterwards he embracedme and bade me farewell, for he had no great hope that we should meet again.And I also doubted it; for, as Galazi said, the adventure was great; yet, as Ihad seen many times, it is the bold thrower who oftenest wins. So weparted—I to return to Dingaan and tell him that Bulalio, Chief of thePeople of the Axe, had gone up against the Halakazi to win the Lily maid andbring her to him in atonement; while Umslopogaas remained to make ready hisimpi for war.

I went swiftly from the Ghost Mountain back to the kraal Umgugundhlovu, andpresented myself before Dingaan, who at first looked on me coldly. But when Itold him my message, and how that the Chief Bulalio the Slaughterer had takenthe war-path to win him the Lily, his manner changed. He took me by the handand said that I had done well, and he had been foolish to doubt me when Ilifted up my voice to persuade him from sending an impi against the Halakazi.Now he saw that it was my purpose to rake this Halakazi fire with another handthan his, and to save his hand from the burning, and he thanked me.

Moreover, he said, that if this Chief of the People of the Axe brought him themaid his heart desired, not only would he forgive him the words he had spokenby the mouth of Masilo to the Black One who was dead, but also all the cattleof the Halakazi should be his, and he would make him great in the land. Ianswered that all this was as the king willed. I had but done my duty by theking and worked so that, whatever befell, a proud chief should be weakened anda foe should be attacked at no cost to the king, in such fashion also thatperhaps it might come about that the king would shortly have the Lily at hisside.

Then I sat down to wait what might befall.

Now it is, my father, that the white men come into my story, whom we named theAmaboona, but you call the Boers. Ou!I think ill of those Amaboona,though it was I who gave them the victory over Dingaan—I and Umslopogaas.

Before this time, indeed, a few white men had come to and fro to the kraals ofChaka and Dingaan, but these came to pray and not to fight. Now the Boers bothfight and pray, also they steal, or used to steal, which I do not understand,for the prayers of you white men say that these things should not be done.

Well, when I had been back from the Ghost Mountain something less than a moon,the Boers came, sixty of them commanded by a captain named Retief, a big man,and armed with roers—the long guns they had in thosedays—or, perhaps they numbered a hundred in all, counting their servantsand after-riders. This was their purpose: to get a grant of the land in Natalthat lies between the Tugela and the Umzimoubu rivers. But, by my counsel andthat of other indunas, Dingaan bargained with the Boers that first they shouldattack a certain chief named Sigomyela, who had stolen some of the king’scattle, and who lived near the Quathlamba Mountains, and bring back thosecattle. This the Boers agreed to, and went to attack the chief, and in a littlewhile they came back again, having destroyed the people of Sigomyela, anddriving his cattle before them as well as those which had been stolen from theking.

The face of Dingaan shone when he saw the cattle, and that night he called us,the council of the Amapakati, together, and asked us as to the grantingof the country. I spoke the first, and said that it mattered little if hegranted it, seeing that the Black One who was dead had already given it to theEnglish, the People of George, and the end of the matter would be that theAmaboona and the People of George would fight for the land. Yet the words ofthe Black One were coming to pass, for already it seemed we could hear thesound of the running of a white folk who should eat up the kingdom.

Now when I had spoken thus the heart of Dingaan grew heavy and his face dark,for my words stuck in his breast like a barbed spear. Still, he made no answer,but dismissed the council.

On the morrow the king promised to sign the paper giving the lands they askedfor to the Boers, and all was smooth as water when there is no wind. Before thepaper was signed the king gave a great dance, for there were many regimentsgathered at the kraal, and for three days this dance went on, but on the thirdday he dismissed the regiments, all except one, an impi of lads, who werecommanded to stay. Now all this while I wondered what was in the mind ofDingaan and was afraid for the Amaboona. But he was secret, and told nothingexcept to the captains of the regiment alone—no, not even to one of hiscouncil. Yet I knew that he planned evil, and was half inclined to warn theCaptain Retief, but did not, fearing to make myself foolish. Ah! my father, ifI had spoken, how many would have lived who were soon dead! But what does itmatter? In any case most of them would have been dead by now.

On the fourth morning, early, Dingaan sent a messenger to the Boers, biddingthem meet him in the cattle kraal, for there he would mark the paper. So theycame, stacking their guns at the gate of the kraal, for it was death for anyman, white or black, to come armed before the presence of the king. Now, myfather, the kraal Umgugundhlovu was built in a great circle, after the fashionof royal kraals. First came the high outer fence, then the thousands of hutsthat ran three parts round between the great fence and the inner one. Withinthis inner fence was the large open space, big enough to hold five regiments,and at the top of it—opposite the entrance—stood the cattle kraalitself, that cut off a piece of the open space by another fence bent like abow. Behind this again were the Emposeni, the place of the king’swomen, the guard-house, the labyrinth, and the Intunkulu, the house ofthe king. Dingaan came out on that day and sat on a stool in front of thecattle kraal, and by him stood a man holding a shield over his head to keep thesun from him. Also we of the Amapakati, the council, were there, andranged round the fence of the space, armed with short sticks only—notwith kerries, my father—was that regiment of young men which Dingaan hadnot sent away, the captain of the regiment being stationed near to the king, onthe right.

Presently the Boers came in on foot and walked up to the king in a body, andDingaan greeted them kindly and shook hands with Retief, their captain. ThenRetief drew the paper from a leather pouch, which set out the boundaries of thegrant of land, and it was translated to the king by an interpreter. Dingaansaid that it was good, and put his mark upon it, and Retief and all the Boerswere pleased, and smiled across their faces. Now they would have said farewell,but Dingaan forbade them, saying that they must not go yet: first they must eatand see the soldiers dance a little, and he commanded dishes of boiled fleshwhich had been made ready and bowls of milk to be brought to them. The Boerssaid that they had already eaten; still, they drank the milk, passing the bowlsfrom hand to hand.

Now the regiment began to dance, singing the Ingomo, that is the warchant of us Zulus, my father, and the Boers drew back towards the centre of thespace to give the soldiers room to dance in. It was at this moment that I heardDingaan give an order to a messenger to run swiftly to the white Doctor ofPrayers, who was staying without the kraal, telling him not to be afraid, and Iwondered what this might mean; for why should the Prayer Doctor fear a dancesuch as he had often seen before? Presently Dingaan rose, and, followed by all,walked through the press to where the Captain Retief stood, and bade himgood-bye, shaking him by the hand and bidding him hambla gachle, to goin peace. Then he turned and walked back again towards the gateway which led tohis royal house, and I saw that near this entrance stood the captain of theregiments, as one stands by who waits for orders.

Now, of a sudden, my father, Dingaan stopped and cried with a loud voice,“Bulalani Abatakati!” (slay the wizards), and having criedit, he covered his face with the corner of his blanket, and passed behind thefence.

We, the councillors, stood astounded, like men who had become stone; but beforewe could speak or act the captain of the regiment had also cried aloud,“Bulalani Abatakati!” and the signal was caught up fromevery side. Then, my father, came a yell and a rush of thousands of feet, andthrough the clouds of dust we saw the soldiers hurl themselves upon theAmaboona, and above the shouting we heard the sound of falling sticks. TheAmaboona drew their knives and fought bravely, but before a man could count ahundred twice it was done, and they were being dragged, some few dead, but themost yet living, towards the gates of the kraal and out on to the Hill ofSlaughter, and there, on the Hill of Slaughter, they were massacred, every oneof them. How? Ah! I will not tell you—they were massacred and piled in aheap, and that was the end of their story, my father.

Now I and the other councillors turned away and walked silently towards thehouse of the king. We found him standing before his great hut, and, lifting ourhands, we saluted him silently, saying no word. It was Dingaan who spoke,laughing a little as he spoke, like a man who is uneasy in his mind.

“Ah, my captains,” he said, “when the vultures plumedthemselves this morning, and shrieked to the sky for blood, they did not lookfor such a feast as I have given them. And you, my captains, you little guessedhow great a king the Heavens have set to rule over you, nor how deep is themind of the king that watches ever over his people’s welfare. Now theland is free from the White Wizards of whose footsteps the Black One croaked ashe gave up his life, or soon shall be, for this is but a beginning. Ho!Messengers!” and he turned to some men who stood behind him, “awayswiftly to the regiments that are gathered behind the mountains, away to them,bearing the king’s words to the captains. This is the king’s word:that the impi shall run to the land of Natal and slay the Boers there, wipingthem out, man, woman, and child. Away!”

Now the messengers cried out the royal salute of Bayéte, and, leapingforward like spears from the hand of the thrower, were gone at once. But we,the councillors, the members of the Amapakati, still stood silent.

Then Dingaan spoke again, addressing me:—

“Is thy heart at rest now, Mopo, son of Makedama? Ever hast thou bleatedin my ear of this white people and of the deeds that they shall do, and lo! Ihave blown upon them with my breath and they are gone. Say, Mopo, are theAmaboona wizards yonder all dead? If any be left alive, I desire to speak withone of them.”

Then I looked Dingaan in the face and spoke.

“They are all dead, and thou, O King, thou also art dead.”

“It were well for thee, thou dog,” said Dingaan, “that thoushouldst make thy meaning plain.”

“Let the king pardon me,” I answered; “this is my meaning.Thou canst not kill this white men, for they are not of one race, but of manyraces, and the sea is their home; they rise out of the black water. Destroythose that are here, and others shall come to avenge them, more and more andmore! Now thou hast smitten in thy hour; in theirs they shall smite in turn.Now theylie low in blood at thy hand; in a day to come, O King,thoushalt lie low in blood at theirs. Madness has taken hold of thee, OKing, that thou hast done this thing, and the fruit of thy madness shall be thydeath. I have spoken, I, who am the king’s servant. Let the will of theking be done.”

Then I stood still waiting to be killed, for, my father, in the fury of myheart at the wickedness which had been worked I could not hold back my words.Thrice Dingaan looked on me with a terrible face, and yet there was fear in hisface striving with its rage, and I waited calmly to see which would conquer,the fear or the rage. When at last he spoke, it was one word,“Go!” not three words, “Take him away.”So I went yet living, and with me the councillors, leaving the king alone.

I went with a heavy heart, my father, for of all the evil sights that I haveseen it seemed to me that this was the most evil—that the Amaboona shouldbe slaughtered thus treacherously, and that the impis should be sent outtreacherously to murder those who were left of them, together with their womenand children. Ay, and they slew—six hundred of them did theyslay—yonder in Weenen, the land of weeping.

Say, my father, why does the Umkulunkulu who sits in the Heavens above allowsuch things to be done on the earth beneath? I have heard the preaching of thewhite men, and they say that they know all about Him—that His names arePower and Mercy and Love. Why, then, does He suffer these things to bedone—why does He suffer such men as Chaka and Dingaan to torment thepeople of the earth, and in the end pay them but one death for all thethousands that they have given to others? Because of the wickedness of thepeoples, you say; but no, no, that cannot be, for do not the guiltless go withthe guilty—ay, do not the innocent children perish by the hundred?Perchance there is another answer, though who am I, my father, that I, in myfolly, should strive to search out the way of the Unsearchable? Perchance it isbut a part of the great plan, a little piece of that pattern of which Ispoke—the pattern on the cup that holds the waters of His wisdom.Wow!I do not understand, who am but a wild man, nor have I found moreknowledge in the hearts of you tamed white people. You know many things, but ofthese you do not know: you cannot tell us what we were an hour before birth,nor what we shall be an hour after death, nor why we were born, nor why we die.You can only hope and believe—that is all, and perhaps, my father, beforemany days are sped I shall be wiser than all of you. For I am very aged, thefire of my life sinks low—it burns in my brain alone; there it is stillbright, but soon that will go out also, and then perhaps I shall understand.

CHAPTER XXV.
THE WAR WITH THE HALAKAZI PEOPLE

Now, my father, I must tell of how Umslopogaas the Slaughterer and Galazi theWolf fared in their war against the People of the Halakazi. When I had gonefrom the shadow of the Ghost Mountain, Umslopogaas summoned a gathering of allhis headmen, and told them it was his desire that the People of the Axe shouldno longer be a little people; that they should grow great and number theircattle by tens of thousands.

The headmen asked how this might be brought about—would he then make waron Dingaan the King? Umslopogaas answered no, he would win the favour of theking thus: and he told them of the Lily maid and of the Halakazi tribe inSwaziland, and of how he would go up against that tribe. Now some of theheadmen said yea to this and some said nay, and the talk ran high and lastedtill the evening. But when the evening was come Umslopogaas rose and said thathe was chief under the Axe, and none other, and it was his will that theyshould go up against the Halakazi. If there was any man there who would gainsayhis will, let him stand forward and do battle with him, and he who conqueredshould order all things. To this there was no answer, for there were few whocared to face the beak of Groan-Maker, and so it came about that it was agreedthat the People of the Axe should make war upon the Halakazi, and Umslopogaassent out messengers to summon every fighting-man to his side.

But when Zinita, his head wife, came to hear of the matter she was angry, andupbraided Umslopogaas, and heaped curses on me, Mopo, whom she knew only as themouth of Dingaan, because, as she said truly, I had put this scheme into themind of the Slaughterer. “What!” she went on, “do you notlive here in peace and plenty, and must you go to make war on those who havenot harmed you; there, perhaps, to perish or to come to other ill? You say youdo this to win a girl for Dingaan and to find favour in his sight. Has notDingaan girls more than he can count? It is more likely that, wearying of us,your wives, you go to get girls for yourself, Bulalio; and as for findingfavour, rest quiet, so shall you find most favour. If the king sends his impisagainst you, then it will be time to fight, O fool with little wit!”

Thus Zinita spoke to him, very roughly—for she always blurted out whatwas in her mind, and Umslopogaas could not challenge her to battle. So he mustbear her talk as best he might, for it is often thus, my father, that thegreatest of men grow small enough in their own huts. Moreover, he knew that itwas because Zinita loved him that she spoke so bitterly.

Now on the third day all the fighting-men were gathered, and there might havebeen two thousand of them, good men and brave. Then Umslopogaas went out andspoke to them, telling them of this adventure, and Galazi the Wolf was withhim. They listened silently, and it was plain to see that, as in the case ofthe headmen, some of them thought one thing and some another. Then Galazi spoketo them briefly, telling them that he knew the roads and the caves and thenumber of the Halakazi cattle; but still they doubted. Thereon Umslopogaasadded these words:—

“To-morrow, at the dawn, I, Bulalio, Holder of the Axe, Chief of thePeople of the Axe, go up against the Halakazi, with Galazi the Wolf, mybrother. If but ten men follow us, yet we will go. Now, choose, you soldiers!Let those come who will, and let those who will stop at home with the women andthe little children.”

Now a great shout rose from every throat.

“We will go with you, Bulalio, to victory or death!”

So on the morrow they marched, and there was wailing among the women of thePeople of the Axe. Only Zinita did not wail, but stood by in wrath, forebodingevil; nor would she bid her lord farewell, yet when he was gone she wept also.

Now Umslopogaas and his impi travelled fast and far, hungering and thirsting,till at length they came to the land of the Umswazi, and after a while enteredthe territory of the Halakazi by a high and narrow pass. The fear of Galazi theWolf was that they should find this pass held, for though they had harmed nonein the kraals as they went, and taken only enough cattle to feed themselves,yet he knew well that messengers had sped by day and night to warn the peopleof the Halakazi. But they found no man in the pass, and on the other side of itthey rested, for the night was far spent. At dawn Umslopogaas looked out overthe wide plains beyond, and Galazi showed him a long low hill, two hours’march away.

“There, my brother,” he said, “lies the head kraal of theHalakazi, where I was born, and in that hill is the great cave.”

Then they went on, and before the sun was high they came to the crest of arise, and heard the sound of horns on its farther side. They stood upon therise, and looked, and lo! yet far off, but running towards them, was the wholeimpi of the Halakazi, and it was a great impi.

“They have gathered their strength indeed,” said Galazi. “Forevery man of ours there are three of these Swazis!”

The soldiers saw also, and the courage of some of them sank low. ThenUmslopogaas spoke to them:—

“Yonder are the Swazi dogs, my children; they are many and we are few.Yet, shall it be told at home that we, men of the Zulu blood, were hunted by apack of Swazi dogs? Shall our women and children sing thatsong in ourears, O Soldiers of the Axe?”

Now some cried “Never!” but some were silent; so Umslopogaas spokeagain:—

“Turn back all who will: there is yet time. Turn back all who will, butye who are men come forward with me. Or if ye will, go back all of you, andleave Axe Groan-Maker and Club Watcher to see this matter out alone.”

Now there arose a mighty shout of “We will die together who have livedtogether!”

“Do you swear it?” cried Umslopogaas, holding Groan-Maker on high.

“We swear it by the Axe,” they answered.

Then Umslopogaas and Galazi made ready for the battle. They posted all theyoung men in the broken ground above the bottom of the slope, for these couldbest be spared to the spear, and Galazi the Wolf took command of them; but theveterans stayed upon the hillside, and with them Umslopogaas.

Now the Halakazi came on, and there were four full regiments of them. The plainwas black with them, the air was rent with their shoutings, and their spearsflashed like lightnings. On the farther side of the slope they halted and senta herald forward to demand what the People of the Axe would have from them. TheSlaughterer answered that they would have three things: First, the head oftheir chief, whose place Galazi should fill henceforth; secondly, that fairmaid whom men named the Lily; thirdly, a thousand head of cattle. If thesedemands were granted, then he would spare them, the Halakazi; if not, he wouldstamp them out and take all.

So the herald returned, and when he reached the ranks of the Halakazi he calledaloud his answer. Then a great roar of laughter went up from the Halakaziregiments, a roar that shook the earth. The brow of Umslopogaas the Slaughtererburned red beneath the black when he heard it, and he shook Groan-Maker towardstheir host.

“Ye shall sing another song before this sun is set,” he cried, andstrode along the ranks speaking to this man and that by name, and lifting uptheir hearts with great words.

Now the Halakazi raised a shout, and charged to come at the young men led byGalazi the Wolf; but beyond the foot of the slope was peaty ground, and theycame through it heavily, and as they came Galazi and the young men fell uponthem and slew them; still, they could not hold them back for long, because oftheir great numbers, and presently the battle ranged all along the slope. Butso well did Galazi handle the young men, and so fiercely did they fight beneathhis eye, that before they could be killed or driven back all the force of theHalakazi was doing battle with them. Ay, and twice Galazi charged with such ashe could gather, and twice he checked the Halakazi rush, throwing them intoconfusion, till at length company was mixed with company and regiment withregiment. But it might not endure, for now more than half the young men weredown, and the rest were being pushed back up the hill, fighting madly.

But all this while Umslopogaas and the veterans sat in their ranks upon thebrow of the slope and watched. “Those Swazi dogs have a fool for theirgeneral,” quoth Umslopogaas. “He has no men left to fall back on,and Galazi has broken his array and mixed his regiments as milk and cream aremixed in a bowl. They are no longer an impi, they are a mob.”

Now the veterans moved restlessly on their haunches, pushing their legs out anddrawing them in again. They glanced at the fray, they looked into eachother’s eyes and spoke a word here, a word there, “Well smitten,Galazi! Wow!that one is down! A brave lad! Ho! a good club is theWatcher! The fight draws near, my brother!” And ever as they spoke theirfaces grew fiercer and their fingers played with their spears.

At length a captain called aloud to Umslopogaas:—

“Say, Slaughterer, is it not time to be up and doing? The grass is wet tosit on, and our limbs grow cramped.”

“Wait awhile,” answered Umslopogaas. “Let them weary of theirplay. Let them weary, I tell you.”

As he spoke the Halakazi huddled themselves together, and with a rush droveback Galazi and those who were left of the young men. Yes, at last they wereforced to flee, and after them came the Swazis, and in the forefront of thepursuit was their chief, ringed round with a circle of his bravest.

Umslopogaas saw it and bounded to his feet, roaring like a bull. “At themnow, wolves!” he shouted.

Then the lines of warriors sprang up as a wave springs, and their crests werelike foam upon the wave. As a wave that swells to break they rose suddenly,like a breaking wave they poured down the slope. In front of them was theSlaughterer, holding Groan-Maker aloft, and oh! his feet were swift. So swiftwere his feet that, strive as they would, he outran them by the quarter of aspear’s throw. Galazi heard the thunder of their rush; he looked round,and as he looked, lo! the Slaughterer swept past him, running like a buck. ThenGalazi, too, bounded forward, and the Wolf-Brethren sped down the hill, thelength of four spears between them.

The Halakazi also saw and heard, and strove to gather themselves together tomeet the rush. In front of Umslopogaas was their chief, a tall man hedged aboutwith assegais. Straight at the shield-hedge drove Umslopogaas, and a score ofspears were lifted to greet him, a score of shields heaved into theair—this was a fence that none might pass alive. Yet would theSlaughterer pass it—not alone! See! he steadies his pace, he gathershimself together, and now he leaps! High into the air he leaps; his feet knockthe heads of the warriors and rattle against the crowns of their shields. Theysmite upwards with the spear, but he has swept over them like a swooping bird.He has cleared them—he has lit—and now the shield-hedge guards twochiefs. But not for long. Ou!Groan-Maker is aloft, he falls—andneither shield nor axe may stay his stroke, both are cleft through, and theHalakazi lack a leader.

The shield-ring wheels in upon itself. Fools! Galazi is upon you! What wasthat? Look, now! see how many bones are left unbroken in him whom the Watcherfalls on full! What!—another down! Close up, shield-men—close up!Ai!are you fled?

Ah! the wave has fallen on the beach. Listen to its roaring—listen to theroaring of the shields! Stand, you men of the Halakazi—stand! Surely theyare but a few. So! it is done! By the head of Chaka! they break—they arepushed back—now the wave of slaughter seethes along the sands—nowthe foe is swept like floating weed, and from all the line there comes ahissing like the hissing of thin waters. “S’gee!” saysthe hiss. “S’gee! S’gee!”

There, my father, I am old. What have I to do with the battle any more, withthe battle and its joy? Yet it is better to die in such a fight as that than tolive any other way. I have seen such—I have seen many such. Oh! we couldfight when I was a man, my father, but none that I knew could ever fight likeUmslopogaas the Slaughterer, son of Chaka, and his blood-brother Galazi theWolf! So, so! they swept them away, those Halakazi; they swept them as a maidsweeps the dust of a hut, as the wind sweeps the withered leaves. It was soondone when once it was begun. Some were fled and some were dead, and this wasthe end of that fight. No, no, not of all the war. The Halakazi were worsted inthe field, but many lived to win the great cave, and there the work must befinished. Thither, then, went the Slaughterer presently, with such of his impias was left to him. Alas! many were killed; but how could they have died betterthan in that fight? Also those who were left were as good as all, for now theyknew that they should not be overcome easily while Axe and Club still led theway.

Now they stood before a hill, measuring, perhaps, three thousand paces roundits base. It was of no great height, and yet unclimbable, for, after a man hadgone up a little way, the sides of it were sheer, offering no foothold exceptto the rock-rabbits and the lizards. No one was to be seen without this hill,nor in the great kraal of the Halakazi that lay to the east of it, and yet theground about was trampled with the hoofs of oxen and the feet of men, and fromwithin the mountain came a sound of lowing cattle.

“Here is the nest of Halakazi,” quoth Galazi the Wolf.

“Here is the nest indeed,” said Umslopogaas; “but how shallwe come at the eggs to suck them? There are no branches on this tree.”

“But there is a hole in the trunk,” answered the Wolf.

Now he led them a little way till they came to a place where the soil wastrampled as it is at the entrance to a cattle kraal, and they saw that therewas a low cave which led into the cliff, like an archway such as you white menbuild. But this archway was filled up with great blocks of stone placed uponeach other in such a fashion that it could not be forced from without. Afterthe cattle were driven in it had been filled up.

“We cannot enter here,” said Galazi. “Follow me.”

So they followed him, and came to the north side of the mountain, and there,two spear-casts away, a soldier was standing. But when he saw them he vanishedsuddenly.

“There is the place,” said Galazi, “and the fox has gone toearth in it.”

Now they ran to the spot and saw a little hole in the rock, scarcely biggerthan an ant-bear’s burrow, and through the hole came sounds and somelight.

“Now where is the hyena who will try a new burrow?” criedUmslopogaas. “A hundred head of cattle to the man who wins through andclears the way!”

Then two young men sprang forward who were flushed with victory and desirednothing more than to make a great name and win cattle, crying:—

“Here are hyenas, Bulalio.”

“To earth, then!” said Umslopogaas, “and let him who winsthrough hold the path awhile till others follow.”

The two young men sprang at the hole, and he who reached it first went downupon his hands and knees and crawled in, lying on his shield and holding hisspear before him. For a little while the light in the burrow vanished, and theyheard the sound of his crawling. Then came the noise of blows, and once morelight crept through the hole. The man was dead.

“This one had a bad snake,” said the second soldier; “hissnake deserted him. Let me see if mine is better.”

So down he went on his hands and knees, and crawled as the first had done, onlyhe put his shield over his head. For awhile they heard him crawling, then oncemore came the sound of blows echoing on the ox-hide shield, and after the blowsgroans. He was dead also, yet it seemed that they had left his body in thehole, for now no light came through. This was the cause, my father: when theystruck the man he had wriggled back a little way and died there, and none hadentered from the farther side to drag him out.

Now the soldiers stared at the mouth of the passage and none seemed to love thelook of it, for this was but a poor way to die. Umslopogaas and Galazi alsolooked at it, thinking.

“Now I am named Wolf,” said Galazi, “and a wolf should notfear the dark; also, these are my people, and I must be the first to visitthem,” and he went down on his hands and knees without more ado. ButUmslopogaas, having peered once more down the burrow, said: “Hold,Galazi; I will go first! I have a plan. Do you follow me. And you, my children,shout loudly, so that none may hear us move; and, if we win through, followswiftly, for we cannot hold the mouth of that place for long. Hearken, also!this is my counsel to you: if I fall choose another chief—Galazi theWolf, if he is still living.”

“Nay, Slaughterer, do not name me,” said the Wolf, “fortogether we live or die.”

“So let it be, Galazi. Then choose you some other man and try this roadno more, for if we cannot pass it none can, but seek food and sit down heretill those jackals bolt; then be ready. Farewell, my children!”

“Farewell, father,” they answered, “go warily, lest we beleft like cattle without a herdsman, wandering and desolate.”

Then Umslopogaas crept into the hole, taking no shield, but holding Groan-Makerbefore him, and at his heels crept Galazi. When he had covered the length ofsix spears he stretched out his hand, and, as he trusted to do, he found thefeet of that man who had gone before and died in the place. Then Umslopogaasthe wary did this: he put his head beneath the dead man’s legs and thrusthimself onward till all the body was on his back, and there he held it with onehand, gripping its two wrists in his hand. Then he crawled forward a littlespace and saw that he was coming to the inner mouth of the burrow, but that theshadow was deep there because of a great mass of rock which lay before theburrow shutting out the light. “This is well for me,” thoughtUmslopogaas, “for now they will not know the dead from the living. I mayyet look upon the sun again.” Now he heard the Halakazi soldiers talkingwithout.

“The Zulu rats do not love this run,” said one, “they fearthe rat-catcher’s stick. This is good sport,” and a man laughed.

Then Umslopogaas pushed himself forward as swiftly as he could, holding thedead man on his back, and suddenly came out of the hole into the open place inthe dark shadow of the great rock.

“By the Lily,” cried a soldier, “here’s a third! Takethis, Zulu rat!” And he struck the dead man heavily with a kerrie.“And that!” cried another, driving his spear through him so that itpricked Umslopogaas beneath. “And that! and this! and that!” saidothers, as they smote and stabbed.

Now Umslopogaas groaned heavily in the deep shadow and lay still. “Noneed to waste more blows,” said the man who had struck first. “Thisone will never go back to Zululand, and I think that few will care to followhim. Let us make an end: run, some of you, and find stones to stop the burrow,for now the sport is done.”

He turned as he spoke and so did the others, and this was what the Slaughtersought. With a swift movement, he freed himself from the dead man and sprang tohis feet. They heard the sound and turned again, but as they turned Groan-Makerpecked softly, and that man who had sworn by the Lily was no more a man. ThenUmslopogaas leaped forwards, and, bounding on to the great rock, stood therelike a buck against the sky.

“A Zulu rat is not so easily slain, O ye weasels!” he cried, asthey came at him from all sides at once with a roar. He smote to the right andthe left, and so swiftly that men could scarcely see the blows fall, for hestruck with Groan-Maker’s beak. But though men scarcely saw the blows,yet, my father, men fell beneath them. Now foes were all around, leaping up atthe Slaughterer as rushing water leaps to hide a rock—everywhere shonespears, thrusting at him from this side and from that. Those in front and tothe side Groan-Maker served to stay, but one wounded Umslopogaas in the neck,and another was lifted to pierce his back when the strength of its holder wasbowed to the dust—to the dust, to become of the dust.

For now the Wolf was through the hole also, and the Watcher grew very busy; hewas so busy that soon the back of the Slaughterer had nothing to fear—yetthose had much to fear who stood behind his back. The pair fought bravely,making a great slaughter, and presently, one by one, plumed heads of the Peopleof the Axe showed through the burrow and strong arms mingled in the fray.Swiftly they came, leaping into battle as otters leap to the water—nowthere were ten of them, now there were twenty—and now the Halakazi brokeand fled, since they did not bargain for this. Then the rest of the Men of theAxe came through in peace, and the evening grew towards the dark before all hadpassed the hole.

CHAPTER XXVI.
THE FINDING OF NADA

Umslopogaas marshalled his companies.

“There is little light left,” he said, “but it must serve usto start these conies from their burrows. Come, my brother Galazi, you knowwhere the conies hide, take my place and lead us.”

So Galazi led the impi. Turning a corner of the glen, he came with them to alarge open space that had a fountain in its midst, and this place was full ofthousands of cattle. Then he turned again to the left, and brought them to theinner side of the mountain, where the cliff hung over, and here was the mouthof a great cave. Now the cave was dark, but by its door was stacked a pile ofresinous wood to serve as torches.

“Here is that which will give us light,” said Galazi, and one manof every two took a torch and lit it at a fire that burned near the mouth ofthe cave. Then they rushed in, waving the flaring torches and with assegaisaloft. Here for the last time the Halakazi stood against them, and the torchesfloated up and down upon the wave of war. But they did not stand for very long,for all the heart was out of them. Wow!yes, many were killed—I donot know how many. I know this only, that the Halakazi are no more a tribesince Umslopogaas, who is named Bulalio, stamped them with his feet—theyare nothing but a name now. The People of the Axe drove them out into the openand finished the fight by starlight among the cattle.

In one corner of the cave Umslopogaas saw a knot of men clustering roundsomething as though to guard it. He rushed at the men, and with him went Galaziand others. But when Umslopogaas was through, by the light of his torch heperceived a tall and slender man, who leaned against the wall of the cave andheld a shield before his face.

“You are a coward!” he cried, and smote with Groan-Maker. The greataxe pierced the hide, but, missing the head behind, rang loudly against therock, and as it struck a sweet voice said:—

“Ah! soldier, do not kill me! Why are you angry with me?”

Now the shield had come away from its holder’s hands upon the blade ofthe axe, and there was something in the notes of the voice that causedUmslopogaas to smite no more: it was as though a memory of childhood had cometo him in a dream. His torch was burning low, but he thrust it forward to lookat him who crouched against the rock. The dress was the dress of a man, butthis was no man’s form—nay, rather that of a lovely woman,well-nigh white in colour. She dropped her hands from before her face, and nowhe could see her well. He saw eyes that shone like stars, hair that curled andfell upon the shoulders, and such beauty as was not known among our people. Andas the voice had spoken to him of something that was lost, so did the eyes seemto shine across the blackness of many years, and the beauty to bring back heknew not what.

He looked at the girl in all her loveliness, and she looked at him in hisfierceness and his might, red with war and wounds. They both looked long, whilethe torchlight flared on them, on the walls of the cave, and the broad blade ofGroan-Maker, and from around rose the sounds of the fray.

“How are you named, who are so fair to see?” he asked at length.

“I am named the Lily now: once I had another name. Nada, daughter ofMopo, I was once; but name and all else are dead, and I go to join them. Killme and make an end. I will shut my eyes, that I may not see the great axeflash.”

Now Umslopogaas gazed upon her again, and Groan-Maker fell from his hand.

“Look on me, Nada, daughter of Mopo,” he said in a low voice;“look at me and say who am I.”

She looked once more and yet again. Now her face was thrust forward as one whogazes over the edge of the world; it grew fixed and strange. “By myheart,” she said, “by my heart, you are Umslopogaas, my brother whois dead, and whom dead as living I have loved ever and alone.”

Then the torch flared out, but Umslopogaas took hold of her in the darkness andpressed her to him and kissed her, the sister whom he found after many years,and she kissed him.

“You kiss me now,” she said, “yet not long ago that great axeshore my locks, missing me but by a finger’s-breadth—and still thesound of fighting rings in my ears! Ah! a boon of you, my brother—a boon:let there be no more death since we are met once more. The people of theHalakazi are conquered, and it is their just doom, for thus, in this same way,they killed those with whom I lived before. Yet they have treated me well, notforcing me into wedlock, and protecting me from Dingaan; so spare them, mybrother, if you may.”

Then Umslopogaas lifted up his voice, commanding that the killing should cease,and sent messengers running swiftly with these words: “This is thecommand of Bulalio: that he who lifts hand against one more of the people ofthe Halakazi shall be killed himself”; and the soldiers obeyed him,though the order came somewhat late, and no more of the Halakazi were broughtto doom. They were suffered to escape, except those of the women and childrenwho were kept to be led away as captives. And they ran far that night. Nor didthey come together again to be a people, for they feared Galazi the Wolf, whowould be chief over them, but they were scattered wide in the world, to sojournamong strangers.

Now when the soldiers had eaten abundantly of the store of the Halakazi, andguards had been sent to ward the cattle and watch against surprise, Umslopogaasspoke long with Nada the Lily, taking her apart, and he told her all his story.She told him also the tale which you know, my father, of how she had lived withthe little people that were subject to the Halakazi, she and her motherMacropha, and how the fame of her beauty had spread about the land. Then shetold him how the Halakazi had claimed her, and of how, in the end, they hadtaken her by force of arms, killing the people of that kraal, and among themher own mother. Thereafter, she had dwelt among the Halakazi, who named heranew, calling her the Lily, and they had treated her kindly, giving herreverence because of her sweetness and beauty, and not forcing her intomarriage.

“And why would you not wed, Nada, my sister?” asked Umslopogaas,“you who are far past the age of marriage?”

“I cannot tell you,” she answered, hanging her head; “but Ihave no heart that way. I only seek to be left alone.”

Now Umslopogaas thought awhile and spoke. “Do you not know then, Nada,why it is that I have made this war, and why the people of the Halakazi aredead and scattered and their cattle the prize of my arm? I will tell you: I amcome here to win you, whom I knew only by report as the Lily maid, the fairestof women, to be a wife to Dingaan. The reason that I began this war was to winyou and make my peace with Dingaan, and now I have carried it through to theend.”

Now when she heard these words, Nada the Lily trembled and wept, and, sinkingto the earth, she clasped the knees of Umslopogaas in supplication: “Oh,do not this cruel thing by me, your sister,” she prayed; “takerather that great axe and make an end of me, and of the beauty which haswrought so much woe, and most of all to me who wear it! Would that I had notmoved my head behind the shield, but had suffered the axe to fall upon it. Tothis end I was dressed as a man, that I might meet the fate of a man. Ah! acurse be on my woman’s weakness that snatched me from death to give me upto shame!”

Thus she prayed to Umslopogaas in her low sweet voice, and his heart was shakenin him, though, indeed, he did not now purpose to give Nada to Dingaan, asBaleka was given to Chaka, perhaps in the end to meet the fate of Baleka.

“There are many, Nada,” he said, “who would think it nomisfortune that they should be given as a wife to the first of chiefs.”

“Then I am not of their number,” she answered; “nay, I willdie first, by my own hand if need be.”

Now Umslopogaas wondered how it came about that Nada looked upon marriage thus,but he did not speak of the matter; he said only, “Tell me then, Nada,how I can deliver myself of this charge. I must go to Dingaan as I promised ourfather Mopo, and what shall I say to Dingaan when he asks for the Lily whom Iwent out to pluck and whom his heart desires? What shall I say to save myselfalive from the wrath of Dingaan?”

Then Nada thought and answered, “You shall say this, my brother. Youshall tell him that the Lily, being clothed in the war-dress of a warrior, fellby chance in the fray. See, now, none of your people know that you have foundme; they are thinking of other things than maids in the hour of their victory.This, then, is my plan: we will search now by the starlight till we find thebody of a fair maid, for, doubtless, some were killed by hazard in the fight,and on her we will set a warrior’s dress, and lay by her the corpse ofone of your own men. To-morrow, at the light, you shall take the captains ofyour soldiers and, having laid the body of the girl in the dark of the cave,you shall show it to them hurriedly, and tell them that this was the Lily,slain by one of your own people, whom in your wrath you slew also. They willnot look long on so common a sight, and if by hazard they see the maid, andthink her not so very fair, they will deem that it is death which has robbedher of her comeliness. So the tale which you must tell to Dingaan shall bebuilt up firmly, and Dingaan shall believe it to be true.”

“And how shall this be, Nada?” asked Umslopogaas. “How shallthis be when men see you among the captives and know you by your beauty? Arethere, then, two such Lilies in the land?”

“I shall not be known, for I shall not be seen, Umslopogaas. You must setme free to-night. I will wander hence disguised as a youth and covered with ablanket, and if any meet me, who shall say that I am the Lily?”

“And where will you wander, Nada? to your death? Must we, then, meetafter so many years to part again for ever?”

“Where was it that you said you lived, my brother? Beneath the shade of aGhost Mountain, that men may know by a shape of stone which is fashioned likean old woman frozen into stone, was it not? Tell me of the road thither.”

So Umslopogaas told her the road, and she listened silently.

“Good,” she said. “I am strong and my feet are swift; perhapsthey may serve to bring me so far, and perhaps, if I win the shadow of thatmountain, you will find me a hut to hide in, Umslopogaas, my brother.”

“Surely it shall be so, my sister,” answered Umslopogaas,“and yet the way is long and many dangers lie in the path of a maidjourneying alone, without food or shelter,” and as he spoke Umslopogaasthought of Zinita his wife, for he guessed that she would not love Nada,although she was only his sister.

“Still, it must be travelled, and the dangers must be braved,” sheanswered, smiling. “Alas! there is no other way.”

Then Umslopogaas summoned Galazi the Wolf and told him all this story, forGalazi was the only man whom he could trust. The Wolf listened in silence,marvelling the while at the beauty of Nada, as the starlight showed it. Wheneverything was told, he said only that he no longer wondered that the people ofthe Halakazi had defied Dingaan and brought death upon themselves for the sakeof this maid. Still, to be plain, his heart thought ill of the matter, fordeath was not done with yet: there before them shone the Star of Death, and hepointed to the Lily.

Now Nada trembled at his words of evil omen, and the Slaughterer grew angry,but Galazi would neither add to them nor take away from them. “I havespoken that which my heart hears,” he answered.

Then they rose and went to search among the dead for a girl who would suittheir purpose; soon they found one, a tall and fair maiden, and Galazi bore herin his arms to the great cave. Here in the cave were none but the dead, and,tossed hither and thither in their last sleep, they looked awful in the glareof the torches.

“They sleep sound,” said the Lily, gazing on them; “rest issweet.”

“We shall soon win it, maiden,” answered Galazi, and again Nadatrembled.

Then, having arrayed her in the dress of a warrior, and put a shield and spearby her, they laid down the body of the girl in a dark place in the cave, and,finding a dead warrior of the People of the Axe, placed him beside her. Nowthey left the cave, and, pretending that they visited the sentries, Umslopogaasand Galazi passed from spot to spot, while the Lily walked after them like aguard, hiding her face with a shield, holding a spear in her hand, and havingwith her a bag of corn and dried flesh.

So they passed on, till at length they came to the entrance in the mountainside. The stones that had blocked it were pulled down so as to allow those ofthe Halakazi to fly who had been spared at the entreaty of Nada, but there wereguards by the entrance to watch that none came back. Umslopogaas challengedthem, and they saluted him, but he saw that they were worn out with battle andjourneying, and knew little of what they saw or said. Then he, Galazi, and Nadapassed through the opening on to the plain beyond.

Here the Slaughterer and the Lily bade each other farewell, while Galaziwatched, and presently the Wolf saw Umslopogaas return as one who is heavy atheart, and caught sight of the Lily skimming across the plain lightly like aswallow.

“I do not know when we two shall meet again,” said Umslopogaas sosoon as she had melted into the shadows of the night.

“May you never meet,” answered Galazi, “for I am sure that ifyou meet that sister of yours will bring death on many more than those who nowlie low because of her loveliness. She is a Star of Death, and when she setsthe sky shall be blood red.”

Umslopogaas did not answer, but walked slowly through the archway in themountain side.

“How is this, chief?” said he who was captain of the guard.“Three went out, but only two return.”

“Fool!” answered Umslopogaas. “Are you drunk with Halakazibeer, or blind with sleep? Two went out, and two return. I sent him who waswith us back to the camp.”

“So be it, father,” said the captain. “Two went out, and tworeturn. All is well!”

CHAPTER XXVII.
THE STAMPING OF THE FIRE

On the morrow the impi awoke refreshed with sleep, and, after they had eaten,Umslopogaas mustered them. Alas! nearly half of those who had seen the sun ofyesterday would wake no more forever. The Slaughterer mustered them and thankedthem for that which they had done, winning fame and cattle. They were merry,recking little of those who were dead, and sang his praises and the praises ofGalazi in a loud song. When the song was ended Umslopogaas spoke to them again,saying that the victory was great, and the cattle they had won were countless.Yet something was lacking—she was lacking whom he came to seek to be agift to Dingaan the king, and for whose sake this war was made. Where now wasthe Lily? Yesterday she had been here, clad in a moocha like a man and bearinga shield; this he knew from the captives. Where, then, was she now?

Then all the soldiers said that they had seen nothing of her. When they haddone, Galazi spoke a word, as was agreed between him and Umslopogaas. He saidthat when they stormed the cave he had seen a man run at a warrior in the caveto kill him. Then as he came, he who was about to be slain threw down theshield and cried for mercy, and Galazi knew that this was no warrior of theHalakazi, but a very beautiful girl. So he called to the man to let her aloneand not to touch her, for the order was that no women should be killed. But thesoldier, being mad with the lust of fight, shouted that maid or man she shoulddie, and slew her. Thereon, he—Galazi—in his wrath ran up and smotethe man with the Watcher and killed him also, and he prayed that he had done nowrong.

“You have done well, my brother,” said Umslopogaas. “Comenow, some of you, and let us look at this dead girl. Perhaps it is the Lily,and if so that is unlucky for us, for I do not know what tale we shall tell toDingaan of the matter.”

So the captains went with Umslopogaas and Galazi, and came to the spot wherethe girl had been laid, and by her the man of the People of the Axe.

“All is as the Wolf, my brother, has told,” said Umslopogaas,waving the torch in his hand over the two who lay dead. “Here, without adoubt, lies she who was named the Lily, whom we came to win, and by her thatfool who slew her, slain himself by the blow of the Watcher. An ill sight tosee, and an ill tale for me to tell at the kraal of Dingaan. Still, what is is,and cannot be altered; and this maid who was the fairest of the fair is nownone too lovely to look on. Let us away!” And he turned swiftly, thenspoke again, saying:—

“Bind up this dead girl in ox hides, cover her with salt, and let her bebrought with us.” And they did so.

Then the captains said: “Surely it is so, my father; now it cannot bealtered, and Dingaan must miss his bride.” So said they all except thatman who had been captain of the guard when Umslopogaas and Galazi and anotherpassed through the archway. This man, indeed, said nothing, yet he was notwithout his thoughts. For it seemed to him that he had seen three pass throughthe archway, and not two. It seemed to him, moreover, that the kaross which thethird wore had slipped aside as she pressed past him, and that beneath it hehad seen the shape of a beautiful woman, and above it had caught the glint of awoman’s eye—an eye full and dark, like a buck’s.

Also, this captain noted that Bulalio called none of the captives to swear tothe body of the Lily maid, and that he shook the torch to and fro as he held itover her—he whose hand was of the steadiest. All of this he kept in hismind, forgetting nothing.

Now it chanced afterwards, on the homeward march, my father, that Umslopogaashad cause to speak angrily to this man, because he tried to rob another of hisshare of the spoil of the Halakazi. He spoke sharply to him, degrading him fromhis rank, and setting another over him. Also he took cattle from the man, andgave them to him whom he would have robbed.

And thereafter, though he was justly served, this man thought more and more ofthe third who had passed through the arch of the cave and had not returned, andwho seemed to him to have a fair woman’s shape, and eyes which gleamedlike those of a woman.

On that day, then, Umslopogaas began his march to the kraal Umgugundhlovu,where Dingaan sat. But before he set his face homewards, in the presence of thesoldiers, he asked Galazi the Wolf if he would come back with him, or if hedesired to stay to be chief of the Halakazi, as he was by right of birth andwar. Then the Wolf laughed, and answered that he had come out to seek forvengeance, and not for the place of a chief, also that there were few of theHalakazi people left over whom he might rule if he wished. Moreover, he addedthis: that, like twin trees, they two blood-brethren had grown up side by sidetill their roots were matted together, and that, were one of them dug up andplanted in Swazi soil, he feared lest both should wither, or, at the least,that he, Galazi, would wither, who loved but one man and certain wolves.

So Umslopogaas said no more of the chieftainship, but began his journey. Withhim he brought a great number of cattle, to be a gift for Dingaan, and amultitude of captives, young women and children, for he would appease the heartof Dingaan, because he did not bring her whom he sought—the Lily, flowerof flowers. Yet, because he was cautious and put little faith in the kindnessof kings, Umslopogaas, so soon as he reached the borders of Zululand, sent thebest of the cattle and the fairest of the maids and children on to the kraal ofthe People of the Axe by the Ghost Mountain. And he who had been captain of theguard but now was a common soldier noticed this also.

Now it chanced that on a certain morning I, Mopo, sat in the kraalUmgugundhlovu in attendance on Dingaan. For still I waited on the king, thoughhe had spoken no word to me, good or bad, since the yesterday, when I foretoldto him that in the blood of the white men whom he had betrayed grew the flowerof his own death. For, my father, it was on the morrow of the slaying of theAmaboona that Umslopogaas came to the kraal Umgugundhlovu.

Now the mind of Dingaan was heavy, and he sought something to lighten it.Presently he bethought himself of the white praying man, who had come to thekraal seeking to teach us people of the Zulu to worship other gods than theassegai and the king. Now this was a good man, but no luck went with histeaching, which was hard to understand; and, moreover, the indunas did not likeit, because it seemed to set a master over the master, and a king over theking, and to preach of peace to those whose trade was war. Still, Dingaan sentfor the white man that he might dispute with him, for Dingaan thought that hehimself was the cleverest of all men.

Now the white man came, but his face was pale, because of that which he hadseen befall the Boers, for he was gentle and hated such sights. The king badehim be seated and spoke to him saying:—

“The other day, O White Man, thou toldest me of a place of fire whitherthose go after death who have done wickedly in life. Tell me now of thy wisdom,do my fathers lie in that place?”

“How can I know, King,” answered the prayer-doctor, “who maynot judge of the deeds of men? This I say only: that those who murder and roband oppress the innocent and bear false witness shall lie in that place offire.”

“It seems that my fathers have done all these things, and if they are inthis place I would go there also, for I am minded to be with my fathers at thelast. Yet I think that I should find a way to escape if ever I camethere.”

“How, King?”

Now Dingaan had set this trap for the prayer-doctor. In the centre of that openspace where he had caused the Boers to be fallen upon he had built up a greatpyre of wood—brushwood beneath, and on top of the brushwood logs, andeven whole trees. Perhaps, my father, there were sixty full wagonloads of drywood piled together there in the centre of the place.

“Thou shalt see with thine eyes, White Man,” he answered, andbidding attendants set fire to the pile all round, he summoned that regiment ofyoung men which was left in the kraal. Maybe there were a thousand and half athousand of them—not more—the same that had slain the Boers.

Now the fire began to burn fiercely, and the regiment filed in and took itsplace in ranks. By the time that all had come, the pyre was everywhere a sheetof raging flame, and, though we sat a hundred paces from it, its heat was greatwhen the wind turned our way.

“Now, Doctor of Prayers, is thy hot place hotter than yonder fire?”said the king.

He answered that he did not know, but the fire was certainly hot.

“Then I will show thee how I will come out of it if ever I go to lie insuch a fire—ay, though it be ten times as big and fierce. Ho! mychildren!” he cried to the soldiers, and, springing up, “You seeyonder fire. Run swiftly and stamp it flat with your feet. Where there was firelet there be blackness and ashes.”

Now the White Man lifted his hands and prayed Dingaan not to do this thing thatshould be the death of many, but the king bade him be silent. Then he turnedhis eyes upward and prayed to his gods. For a moment also the soldiers lookedon each other in doubt, for the fire raged furiously, and spouts of flame shothigh toward the heaven, and above it and about it the hot air danced. But theircaptain called to them loudly: “Great is the king! Hear the words of theking, who honours you! Yesterday we ate up the Amaboona—it was nothing,they were unarmed. There is a foe more worthy of our valour. Come, my children,let us wash in the fire—we who are fiercer than the fire! Great is theking who honours us!”

Thus he spoke and ran forward, and, with a roar, after him sprang the soldiers,rank by rank. They were brave men indeed; moreover, they knew that if death laybefore them death also awaited him who lagged behind, and it is far better todie with honour than ashamed. On they went, as to the joy of battle, theircaptain leading them, and as they went they sang the Ingomo, the war-chant ofthe Zulu. Now the captain neared the raging fire; we saw him lift his shield tokeep off its heat. Then he was gone—he had sprung into the heart of thefurnace, and but little of him was ever found again. After him went the firstcompany. In they went, beating at the flames with their ox-hide shields,stamping them out with their naked feet, tearing down the burning logs andcasting them aside. Not one man of that company lived, my father; they felldown like moths which flutter through a candle, and where they fell theyperished. But after them came other companies, and it was well for those inthis fight who were last to grapple with the foe. Now a great smoke was mixedwith the flame, now the flame grew less and less, and the smoke more and more;and now blackened men, hairless, naked, and blistered, white with the scorchingof the fire, staggered out on the farther side of the flames, falling to earthhere and there. After them came others; now there was no flame, only a greatsmoke in which men moved dimly; and presently, my father, it was done: they hadconquered the fire, and that with but very little hurt to the last sevencompanies, though every man had trodden it. How many perished?—nay, Iknow not, they were never counted; but what between the dead and the injuredthat regiment was at half strength till the king drafted more men into it.

“See, Doctor of Prayers,” said Dingaan, with a laugh, “thusshall I escape the fires of that land of which thou tellest, if such there beindeed: I will bid my impis stamp them out.”

Then the praying man went from the kraal saying that he would teach no moreamong the Zulus, and afterwards he left the land. When he had gone the burntwood and the dead were cleared away, the injured were doctored or killedaccording to their hurts, and those who had little harm came before the kingand praised him.

“New shields and headdresses must be found for you, my children,”said Dingaan, for the shields were black and shrivelled, and of heads of hairand plumes there were but few left among that regiment.

“Wow!” said Dingaan again, looking at the soldiers who stilllived: “shaving will be easy and cheap in that place of fire of which thewhite man speaks.”

Then he ordered beer to be brought to the men, for the heat had made themthirsty.

Now though you may not guess it, my father, I have told you this tale becauseit has something to do with my story; for scarcely had the matter been endedwhen messengers came, saying that Bulalio, chief of the People of the Axe, andhis impi were without, having returned with much spoil from the slaying of theHalakazi in Swaziland. Now when I heard this my heart leapt for joy, seeingthat I had feared greatly for the fate of Umslopogaas, my fosterling. Dingaanalso was very glad, and, springing up, danced to and fro like a child.

“Now at last we have good tidings,” he said, at once forgetting thestamping of the fire, “and now shall my eyes behold that Lily whom myhand has longed to pluck. Let Bulalio and his people enter swiftly.”

For awhile there was silence; then from far away, without the high fence of thegreat place, there came a sound of singing, and through the gates of the kraalrushed two great men, wearing black plumes upon their heads, having blackshields in their left hands, and in their right, one an axe and one a club;while about their shoulders were bound wolf-skins. They ran low, neck and neck,with outstretched shields and heads held forward, as a buck runs when he ishard pressed by dogs, and no such running had been seen in the kraalUmgugundhlovu as the running of the Wolf-Brethren. Half across the space theyran, and halted suddenly, and, as they halted, the dead ashes of the fire flewup before their feet in a little cloud.

“By my head! look, these come armed before me!” said Dingaan,frowning, “and to do this is death. Now say who is that man, great andfierce, who bears an axe aloft? Did I not know him dead I should say it was theBlack One, my brother, as he was in the days of the smiting of Zwide: so washis head set on his shoulders and so he was wont to look round, like alion.”

“I think that is Bulalio the Slaughterer, chief of the People of the Axe,O King,” I answered.

“And who is the other with him? He is a great man also. Never have I seensuch a pair!”

“I think that is Galazi the Wolf, he who is blood-brother to theSlaughterer, and his general,” I said again.

Now after these two came the soldiers of the People of the Axe, armed withshort sticks alone. Four by four they came, all holding their heads low, andwith black shields outstretched, and formed themselves into companies behindthe Wolf-Brethren, till all were there. Then, after them, the crowd of theHalakazi slaves were driven in,—women, boys, and maids, a greatnumber—and they stood behind the ranks huddled together like frightenedcalves.

“A gallant sight, truly!” said Dingaan, as he looked upon thecompanies of black-plumed and shielded warriors. “I have no bettersoldiers in my impis, and yet my eyes behold these for the first time,”and again he frowned.

Now suddenly Umslopogaas lifted his axe and started forward at full speed, andafter him thundered the companies. On they rushed, and their plumes lay backupon the wind, till it seemed as though they must stamp us flat. But when hewas within ten paces of the king Umslopogaas lifted Groan-Maker again, andGalazi held the Watcher on high, and every man halted where he was, while oncemore the dust flew up in clouds. They halted in long, unbroken lines, withoutstretched shields and heads held low; no man’s head rose more than thelength of a dance kerrie from the earth. So they stood one minute, then, forthe third time, Umslopogaas lifted Groan-Maker, and in an instant every manstraightened himself, each shield was tossed on high, and from every throat wasroared the royal salute, “Bayéte!”

“A pretty sight forsooth,” quoth Dingaan; “but these soldiersare too well drilled who have never done me service nor the Black One who wasbefore me, and this Slaughterer is too good a captain, I say. Come hither, yetwain!” he cried aloud.

Then the Wolf-Brethren strode forward and stood before the king, and for awhilethey looked upon each other.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE LILY IS BROUGHT TO DINGAAN

“How are you named?” said Dingaan.

“We are named Bulalio the Slaughterer and Galazi the Wolf, O King,”answered Umslopogaas.

“Was it thou who didst send a certain message to the Black One who isdead, Bulalio?”

“Yea, O King, I sent a message, but from all I have heard, Masilo, mymessenger, gave more than the message, for he stabbed the Black One. Masilo hadan evil heart.”

Now Dingaan winced, for he knew well that he himself and one Mopo had stabbedthe Black One, but he thought that this outland chief had not heard the tale,so he said no more of the message.

“How is it that ye dare to come before me armed? Know ye not the rulethat he who appears armed before the king dies?”

“We have not heard that law, O King,” said Umslopogaas.“Moreover, there is this to be told: by virtue of the axe I bear I rulealone. If I am seen without the axe, then any man may take my place who can,for the axe is chieftainess of the People of the Axe, and he who holds it isits servant.”

“A strange custom,” said Dingaan, “but let it pass. And thou,Wolf, what hast thou to say of that great club of thine?”

“There is this to be told of the club, O King,” answered Galazi:“by virtue of the club I guard my life. If I am seen without the club,then may any man take my life who can, for the club is my Watcher, not IWatcher of the club.”

“Never wast thou nearer to the losing of both club and life,” saidDingaan, angrily.

“It may be so, O King,” answered the Wolf. “When the hour is,then, without a doubt, the Watcher shall cease from his watching.”

“Ye are a strange pair,” quoth Dingaan. “Where have you beennow, and what is your business at the Place of the Elephant?”

“We have been in a far country, O King!” answered Umslopogaas.“We have wandered in a distant land to search for a Flower to be a giftto a king, and in our searching we have trampled down a Swazi garden, andyonder are some of those who tended it”—and he pointed to thecaptives—“and without are the cattle that ploughed it.”

“Good, Slaughterer! I see the gardeners, and I hear the lowing of thecattle, but what of the Flower? Where is this Flower ye went so far to dig inSwazi soil? Was it a Lily-bloom, perchance?”

“It was a Lily-bloom, O King! and yet, alas! the Lily has withered.Nothing is left but the stalk, white and withered as are the bones ofmen.”

“What meanest thou?” said Dingaan, starting to his feet.

“That the king shall learn,” answered Umslopogaas; and, turning, hespoke a word to the captains who were behind him. Presently the ranks openedup, and four men ran forward from the rear of the companies. On their shouldersthey bore a stretcher, and upon the stretcher lay something wrapped about withraw ox-hides, and bound round with rimpis. The men saluted, and laid theirburden down before the king.

“Open!” said the Slaughterer; and they opened, and there within thehides, packed in salt, lay the body of a girl who once was tall and fair.

“Here lies the Lily’s stalk, O King!” said Umslopogaas,pointing with the axe, “but if her flower blooms on any air, it is nothere.”

Now Dingaan stared at the sight of death, and bitterness of heart took hold ofhim, since he desired above all things to win the beauty of the Lily forhimself.

“Bear away this carrion and cast it to the dogs!” he cried, forthus he could speak of her whom he would have taken to wife, when once hedeemed her dead. “Take it away, and thou, Slaughterer, tell me how itcame about that the maid was slain. It will be well for thee if thou hast agood answer, for know thy life hangs on the words.”

So Umslopogaas told the king all that tale which had been made ready againstthe wrath of Dingaan. And when he had finished Galazi told his story, of how hehad seen the soldier kill the maid, and in his wrath had killed the soldier.Then certain of the captains who had seen the soldier and the maid lying in onedeath came forward and spoke to it.

Now Dingaan was very angry, and yet there was nothing to be done. The Lily wasdead, and by no fault of any except of one, who was also dead and beyond hisreach.

“Get you hence, you and your people,” he said to the Wolf-Brethren.“I take the cattle and the captives. Be thankful that I do not take allyour lives also—first, because ye have dared to make war without my word,and secondly, because, having made war, ye have so brought it about that,though ye bring me the body of her I sought, ye do not bring the life.”

Now when the king spoke of taking the lives of all the People of the Axe,Umslopogaas smiled grimly and glanced at his companies. Then saluting the king,he turned to go. But as he turned a man sprang forwards from the ranks andcalled to Dingaan, saying:—

“Is it granted that I may speak truth before the king, and afterwardssleep in the king’s shadow?”

Now this was that man who had been captain of the guard on the night when threepassed out through the archway and two returned, that same man whom Umslopogaashad degraded from his rank.

“Speak on, thou art safe,” answered Dingaan.

“O King, thy ears have been filled with lies,” said the soldier.“Hearken, O King! I was captain of the guard of the gate on that night ofthe slaying of the Halakazi. Three came to the gate of the mountain—theywere Bulalio, the Wolf Galazi, and another. That other was tall and slim,bearing a shield high—so. As the third passed the gate, the kaross hewore brushed against me and slipped aside. Beneath that kaross was noman’s breast, O King, but the shape of a woman, almost white in colour,and very fair. In drawing back the kaross this third one moved the shield.Behind that shield was no man’s face, O King, but the face of a girl,lovelier than the moon, and having eyes brighter than the stars. Three went outat the mountain gate, O King, only two returned, and, peeping after them, itseemed that I saw the third running swiftly across the plains, as a young maidruns, O King. This also, Elephant, Bulalio yonder denied me when, as captain ofthe guard, I asked for the third who had passed the gate, saying that only twohad passed. Further, none of the captives were called to swear to the body ofthe maid, and now it is too late, and that man who lay beside her was notkilled by Galazi in the cave. He was killed outside the cave by a blow of aHalakazi kerrie. I saw him fall with my own eyes, and slew the man who smotehim. One thing more, King of the World, the best of the captives and the cattleare not here for a gift to thee—they are at the kraal of Bulalio, Chiefof the People of the Axe. I have spoken, O King, yes, because my heart lovesnot lies. I have spoken the truth, and now do thou protect me from theseWolf-Brethren, O King, for they are very fierce.”

Now all this while that the traitor told his tale Umslopogaas, inch by inch,was edging near to him and yet nearer, till at length he might have touched himwith an outstretched spear. None noted him except I, Mopo, alone, and perhapsGalazi, for all were watching the face of Dingaan as men watch a storm that isabout to burst.

“Fear thou not the Wolf-Brethren, soldier,” gasped Dingaan, rollinghis red eyes; “the paw of the Lion guards thee, my servant.”

Ere the words had left the king’s lips the Slaughterer leapt. He leapedfull on to the traitor, speaking never a word, and oh! his eyes were awful. Heleaped upon him, he seized him with his hands, lifting no weapon, and in histerrible might he broke him as a child breaks a stick—nay, I know nothow, it was too swift to see. He broke him, and, hurling him on high, cast himdead at the feet of Dingaan, crying in a great voice:—

“Take thy servant, King! Surely he ‘sleeps in thyshadow’!”

Then there was silence, only through the silence was heard a gasp of fear andwonder, for no such deed as this had been wrought in the presence of theking—no, not since the day of Senzangacona the Root.

Now Dingaan spoke, and his voice came thick with rage, and his limbs trembled.

“Slay him!” he hissed. “Slay the dog and all those withhim!”

“Now we come to a game which I can play,” answered Umslopogaas.“Ho, People of the Axe! Will you stand to be slaughtered by these singedrats?” and he pointed with Groan-Maker at those warriors who had escapedwithout hurt in the fire, but whose faces the fire had scorched.

Then for answer a great shout went up, a shout and a roar of laughter. And thiswas the shout:—

“No, Slaughterer, not so are we minded!” and right and left theyfaced to meet the foe, while from all along the companies came the crackling ofthe shaken shields.

Back sprang Umslopogaas to head his men; forward leaped the soldiers of theking to work the king’s will, if so they might. And Galazi the Wolf alsosprang forward, towards Dingaan, and, as he sprang, swung up the Watcher,crying in a great voice:—

“Hold!”

Again there was silence, for men saw that the shadow of the Watcher lay darkupon the head of Dingaan.

“It is a pity that many should die when one will suffice,” criedthe Wolf again. “Let a blow be struck, and where his shadow lies thereshall the Watcher be, and lo! the world will lack a king. A word, King!”

Now Dingaan looked up at the great man who stood above him, and felt the shadowof the shining club lie cold upon his brow, and again he shook—this timeit was with fear.

“Begone in peace!” he said.

“A good word for thee, King,” said the Wolf, grinning, and slowlyhe drew himself backwards towards the companies, saying, “Praise theking! The king bids his children go in peace.”

But when Dingaan felt that his brow was no longer cold with the shadow of deathhis rage came back to him, and he would have called to the soldiers to fallupon the People of the Axe, only I stayed him, saying:—

“Thy death is in it, O King; the Slaughterer will grind such men as thouhast here beneath his feet, and then once more shall the Watcher look uponthee.”

Now Dingaan saw that this was true, and gave no command, for he had only thosemen with him whom the fire had left. All the rest were gone to slaughter theBoers in Natal. Still, he must have blood, so he turned on me.

“Thou art a traitor, Mopo, as I have known for long, and I will servethee as yonder dog served his faithless servant!” and he thrust at mewith the assegai in his hand.

But I saw the stroke, and, springing high into the air, avoided it. Then Iturned and fled very swiftly, and after me came certain of the soldiers. Theway was not far to the last company of the People of the Axe; moreover, it sawme coming, and, headed by Umslopogaas, who walked behind them all, ran to meetme. Then the soldiers who followed to kill me hung back out of reach of theaxe.

“Here with the king is no place for me any more, my son,” I said toUmslopogaas.

“Fear not, my father, I will find you a place,” he answered.

Then I called a message to the soldiers who followed me, saying:—

“Tell this to the king: that he has done ill to drive me from him, for I,Mopo, set him on the throne and I alone can hold him there. Tell him this also,that he will do yet worse to seek me where I am, for that day when we are oncemore face to face shall be his day of death. Thus speaks Mopo theinyanga, Mopo the doctor, who never yet prophesied that which should notbe.”

Then we marched from the kraal Umgugundhlovu, and when next I saw that kraal itwas to burn all of it which Dingaan had left unburnt, and when next I sawDingaan—ah! that is to be told of, my father.

We marched from the kraal, none hindering us, for there were none to hinder,and after we had gone a little way Umslopogaas halted and said:—

“Now it is in my mind to return whence we came and slay this Dingaan, erehe slay me.”

“Yet it is well to leave a frightened lion in his thicket, my son, for alion at bay is hard to handle. Doubt not that every man, young and old, inUmgugundhlovu now stands armed about the gates, lest such a thought should takeyou, my son; and though just now he was afraid, yet Dingaan will strike for hislife. When you might have killed you did not kill; now the hour hasgone.”

“Wise words!” said Galazi. “I would that the Watcher hadfallen where his shadow fell.”

“What is your counsel now, father?” asked Umslopogaas.

“This, then: that you two should abide no more beneath the shadow of theGhost Mountain, but should gather your people and your cattle, and pass to thenorth on the track of Mosilikatze the Lion, who broke away from Chaka. Thereyou may rule apart or together, and never dream of Dingaan.”

“I will not do that, father,” he answered. “I will dwellbeneath the shadow of the Ghost Mountain while I may.”

“And so will I,” said Galazi, “or rather among its rocks.What! shall my wolves lack a master when they would go a-hunting? ShallGreysnout and Blackfang, Blood and Deathgrip, and their company black and grey,howl for me in vain?”

“So be it, children. Ye are young and will not listen to the counsel ofthe old. Let it befall as it chances.”

I spoke thus, for I did not know then why Umslopogaas would not leave hiskraals. It was for this reason: because he had bidden Nada to meet him there.

Afterwards, when he found her he would have gone, but then the sky was clear,the danger-clouds had melted for awhile.

Oh! that Umslopogaas my fosterling had listened to me! Now he would havereigned as a king, not wandered an outcast in strange lands I know not where;and Nada should have lived, not died, nor would the People of the Axe haveceased to be a people.

This of Dingaan. When he heard my message he grew afraid once more, for he knewme to be no liar.

Therefore he held his hand for awhile, sending no impi to smite Umslopogaas,lest it might come about that I should bring him his death as I had promised.And before the fear had worn away, it happened that Dingaan’s hands werefull with the war against the Amaboona, because of his slaughter of the whitepeople, and he had no soldiers to spare with whom to wreak vengeance on a pettychief living far away.

Yet his rage was great because of what had chanced, and, after his custom, hemurdered many innocent people to satisfy it.

CHAPTER XXIX.
MOPO TELLS HIS TALE

Now afterwards, as we went upon our road, Umslopogaas told me all there was totell of the slaying of the Halakazi and of the finding of Nada.

When I heard that Nada, my daughter, still lived, I wept for joy, though likeUmslopogaas I was torn by doubt and fear, for it is far for an unaided maid totravel from Swaziland to the Ghost Mountain. Yet all this while I said nothingto Umslopogaas of the truth as to his birth, because on the journey there weremany around us, and the very trees have ears, and the same wind to which wewhispered might whisper to the king. Still I knew that the hour had come nowwhen I must speak, for it was in my mind to bring it about that Umslopogaasshould be proclaimed the son of Chaka, and be made king of the Zulus in theplace of Dingaan, his uncle. Yet all these things had gone cross for us,because it was fated so, my father. Had I known that Umslopogaas still livedwhen I slew Chaka, then I think that I could have brought it about that heshould be king. Or had things fallen out as I planned, and the Lily maid beenbrought to Dingaan, and Umslopogaas grew great in his sight, then, perhaps, Icould have brought it about. But all things had gone wrong. The Lily was noneother than Nada; and how could Umslopogaas give Nada, whom he thought hissister, and who was my daughter, to Dingaan against her will? Also, because ofNada, Dingaan and Umslopogaas were now at bitter enmity, and for this samecause I was disgraced and a fugitive, and my counsels would no longer be heardin the ear of the king.

So everything must be begun afresh: and as I walked with the impi towards theGhost Mountain, I thought much and often of the manner in which this might bedone. But as yet I said nothing.

Now at last we were beneath the Ghost Mountain, and looked upon the face of theold Witch who sits there aloft forever waiting for the world to die; and thatsame night we came to the kraal of the People of the Axe, and entered it with agreat singing. But Galazi did not enter at that time; he was away to themountain to call his flock of wolves, and as we passed its foot we heard thewelcome that the wolves howled in greeting to him.

Now as we drew near the kraal, all the women and children came out to meet us,headed by Zinita, the head wife of Umslopogaas. They came joyfully, but whenthey found how many were wanting who a moon before had gone thence to fight,their joy was turned to mourning, and the voice of their weeping went up toheaven.

Umslopogaas greeted Zinita kindly; and yet I thought that there was somethinglacking. At first she spoke to him softly, but when she learned all that hadcome to pass, her words were not soft, for she reviled me and sang a loud songat Umslopogaas.

“See now, Slaughterer,” she said, “see now what has comeabout because you listened to this aged fool!”—that was I, myfather—“this fool who calls himself ‘Mouth’! Ay, amouth he is, a mouth out of which proceed folly and lies! What did he counselyou to do?—to go up against these Halakazi and win a girl for Dingaan!And what have you done?—you have fallen upon the Halakazi, and doubtlesshave killed many innocent people with that great axe of yours, also you haveleft nearly half of the soldiers of the Axe to whiten in the Swazi caves, andin exchange have brought back certain cattle of a small breed, and girls andchildren whom we must nourish!

“Nor does the matter end here. You went, it seems, to win a girl whomDingaan desired, yet when you find that girl you let her go, because, indeed,you say she was your sister and would not wed Dingaan. Forsooth, is not theking good enough for this sister of yours? Now what is the end of the tale? Youtry to play tricks on the king, because of your sister, and are found out. Thenyou kill a man before Dingaan and escape, bringing this fool of an aged Mouthwith you, that he may teach you his own folly. So you have lost half of yourmen, and you have gained the king for a foe who shall bring about the death ofall of us, and a fool for a councillor. Wow!Slaughterer, keep to yourtrade and let others find you wit.”

Thus she spoke without ceasing, and there was some truth in her words. Zinitahad a bitter tongue. I sat silent till she had finished, and Umslopogaas alsoremained silent, though his anger was great, because there was no crack in hertalk through which a man might thrust a word.

“Peace, woman!” I said at length, “do not speak ill of thosewho are wise and who had seen much before you were born.”

“Speak no ill of him who is my father,” growled Umslopogaas.“Ay! though you do not know it, this Mouth whom you revile is Mopo, myfather.”

“Then there is a man among the People of the Axe who has a fool for afather. Of all tidings this is the worst.”

“There is a man among the People of the Axe who has a jade and a scoldfor a wife,” said Umslopogaas, springing up. “Begone,Zinita!—and know this, that if I hear you snarl such words of him who ismy father, you shall go further than your own hut, for I will put you away anddrive you from my kraal. I have suffered you too long.”

“I go,” said Zinita. “Oh! I am well served! I made you chief,and now you threaten to put me away.”

“My own hands made me chief,” said Umslopogaas, and, springing up,he thrust her from the hut.

“It is a poor thing to be wedded to such a woman, my father,” hesaid presently.

“Yes, a poor thing, Umslopogaas, yet these are the burdens that men mustbear. Learn wisdom from it, Umslopogaas, and have as little to do with women asmay be; at the least, do not love them overmuch, so shall you find the morepeace.” Thus I spoke, smiling, and would that he had listened to mycounsel, for it is the love of women which has brought ruin on Umslopogaas!

All this was many years ago, and but lately I have heard that Umslopogaas isfled into the North, and become a wanderer to his death because of the matterof a woman who had betrayed him, making it seem that he had murdered oneLoustra, who was his blood brother, just as Galazi had been. I do not know howit came about, but he who was so fierce and strong had that weakness like hisuncle Dingaan, and it has destroyed him at the last, and for this cause I shallbehold him no more.

Now, my father, for awhile we were silent and alone in the hut, and as we sat Ithought I heard a rat stir in the thatch.

Then I spoke. “Umslopogaas, at length the hour has come that I shouldwhisper something into your ear, a word which I have held secret ever since youwere born.”

“Speak on, my father,” he said, wondering.

I crept to the door of the hut and looked out. The night was dark and I couldsee none about, and could hear no one move, yet, being cautious, I walked roundthe hut. Ah, my father, when you have a secret to tell, be not so easilydeceived. It is not enough to look forth and to peer round. Dig beneath thefloor, and search the roof also; then, having done all this, go elsewhere andtell your tale. The woman was right: I was but a fool, for all my wisdom and mywhite hairs. Had I not been a fool I would have smoked out that rat in thethatch before ever I opened my lips. For the rat was Zinita, myfather—Zinita, who had climbed the hut, and now lay there in the dark,her ear upon the smoke-hole, listening to every word that passed. It was awicked thing to do, and, moreover, the worst of omens, but there is littlehonour among women when they learn that which others wish to hide away fromthem, nor, indeed, do they then weight omens.

So having searched and found nothing, I spoke to Umslopogaas, my fosterling,not knowing that death in a woman’s shape lay on the hut above us.“Hearken,” I said, “you are no son of mine, Umslopogaas,though you have called me father from a babe. You spring from a loftier stock,Slaughterer.”

“Yet I was well pleased with my fathering, old man,” saidUmslopogaas. “The breed is good enough for me. Say, then, whose son amI?”

Now I bent forward and whispered to him, yet, alas! not low enough. “Youare the son of the Black One who is dead, yea, sprung from the blood of Chakaand of Baleka, my sister.”

“I still have some kinship with you then, Mopo, and that I am glad of.Wow!who would have guessed that I was the son of the Silwana, ofthat hyena man? Perhaps it is for this reason that, like Galazi, I love thecompany of the wolves, though no love grows in my heart for my father or any ofhis house.”

“You have little cause to love him, Umslopogaas, for he murdered yourmother, Baleka, and would have slain you also. But you are the son of Chaka andof no other man.”

“Well, his eyes must be keen indeed, my uncle, who can pick his ownfather out of a crowd. And yet I once heard this tale before, though I had longforgotten it.”

“From whom did you hear it, Umslopogaas? An hour since, it was known toone alone, the others are dead who knew it. Now it is known totwo”—ah! my father, I did not guess of the third;—“fromwhom, then, did you hear it?”

“It was from the dead; at least, Galazi the Wolf heard it from the deadOne who sat in the cave on Ghost Mountain, for the dead One told him that a manwould come to be his brother who should be named Umslopogaas Bulalio, son ofChaka, and Galazi repeated it to me, but I had long forgotten it.”

“It seems that there is wisdom among the dead,” I answered,“for lo! to-day you are named Umslopogaas Bulalio, and to-day I declareyou the son of Chaka. But listen to my tale.”

Then I told him all the story from the hour of his birth onwards, and when Ispoke of the words of his mother, Baleka, after I had told my dream to her, andof the manner of her death by the command of Chaka, and of the great fashion inwhich she had died, then, I say, Umslopogaas wept, who, I think, seldom weptbefore or after. But as my tale drew it its end I saw that he listened ill, asa man listens who has a weightier matter pressing on his heart, and before itwas well done he broke in:—

“So, Mopo, my uncle, if I am the son of Chaka and Baleka, Nada the Lilyis no sister to me.”

“Nay, Umslopogaas, she is only your cousin.”

“Over near of blood,” he said; “yet that shall not standbetween us,” and his face grew glad.

I looked at him in question.

“You grow dull, my uncle. This is my meaning: that I will marry Nada ifshe still lives, for it comes upon me now that I have never loved any woman asI love Nada the Lily,” and while he spoke, I heard the rat stir in thethatch of the hut.

“Wed her if you will, Umslopogaas,” I answered, “yet I thinkthat one Zinita, your Inkosikasi, will find words to say in thematter.”

“Zinita is my head wife indeed, but shall she hold me back from takingother wives, after the lawful custom of our people?” he asked angrily,and his anger showed that he feared the wrath of Zinita.

“The custom is lawful and good,” I said, “but it has bredtrouble at times. Zinita can have little to say if she continues in her placeand you still love her as of old. But enough of her. Nada is not yet at yourgates, and perhaps she will never find them. See, Umslopogaas, it is my desirethat you should rule in Zululand by right of blood, and, though things pointotherwise, yet I think a way can be found to bring it about.”

“How so?” he asked.

“Thus: Many of the great chiefs who are friends to me hate Dingaan andfear him, and did they know that a son of Chaka lived, and that son theSlaughterer, he well might climb to the throne upon their shoulders. Also thesoldiers love the name of Chaka, though he dealt cruelly with them, because atleast he was brave and generous. But they do not love Dingaan, for his burdensare the burdens of Chaka but his gifts are the gifts of Dingaan; therefore theywould welcome Chaka’s son if once they knew him for certain. But it ishere that the necklet chafes, for there is but my word to prove it. Yet I willtry.”

“Perhaps it is worth trying and perhaps it is not, my uncle,”answered Umslopogaas. “One thing I know: I had rather see Nada at mygates to-night than hear all the chiefs in the land crying ‘Hail, OKing!’”

“You will live to think otherwise, Umslopogaas; and now spies must be setat the kraal Umgugundhlovu to give us warning of the mind of the king, lest heshould send an impi suddenly to eat you up. Perhaps his hands may be too fullfor that ere long, for those white Amaboona will answer his assegais withbullets. And one more word: let nothing be said of this matter of your birth,least of all to Zinita your wife, or to any other woman.”

“Fear not, uncle,” he answered; “I know how to besilent.”

Now after awhile Umslopogaas left me and went to the hut of Zinita, hisInkosikasi, where she lay wrapped in her blankets, and, as it seemed,asleep.

“Greeting, my husband,” she said slowly, like one who wakens.“I have dreamed a strange dream of you. I dreamed that you were called aking, and that all the regiments of the Zulus filed past giving you the royalsalute, Bayéte.”

Umslopogaas looked at her wondering, for he did not know if she had learnedsomething or if this was an omen. “Such dreams are dangerous,” hesaid, “and he who dreams them does well to lock them fast till they beforgotten.”

“Or fulfilled,” said Zinita, and again Umslopogaas looked at herwondering.

Now after this night I began my work, for I established spies at the kraal ofDingaan, and from them I learned all that passed with the king.

At first he gave orders that an impi should be summoned to eat up the People ofthe Axe, but afterwards came tidings that the Boers, to the number of fivehundred mounted men, were marching on the kraal Umgugundhlovu. So Dingaan hadno impi to spare to send to the Ghost Mountain, and we who were beneath itsshadow dwelt there in peace.

This time the Boers were beaten, for Bogoza, the spy, led them into an ambush;still few were killed, and they did but draw back that they might jump thefurther, and Dingaan knew this. At this time also the English white men ofNatal, the people of George, who attacked Dingaan by the Lower Tugela, wereslain by our soldiers, and those with them.

Also, by the help of certain witch-doctors, I filled the land with rumours,prophecies, and dark sayings, and I worked cunningly on the minds of manychiefs that were known to me, sending them messages hardly to be understood,such as should prepare their thoughts for the coming of one who should bedeclared to them. They listened, but the task was long, for the men dwelt farapart, and some of them were away with the regiments.

So the time went by, till many days had passed since we reached the GhostMountain. Umslopogaas had no more words with Zinita, but she always watchedhim, and he went heavily. For he awaited Nada, and Nada did not come.

But at length Nada came.

CHAPTER XXX.
THE COMING OF NADA

One night—it was a night of full moon—I sat alone with Umslopogaasin my hut, and we spoke of the matter of our plots; then, when we had finishedthat talk, we spoke of Nada the Lily.

“Alas! my uncle,” said Umslopogaas sadly, “we shall neverlook more on Nada; she is surely dead or in bonds, otherwise she had been herelong ago. I have sought far and wide, and can hear no tidings and findnothing.”

“All that is hidden is not lost,” I answered, yet I myself believedthat there was an end of Nada.

Then we were silent awhile, and presently, in the silence, a dog barked. Werose, and crept out of the hut to see what it might be that stirred, for thenight drew on, and it was needful to be wary, since a dog might bark at thestirring of a leaf, or perhaps it might be the distant footfall of an impi thatit heard.

We had not far to look, for standing gazing at the huts, like one who is afraidto call, was a tall slim man, holding an assegai in one hand and a littleshield in the other. We could not see the face of the man, because the lightwas behind him, and a ragged blanket hung about his shoulders. Also, he wasfootsore, for he rested on one leg. Now we were peering round the hut, and itsshadow hid us, so that the man saw nothing. For awhile he stood still, then hespoke to himself, and his voice was strangely soft.

“Here are many huts,” said the voice, “now how may I knowwhich is the house of my brother? Perhaps if I call I shall bring soldiers tome, and be forced to play the man before them, and I am weary of that. Well, Iwill lie here under the fence till morning; it is a softer bed than some I havefound, and I am worn out with travel—sleep I must,” and the figuresighed and turned so that the light of the moon fell full upon its face.

My father, it was the face of Nada, my daughter, whom I had not seen for somany years, yet across the years I knew it at once; yes, though the bud hadbecome a flower I knew it. The face was weary and worn, but ah! it wasbeautiful, never before nor since have I seen such beauty, for there was thisabout the loveliness of my daughter, the Lily: it seemed to flow fromwithin—yes, as light will flow through the thin rind of a gourd, and inthat she differed from the other women of our people, who, when they are fairare fair with the flesh alone.

Now my heart went out to Nada as she stood in the moonlight, one forsaken, nothaving where to lay her head, Nada, who alone was left alive of all mychildren. I motioned to Umslopogaas to hide himself in the shadow, and steppedforward.

“Ho!” I said roughly, “who are you, wanderer, and what do youhere?”

Now Nada started like a frightened bird, but quickly gathered up her thoughts,and turned upon me in a lordly way.

“Who are you that ask me?” she said, feigning a man’s voice.

“One who can use a stick upon thieves and night-prowlers, boy. Come, showyour business or be moving. You are not of this people; surely that moocha isof a Swazi make, and here we do not love Swazis.”

“Were you not old, I would beat you for your insolence,” said Nada,striving to look brave and all the while searching a way to escape.“Also, I have no stick, only a spear, and that is for warriors, not foran old umfagozanlike you.” Ay, my father, I lived to hear mydaughter name me an umfagozan—a low fellow!

Now making pretence to be angry, I leaped at her with my kerrie up, and,forgetting her courage, she dropped her spear, and uttered a little scream. Butshe still held the shield before her face. I seized her by the arm, and strucka blow upon the shield with my kerrie—it would scarcely have crushed afly, but this brave warrior trembled sorely.

“Where now is your valour, you who name me umfagozan?” Isaid: “you who cry like a maid and whose arm is soft as amaid’s.”

She made no answer, but hugged her tattered blanket round her, and shifting mygrip from her arm, I seized it and rent it, showing her breast and shoulder;then I let her go, laughing, and said:—

“Lo! here is the warrior that would beat an old umfagozanfor hisinsolence, a warrior well shaped for war! Now, my pretty maid who wander atnight in the garment of a man, what tale have you to tell? Swift with it, lestI drag you to the chief as his prize! The old man seeks a new wife, they tellme?”

Now when Nada saw that I had discovered her she threw down the shield after thespear, as a thing that was of no more use, and hung her head sullenly. But whenI spoke of dragging her to the chief then she flung herself upon the ground,and clasped my knees, for since I called him old, she thought that this chiefcould not be Umslopogaas.

“Oh, my father,” said the Lily, “oh, my father, have pity onme! Yes, yes! I am a girl, a maid—no wife—and you who are old, you,perchance have daughters such as I, and in their name I ask for pity. Myfather, I have journeyed far, I have endured many things, to find my way to akraal where my brother rules, and now it seems I have come to the wrong kraal.Forgive me that I spoke to you so, my father; it was but a woman’s feint,and I was hard pressed to hide my sex, for my father, you know it is ill to bea lonely girl among strange men.”

Now I said nothing in answer, for this reason only: that when I heard Nada callme father, not knowing me, and saw her clasp my knees and pray to me in mydaughter’s name, I, who was childless save for her, went nigh to weeping.But she thought that I did not answer her because I was angry, and about todrag her to this unknown chief, and implored me the more even with tears.

“My father,” she said, “do not this wicked thing by me. Letme go and show me the path that I shall ask: you who are old, you know that Iam too fair to be dragged before this chief of yours. Hearken! All I knew aredead, I am alone except for this brother I seek. Oh! if you betray me may sucha fate fall upon your own daughter also! May she also know the day of slavery,and the love that she wills not!” and she ceased, sobbing.

Now I turned my head and spoke towards the hut, “Chief,” I said,“your Ehloséis kind to you to-night, for he has given you a maidfair as the Lily of the Halakazi”—here Nada glanced up wildly.“Come, then, and take the girl.”

Now Nada turned to snatch up the assegai from the ground, but whether to killme, or the chief she feared so much, or herself, I do not know, and as sheturned, in her woe she called upon the name of Umslopogaas. She found theassegai, and straightened herself again. And lo! there before her stood a tallchief leaning on an axe; but the old man who threatened her was gone—notvery far, in truth, but round the corner of the hut.

Now Nada the Lily looked, then rubbed her eyes, and looked again.

“Surely I dream?” she said at last. “But now I spoke to anold man, and in his place there stands before me the shape of one whom I desireto see.”

“I thought, Maiden, that the voice of a certain Nada called upon oneUmslopogaas,” said he who leaned upon the axe.

“Ay, I called: but where is the old man who treated me so scurvily? Nay,what does it matter?—where he is, there let him stop. At least, you areUmslopogaas, my brother, or should be by your greatness and the axe. To the manI cannot altogether swear in this light; but to the axe I can swear, for onceit passed so very near my eyes.”

Thus she spoke on, gaining time, and all the while she watched Umslopogaas tillshe was sure that it was he and no other. Then she ceased talking, and,flinging herself on him, she kissed him.

“Now I trust that Zinita sleeps sound,” murmured Umslopogaas, forsuddenly he remembered that Nada was no sister of his, as she thought.

Nevertheless, he took her by the hand and said, “Enter, sister. Of allmaidens in the world you are the most welcome here, for know I believed youdead.”

But I, Mopo, ran into the hut before her, and when she entered she found mesitting by the fire.

“Now, here, my brother,” said Nada, pointing at me with her finger,“here is that old umfagozan, that low fellow, who, unless I dream,but a very little while ago brought shame upon me—ay, my brother, hestruck me, a maid, with his kerrie, and that only because I said that I wouldstab him for his insolence, and he did worse: he swore that he would drag me tosome old chief of his to be a gift to him, and this he was about to do, had younot come. Will you suffer these things to go unpunished, my brother?”

Now Umslopogaas smiled grimly, and I answered:—

“What was it that you called me just now, Nada, when you prayed me toprotect you? Father, was it not?” and I turned my face towards the blazeof the fire, so that the full light fell upon it.

“Yes, I called you father, old man. It is not strange, for a homelesswanderer must find fathers where she can—and yet! no, it cannotbe—so changed—and that white hand? And yet, oh! who are you? Oncethere was a man named Mopo, and he had a little daughter, and she was calledNada—Oh! my father, my father, I know you now!”

“Ay, Nada, and I knew you from the first; through all your man’swrappings I knew you after these many years.”

So the Lily fell upon my neck and sobbed there, and I remember that I alsowept.

Now when she had sobbed her fill of joy, Umslopogaas brought Nada the Lilymaasto eat and mealie porridge. She ate the curdled milk, but theporridge she would not eat, saying that she was too weary.

Then she told us all the tale of her wanderings since she had fled away fromthe side of Umslopogaas at the stronghold of the Halakazi, and it was long, solong that I will not repeat it, for it is a story by itself. This I will sayonly: that Nada was captured by robbers, and for awhile passed herself offamong them as a youth. But, in the end, they found her out and would have givenher as a wife to their chief, only she persuaded them to kill the chief andmake her their ruler. They did this because of that medicine of the eyes whichNada had only among women, for as she ruled the Halakazi so she ruled therobbers. But, at the last, they all loved her, and she gave it out that shewould wed the strongest. Then some of them fell to fighting, and while theykilled each other—for it came about that Nada brought death upon therobbers as on all others—she escaped, for she said that she did not wishto look upon their struggle but would await the upshot in a place apart.

After that she had many further adventures, but at length she met an old womanwho guided her on her way to the Ghost Mountain. And who this old woman wasnone could discover, but Galazi swore afterwards that she was the Stone Witchof the mountain, who put on the shape of an aged woman to guide Nada toUmslopogaas, to be the sorrow and the joy of the People of the Axe. I do notknow, my father, yet it seems to me that the old witch would scarcely have putoff her stone for so small a matter.

Now, when Nada had made an end of her tale, Umslopogaas told his, of how thingshad gone with Dingaan. When he told her how he had given the body of the girlto the king, saying that it was the Lily’s stalk, she said it had beenwell done; and when he spoke of the slaying of the traitor she clapped herhands, though Nada, whose heart was gentle, did not love to hear of deeds ofdeath. At last he finished, and she was somewhat sad, and said it seemed thather fate followed her, and that now the People of the Axe were in danger at thehands of Dingaan because of her.

“Ah! my brother,” she cried, taking Umslopogaas by the hand,“it were better I should die than that I should bring evil upon youalso.”

“That would not mend matters, Nada,” he answered. “Forwhether you be dead or alive, the hate of Dingaan is already earned. Also,Nada, know this: I am not your brother.”

When the Lily heard these words she uttered a little cry, and, letting fall thehand of Umslopogaas, clasped mine, shrinking up against me.

“What is this tale, father?” she asked. “He who was my twin,he with whom I have been bred up, says that he has deceived me these manyyears, that he is not my brother; who, then, is he, father?”

“He is your cousin, Nada.”

“Ah,” she answered, “I am glad. It would have grieved me hadhe whom I loved been shown to be but a stranger in whom I have no part,”and she smiled a little in the eyes and at the corners of her mouth. “Buttell me this tale also.”

So I told her the tale of the birth of Umslopogaas, for I trusted her.

“Ah,” she said, when I had finished, “ah! you come of a badstock, Umslopogaas, though it is a kingly one. I shall love you littlehenceforth, child of the hyena man.”

“Then that is bad news,” said Umslopogaas, “for know, Nada, Idesire now that you should love me more than ever—that you should be mywife and love me as your husband!”

Now the Lily’s face grew sad and sweet, and all the hidden mockery wentout of her talk—for Nada loved to mock.

“Did you not speak to me on that night in the Halakazi caves,Umslopogaas, of one Zinita, who is your wife, and Inkosikaasof thePeople of the Axe?”

Then the brow of Umslopogaas darkened: “What of Zinita?” he said.“It is true she is my chieftainess; is it not allowed a man to take morethan one wife?”

“So I trust,” answered Nada, smiling, “else men would gounwed for long, for few maids would marry them who then must labour alone alltheir days. But, Umslopogaas, if there are twenty wives, yet one must be first.Now this has come about hitherto: that wherever I have been it has been thrustupon me to be first, and perhaps it might be thus once more—what then,Umslopogaas?”

“Let the fruit ripen before you pluck it, Nada,” he answered.“If you love me and will wed me, it is enough.”

“I pray that it may not be more than enough,” she said, stretchingout her hand to him. “Listen, Umslopogaas: ask my father here what werethe words I spoke to him many years ago, before I was a woman, when, with mymother, Macropha, I left him to go among the Swazi people. It was after you hadbeen borne away by the lion, Umslopogaas, I told my father that I would marryno man all my life, because I loved only you, who were dead. My fatherreproached me, saying that I must not speak thus of my brother, but it was myheart which spoke, and it spoke truly; for see, Umslopogaas, you are no brotherto me! I have kept that vow. How many men have sought me in wedlock since Ibecame a woman, Umslopogaas? I tell you that they are as the leaves upon atree. Yet I have given myself to none, and this has been my fortune: that nonehave sought to constrain me to marriage. Now I have my reward, for he whom Ilost is found again, and to him alone I give my love. Yet, Umslopogaas, beware!Little luck has come to those who have loved me in the past; no, not even tothose who have but sought to look on me.”

“I will bear the risk, Nada,” the Slaughterer answered, andgathering her to his great breast he kissed her.

Presently she slipped from his arms and bade him begone, for she was weary andwould rest.

So he went.

CHAPTER XXXI.
THE WAR OF THE WOMEN

Now on the morrow at daybreak, leaving his wolves, Galazi came down from theGhost Mountain and passed through the gates of the kraal.

In front of my hut he saw Nada the Lily and saluted her, for each rememberedthe other. Then he walked on to the place of assembly and spoke to me.

“So the Star of Death has risen on the People of the Axe, Mopo,” hesaid. “Was it because of her coming that my grey people howled sostrangely last night? I cannot tell, but I know this, the Star shone first onme this morning, and that is my doom. Well, she is fair enough to be the doomof many, Mopo,” and he laughed and passed on, swinging the Watcher. Buthis words troubled me, though they were foolish; for I could not but rememberthat wherever the beauty of Nada had pleased the sight of men, there men hadbeen given to death.

Then I went to lead Nada to the place of assembly and found her awaiting me.She was dressed now in some woman’s garments that I had brought her; hercurling hair fell upon her shoulders; on her wrist and neck and knee werebracelets of ivory, and in her hand she bore a lily bloom which she hadgathered as she went to bathe in the river. Perhaps she did this, my father,because she wished here, as elsewhere, to be known as the Lily, and it is theZulu fashion to name people from some such trifle. But who can know awoman’s reason, or whether a thing is by chance alone, my father? Alsoshe had begged me of a cape I had; it was cunningly made by Basutus, of thewhitest feathers of the ostrich; this she put about her shoulders, and it hungdown to her middle. It had been a custom with Nada from childhood not to goabout as do other girls, naked except for their girdles, for she would alwaysfind some rag or skin to lie upon her breast. Perhaps it was because her skinwas fairer than that of other women, or perhaps because she knew that she whohides her beauty often seems the loveliest, or because there was truth in thetale of her white blood and the fashion came to her with the blood. I do notknow, my father; at the least she did so.

Now I took Nada by the hand and led her through the morning air to the place ofassembly, and ah! she was sweeter than the air and fairer than the dawn.

There were many people in the place of assembly, for it was the day of themonthly meeting of the council of the headmen, and there also were all thewomen of the kraal, and at their head stood Zinita. Now it had got about thatthe girl whom the Slaughterer went to seek in the caves of the Halakazi hadcome to the kraal of the People of the Axe, and all eyes watched for her.

“Wow!” said the men as she passed smiling, looking neitherto the right nor to the left, yet seeing all—“Wow!but thisflower is fair! Little wonder that the Halakazi died for her!”

The women looked also, but they said nothing of the beauty of Nada; theyscarcely seemed to see it.

“That is she for whose sake so many of our people lie unburied,”said one.

“Where, then, does she find her fine clothes?” quoth another,“she who came here last night a footsore wanderer?”

“Feathers are not enough for her: look! she must bear flowers also.Surely they are fitter to her hands than the handle of a hoe,” said athird.

“Now I think that the chief of the People of the Axe will find one toworship above the axe, and that some will be left mourning,” put in afourth, glancing at Zinita and the other women of the household of theSlaughterer.

Thus they spoke, throwing words like assegais, and Nada heard them all, andknew their meaning, but she never ceased from smiling. Only Zinita saidnothing, but stood looking at Nada from beneath her bent brows, while by onehand she held the little daughter of Umslopogaas, her child, and with the otherplayed with the beads about her neck. Presently, we passed her, and Nada,knowing well who this must be, turned her eyes full upon the angry eyes ofZinita, and held them there awhile. Now what there was in the glance of Nada Icannot say, but I know that Zinita, who was afraid of few things, foundsomething to fear in it. At the least, it was she who turned her head away, andthe Lily passed on smiling, and greeted Umslopogaas with a little nod.

“Hail, Nada!” said the Slaughterer. Then he turned to his headmenand spoke: “This is she whom we went to the caves of the Halakazi to seekfor Dingaan. Ou!the story is known now; one told it up at the kraalUmgugundhlovu who shall tell it no more. She prayed me to save her fromDingaan, and so I did, and all would have gone well had it not been for acertain traitor who is done with, for I took another to Dingaan. Look on hernow, my friends, and say if I did not well to win her—the Lily flower,such as there is no other in the world, to be the joy of the People of the Axeand a wife to me.”

With one accord the headmen answered: “Indeed you did well,Slaughterer,” for the glamour of Nada was upon them and they wouldcherish her as others had cherished her. Only Galazi the Wolf shook his head.But he said nothing, for words do not avail against fate. Now as I foundafterwards, since Zinita, the head wife of Umslopogaas, had learned of whatstock he was, she had known that Nada was no sister to him. Yet when she heardhim declare that he was about to take the Lily to wife she turned upon him,saying:—

“How can this be, Lord?”

“Why do you ask, Zinita?” he answered. “Is it not allowed toa man to take another wife if he will?”

“Surely, Lord,” she said; “but men do not wed their sisters,and I have heard that it was because this Nada was your sister that you savedher from Dingaan, and brought the wrath of Dingaan upon the People of the Axe,the wrath that shall destroy them.”

“So I thought then, Zinita,” he answered; “now I knowotherwise. Nada is daughter to Mopo yonder indeed, but he is no father to me,though he has been named so, nor was the mother of Nada my mother. That is so,Councillors.”

Then Zinita looked at me and muttered, “O fool of a Mouth, not fornothing did I fear evil at your hands.”

I heard the words and took no note, and she spoke again to Umslopogaas, saying:“Here is a mystery, O Lord Bulalio. Will it then please you to declare tous who is your father?”

“I have no father,” he answered, waxing wroth; “the heavensabove are my father. I am born of Blood and Fire, and she, the Lily, is born ofBeauty to be my mate. Now, woman, be silent.” He thought awhile, andadded, “Nay, if you will know, my father was Indabazimbi theWitch-finder, the smeller-out of the king, the son of Arpi.” ThisUmslopogaas said at a hazard, since, having denied me, he must declare afather, and dared not name the Black One who was gone. But in after years thesaying was taken up in the land, and it was told that Umslopogaas was the sonof Indabazimbi the Witch-finder, who had long ago fled the land; nor did hedeny it. For when all this game had been played out he would not have it knownthat he was the son of Chaka, he who no longer sought to be a king, lest heshould bring down the wrath of Panda upon him.

When the people heard this they thought that Umslopogaas mocked Zinita, and yetin his anger he spoke truth when he said first that he was born of the“heavens above,” for so we Zulus name the king, and so thewitch-doctor Indabazimbi named Chaka on the day of the great smelling out. Butthey did not take it in this sense. They held that he spoke truly when he gaveit out that he was born of Indabazimbi the Witch-doctor, who had fled the land,whither I do not know.

Then Nada turned to Zinita and spoke to her in a sweet and gentle voice:“If I am not sister to Bulalio, yet I shall soon be sister to you who arethe Chief’s Inkosikaas, Zinita. Shall that not satisfy you, andwill you not greet me kindly and with a kiss of peace, who have come from farto be your sister, Zinita?” and Nada held out her hands towards her,though whether she did this from the heart or because she would put herself inthe right before the people I do not know. But Zinita scowled, and jerked ather necklace of beads, breaking the string on which they were threaded, so thatthe beads rolled upon the black earthen floor this way and that.

“Keep your kisses for our lord, girl,” Zinita said roughly.“As my beads are scattered so shall you scatter this People of theAxe.”

Now Nada turned away with a little sigh, and the people murmured, for theythought that Zinita had treated her badly. Then she stretched out her handagain, and gave the lily in it to Umslopogaas, saying:—

“Here is a token of our betrothal, Lord, for never a head of cattle havemy father and I to send—we who are outcasts; and, indeed, the bridegroommust pay the cattle. May I bring you peace and love, my Lord!”

Umslopogaas took the flower, and looked somewhat foolish with it—he whowas wont to carry the axe, and not a flower; and so that talk was ended.

Now as it chanced, this was that day of the year when, according to ancientcustom, the Holder of the Axe must challenge all and sundry to come up againsthim to fight in single combat for Groan-Maker and the chieftainship of thepeople. Therefore, when the talk was done, Umslopogaas rose and went throughthe challenge, not thinking that any would answer him, since for some yearsnone had dared to stand before his might. Yet three men stepped forward, and ofthese two were captains, and men whom the Slaughterer loved. With all thepeople, he looked at them astonished.

“How is this?” he said in a low voice to that captain who wasnearest and who would do battle with him.

For answer the man pointed to the Lily, who stood by. Then Umslopogaasunderstood that because of the medicine of Nada’s beauty all men desiredto win her, and, since he who could win the axe would take her also, he mustlook to fight with many. Well, fight he must or be shamed.

Of the fray there is little to tell. Umslopogaas killed first one man and thenthe other, and swiftly, for, growing fearful, the third did not come up againsthim.

“Ah!” said Galazi, who watched, “what did I tell you, Mopo?The curse begins to work. Death walks ever with that daughter of yours, oldman.”

“I fear so,” I answered, “and yet the maiden is fair and goodand sweet.”

“That will not mend matters,” said Galazi.

Now on that day Umslopogaas took Nada the Lily to wife, and for awhile therewas peace and quiet. But this evil thing came upon Umslopogaas, that, from theday when he wedded Nada, he hated even to look upon Zinita, and not at heralone, but on all his other wives also. Galazi said it was because Nada hadbewitched him, but I know well that the only witcheries she used were themedicine of her eyes, her beauty, and her love. Still, it came to pass thathenceforward, and until she had long been dead, the Slaughterer loved her, andher alone, and that is a strange sickness to come upon a man.

As may be guessed, my father, Zinita and the other women took this ill. Theywaited awhile, indeed, thinking that it would wear away, then they began tomurmur, both to their husband and in the ears of other people, till at lengththere were two parties in the town, the party of Zinita and the party of Nada.

The party of Zinita was made up of women and of certain men who loved andfeared their wives, but that of Nada was the greatest, and it was all of men,with Umslopogaas at the head of them, and from this division came muchbitterness abroad, and quarrelling in the huts. Yet neither the Lily norUmslopogaas heeded it greatly, nor indeed, anything, so lost and well contentwere they in each other’s love.

Now on a certain morning, after they had been married three full moons, Nadacame from her husband’s hut when the sun was already high, and went downthrough the rock gully to the river to bathe. On the right of the path to theriver lay the mealie-fields of the chief, and in them laboured Zinita and theother women of Umslopogaas, weeding the mealie-plants. They looked up and sawNada pass, then worked on sullenly. After awhile they saw her come again freshfrom the bath, very fair to see, and having flowers twined among her hair, andas she walked she sang a song of love. Now Zinita cast down her hoe.

“Is this to be borne, my sisters?” she said.

“No,” answered another, “it is not to be borne. What shall wedo—shall we fall upon her and kill her now?”

“It would be more just to kill Bulalio, our lord,” answered Zinita.“Nada is but a woman, and, after the fashion of us women, takes all thatshe can gather. But he is a man and a chief, and should know wisdom andjustice.”

“She has bewitched him with her beauty. Let us kill her,” said theother women.

“Nay,” answered Zinita, “I will speak with her,” andshe went and stood in the path along which the Lily walked singing, her armsfolded across her breast.

Now Nada saw her and, ceasing her song, stretched out her hand to welcome her,saying, “Greeting, sister.” But Zinita did not take it. “Itis not fitting, sister,” she said, “that my hand, stained withtoil, should defile yours, fresh with the scent of flowers. But I am chargedwith a message, on my own behalf and the behalf of the other wives of our LordBulalio; the weeds grow thick in yonder corn, and we women are few; now thatyour love days are over, will not you come and help us? If you brought no hoefrom your Swazi home, surely we will buy you one.”

Now Nada saw what was meant, and the blood poured to her head. Yet she answeredcalmly:—

“I would willingly do this, my sister, though I have never laboured inthe fields, for wherever I have dwelt the men have kept me back from all work,save such as the weaving of flowers or the stringing of beads. But there isthis against it—Umslopogaas, my husband, charged me that I should nottoil with my hands, and I may not disobey my husband.”

“Our husband charged you so, Nada? Nay, then it is strange. See, now, Iam his head wife, his Inkosikaas—it was I who taught him how towin the axe. Yet he has laid no command on me that I should not labour in thefields after the fashion of women, I who have borne him children; nor, indeed,has he laid such a command upon any of our sisters, his other wives. Can itthen be that Bulalio loves you better than us, Nada?”

Now the Lily was in a trap, and she knew it. So she grew bold.

“One must be most loved, Zinita,” she said, “as one must bemost fair. You have had your hour, leave me mine; perhaps it will be short.Moreover this: Umslopogaas and I loved each other much long years before you orany of his wives saw him, and we love each other to the end. There is no moreto say.”

“Nay, Nada, there is still something to say; there is this to say: Chooseone of two things. Go and leave us to be happy with our lord, or stay and bringdeath on all.”

Now Nada thought awhile, and answered: “Did I believe that my love wouldbring death on him I love, it might well chance that I would go and leave him,though to do so would be to die. But, Zinita, I do not believe it. Deathchiefly loves the weak, and if he falls it will be on the Flower, not on theSlayer of Men,” and she slipped past Zinita and went on, singing no more.

Zinita watched her till she was over the ridge, and her face grew evil as shewatched. Then she returned to the women.

“The Lily flouts us all, my sisters,” she said. “Now listen:my counsel is that we declare a feast of women to be held at the new moon in asecret place far away. All the women and the children shall come to it exceptNada, who will not leave her lover, and if there be any man whom a woman loves,perhaps, my sisters, that man would do well to go on a journey about the timeof the new moon, for evil things may happen at the town of the People of theAxe while we are away celebrating our feast.”

“What, then, shall befall, my sister?” asked one.

“Nay, how can I tell?” she answered. “I only know that we areminded to be rid of Nada, and thus to be avenged on a man who has scorned ourlove—ay, and on those men who follow after the beauty of Nada. Is it notso, my sisters?”

“It is so,” they answered.

“Then be silent on the matter, and let us give out our feast.”

Now Nada told Umslopogaas of those words which she had bandied with Zinita, andthe Slaughterer was troubled. Yet, because of his foolishness and of themedicine of Nada’s eyes, he would not turn from his way, and was ever ather side, thinking of little else except of her. Thus, when Zinita came to him,and asked leave to declare a feast of women that should be held far away, heconsented, and gladly, for, above all things, he desired to be free from Zinitaand her angry looks for awhile; nor did he suspect a plot. Only he told herthat Nada should not go to the feast; and in a breath both Zinita and Nadaanswered that his word was their will, as indeed it was, in this matter.

Now I, Mopo, saw the glamour that had fallen upon my fosterling, and spoke ofit with Galazi, saying that a means must be found to wake him. Then I tookGalazi fully into my mind, and told him all that he did not know ofUmslopogaas, and that was little. Also, I told him of my plans to bring theSlaughterer to the throne, and of what I had done to that end, and of what Iproposed to do, and this was to go in person on a journey to certain of thegreat chiefs and win them over.

Galazi listened, and said that it was well or ill, as the chance might be. Forhis part, he believed that the daughter would pull down faster than I, thefather, could build up, and he pointed to Nada, who walked past us, followingUmslopogaas.

Yet I determined to go, and that was on the day before Zinita won leave tocelebrate the feast of women. So I sought Umslopogaas and told him, and helistened indifferently, for he would be going after Nada, and wearied of mytalk of policy. I bade him farewell and left him; to Nada also I bade farewell.She kissed me, yet the name of her husband was mingled with her good-bye.

“Now madness has come upon these two,” I said to myself.“Well, it will wear off, they will be changed before I come again.”

I guessed little, my father, how changed they would be.

CHAPTER XXXII.
ZINITA COMES TO THE KING

Dingaan the king sat upon a day in the kraal Umgugundhlovu, waiting till hisimpis should return from the Income that is now named the Blood River. He hadsent them thither to destroy the laager of the Boers, and thence, as hethought, they would presently return with victory. Idly he sat in the kraal,watching the vultures wheel above the Hill of Slaughter, and round him stood aregiment.

“My birds are hungry,” he said to a councillor.

“Doubtless there shall soon be meat to feed them, O King!” thecouncillor answered.

As he spoke one came near, saying that a woman sought leave to speak to theking upon some great matter.

“Let her come,” he answered; “I am sick for tidings, perhapsshe can tell of the impi.”

Presently the woman was led in. She was tall and fair, and she held twochildren by the hand.

“What is thine errand?” asked Dingaan.

“Justice, O King,” she answered.

“Ask for blood, it shall be easier to find.”

“I ask blood, O King.”

“The blood of whom?”

“The blood of Bulalio the Slaughterer, Chief of the People of the Axe,the blood of Nada the Lily, and of all those who cling to her.”

Now Dingaan sprang up and swore an oath by the head of the Black One who wasgone.

“What?” he cried, “does the Lily, then, live as the soldierthought?”

“She lives, O King. She is wife to the Slaughterer, and because of herwitchcraft he has put me, his first wife, away against all law and honour.Therefore I ask vengeance on the witch and vengeance also on him who was myhusband.”

“Thou art a good wife,” said the king. “May my watchingspirit save me from such a one. Hearken! I would gladly grant thy desire, forI, too, hate this Slaughterer, and I, too, would crush this Lily. Yet, woman,thou comest in a bad hour. Here I have but one regiment, and I think that theSlaughterer may take some killing. Wait till my impis return from wiping outthe white Amaboona, and it shall be as thou dost desire. Whose are thosechildren?”

“They are my children and the children of Bulalio, who was myhusband.”

“The children of him whom thou wouldst cause to be slain.”

“Yea, King.”

“Surely, woman, thou art as good a mother as wife!” said Dingaan.“Now I have spoken—begone!”

But the heart of Zinita was hungry for vengeance, vengeance swift and terrible,on the Lily, who lay in her place, and on her husband, who had thrust her asidefor the Lily’s sake. She did not desire to wait—no, not even for anhour.

“Hearken, O King!” she cried, “the tale is not yet all told.This man, Bulalio, plots against thy throne with Mopo, son of Makedama, who wasthy councillor.”

“He plots against my throne, woman? The lizard plots against the cliff onwhich it suns itself? Then let him plot; and as for Mopo, I will catch himyet!”

“Yes, O King! but that is not all the tale. This man has anothername—he is named Umslopogaas, son of Mopo. But he is no son of Mopo: heis son to the Black One who is dead, the mighty king who was thy brother, byBaleka, sister to Mopo. Yes, I know it from the lips of Mopo. I know all thetale. He is heir to thy throne by blood, O King, and thou sittest in hisplace.”

For a little while Dingaan sat astounded. Then he commanded Zinita to draw nearand tell him that tale.

Now behind the stool on which he sat stood two councillors, nobles whom Dingaanloved, and these alone had heard the last words of Zinita. He bade these noblesstand in front of him, out of earshot and away from every other man. ThenZinita drew near, and told Dingaan the tale of the birth of Umslopogaas and allthat followed, and, by many a token and many a deed of Chaka’s which heremembered, Dingaan the king knew that it was a true story.

When at length she had done, he summoned the captain of the regiment that stoodaround: he was a great man named Faku, and he also summoned certain men who dothe king’s bidding. To the captain of the impi he spoke sharply,saying:—

“Take three companies and guides, and come by night to the town of thePeople of the Axe, that is by Ghost Mountain, and burn it, and slay all thewizards who sleep therein. Most of all, slay the Chief of the People, who isnamed Bulalio the Slaughterer or Umslopogaas. Kill him by torture if you may,but kill him and bring his head to me. Take that wife of his, who is known asNada the Lily, alive if ye can, and bring her to me, for I would cause her tobe slain here. Bring the cattle also. Now go, and go swiftly, this hour. If yereturn having failed in one jot of my command, ye die, every one ofyou—ye die, and slowly. Begone!”

The captain saluted, and, running to his regiment, issued a command. Three fullcompanies leapt forward at his word, and ran after him through the gates of thekraal Umgugundhlovu, heading for the Ghost Mountain.

Then Dingaan called to those who do the king’s bidding, and, pointing tothe two nobles, his councillors, who had heard the words of Zinita, commandedthat they should be killed.

The nobles heard, and, having saluted the king, covered their faces, knowingthat they must die because they had learned too much. So they were killed. Nowit was one of these councillors who had said that doubtless meat would soon befound to feed the king’s birds.

Then the king commanded those who do his bidding that they should take thechildren of Zinita and make away with them.

But when Zinita heard this she cried aloud, for she loved her children. ThenDingaan mocked her.

“What?” he said, “art thou a fool as well as wicked? Thousayest that thy husband, whom thou hast given to death, is born of one who isdead, and is heir to my throne. Thou sayest also that these children are bornof him; therefore, when he is dead, they will be heirs to my throne. Am I thenmad that I should suffer them to live? Woman, thou hast fallen into thine owntrap. Take them away!”

Now Zinita tasted of the cup which she had brewed for other lips, and grewdistraught in her misery, and wrung her hands, crying that she repented her ofthe evil and would warn Umslopogaas and the Lily of that which awaited them.And she turned to run towards the gates. But the king laughed and nodded, andthey brought her back, and presently she was dead also.

Thus, then, my father, prospered the wickedness of Zinita, the head wife ofUmslopogaas, my fosterling.

Now these were the last slayings that were wrought at the kraal Umgugundhlovu,for just as Dingaan had made an end of them and once more grew weary, he liftedhis eyes and saw the hillsides black with men, who by their dress were of hisown impi—men whom he had sent out against the Boers.

And yet where was the proud array, where the plumes and shields, where the songof victory? Here, indeed, were soldiers, but they walked in groups like womenand hung their heads like chidden children.

Then he learned the truth. The impi had been defeated by the banks of theIncome; thousands had perished at the laager, mowed down by the guns of theBoers, thousands more had been drowned in the Income, till the waters were redand the bodies of the slain pushed each other under, and those who still livedwalked upon them.

Dingaan heard, and was seized with fear, for it was said that the Amaboonafollowed fast on the track of the conquered.

That day he fled to the bush on the Black Umfolozi river, and that night thesky was crimson with the burning of the kraal Umgugundhlovu, where the Elephantshould trumpet no more, and the vultures were scared from the Hill of Slaughterby the roaring of the flames.

Galazi sat on the lap of the stone Witch, gazing towards the wide plains below,that were yet white with the moon, though the night grew towards the morning.Greysnout whined at his side, and Deathgrip thrust his muzzle into his hand;but Galazi took no heed, for he was brooding on the fall of Umslopogaas fromthe man that he had been to the level of a woman’s slave, and on thebreaking up of the People of the Axe, because of the coming of Nada. For allthe women and the children were gone to this Feast of Women, and would notreturn for long, and it seemed to Galazi that many of the men had slipped awayalso, as though they smelt some danger from afar.

“Ah, Deathgrip,” said Galazi aloud to the wild brute at his side,“changed is the Wolf King my brother, all changed because of awoman’s kiss. Now he hunts no more, no more shall Groan-Maker be aloft;it is a woman’s kiss he craves, not the touch of your rough tongue, it isa woman’s hand he holds, not the smooth haft of horn, he, who of all men,was the fiercest and the first; for this last shame has overtaken him. SurelyChaka was a great king though an evil, and he showed his greatness when heforbade marriage to the warriors, marriage that makes the heart soft and turnsblood to water.”

Now Galazi ceased, and gazed idly towards the kraal of the People of the Axe,and as he looked his eyes caught a gleam of light that seemed to travel in andout of the edge of the shadow of Ghost Mountain as a woman’s needletravels through a skin, now seen and now lost in the skin.

He started and watched. Ah! there the light came out from the shadow. Now, byChaka’s head, it was the light of spears!

One moment more Galazi watched. It was a little impi, perhaps they numbered twohundred men, running silently, but not to battle, for they wore no plumes. Yetthey went out to kill, for they ran in companies, and each man carried assegaisand a shield.

Now Galazi had heard tell of such impis that hunt by night, and he knew wellthat these were the king’s dogs, and their game was men, a big kraal ofsleeping men, otherwise there had been fewer dogs. Is a whole pack sent out tocatch an antelope on its form? Galazi wondered whom they sought. Ah! now theyturned to the ford, and he knew. It was his brother Umslopogaas and Nada theLily and the People of the Axe. These were the king’s dogs, and Zinitahad let them slip. For this reason she had called a feast of women, and takenthe children with her; for this reason so many had been summoned from the kraalby one means or another: it was that they might escape the slaughter.

Galazi bounded to his feet. For one moment he thought. Might not these huntersbe hunted? Could he not destroy them by the jaws of the wolves as once beforethey had destroyed a certain impi of the king’s? Ay, if he had seen thembut one hour before, then scarcely a man of them should have lived to reach thestream, for he would have waylaid them with his wolves. But now it might notbe; the soldiers neared the ford, and Galazi knew well that his grey peoplewould not hunt on the further plain, though for this he had heard one reasononly, that which was given him by the lips of the dead in a dream.

What, then, might be done? One thing alone: warn Umslopogaas. Yet how? For himwho could swim a rushing river, there was, indeed, a swifter way to the placeof the People of the Axe—a way that was to the path of the impi as is thebow-string to the strung bow. And yet they had travelled well-nigh half thelength of the bow. Still, he might do it, he whose feet were the swiftest inthe land, except those of Umslopogaas. At the least, he would try. Mayhap, theimpi would tarry to drink at the ford.

So Galazi thought in his heart, and his thought was swift as the light. Thenwith a bound he was away down the mountain side. From boulder to boulder heleapt like a buck, he crashed through the brake like a bull, he skimmed thelevel like a swallow. The mountain was travelled now; there in front of him laythe yellow river foaming in its flood, so he had swum it before when he went tosee the dead. Ah! a good leap far out into the torrent; it was strong, but hebreasted it. He was through, he stood upon the bank shaking the water from himlike a dog, and now he was away up the narrow gorge of stones to the longslope, running low as his wolves ran.

Before him lay the town—one side shone silver with the sinking moon, onewas grey with the breaking dawn. Ah! they were there, he saw them movingthrough the grass by the eastern gate; he saw the long lines of slayers creepto the left and the right.

How could he pass them before the circle of death was drawn? Six spear-throwsto run, and they had but such a little way! The mealie-plants were tall, and ata spot they almost touched the fence. Up the path! Could Umslopogaas, hisbrother, move more fast, he wondered, than the Wolf who sped to save him? Hewas there, hidden by the mealie stalks, and there, along the fence to the rightand to the left, the slayers crept!

“Wow!What was that?” said one soldier of the king toanother man as they joined their guard completing the death circle.“Wow!something great and black crashed through the fence beforeme.”

“I heard it, brother,” answered the other man. “I heard it,but I saw nothing. It must have been a dog: no man could leap so high.”

“More like a wolf,” said the first; “at the least, let uspray that it was not an Esedowan^[1]who will put us into the hole in its back. Is your fire ready, brother?Wow!these wizards shall wake warm; the signal should be soon.”

[1] A fabulousanimal, reported by the Zulus to carry off human beings in a hole in its back.

Then arose the sound of a great voice crying, “Awake, ye sleepers, thefoe is at your gates!”

CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE END OF THE PEOPLE, BLACK AND GREY

Galazi rushed through the town crying aloud, and behind him rose a stir of men.All slept and no sentinels were set, for Umslopogaas was so lost in his lovefor the Lily that he forgot his wisdom, and thought no more of war or death orof the hate of Dingaan. Presently the Wolf came to the large new hut whichUmslopogaas had caused to be built for Nada the Lily, and entered it, for therehe knew that he should find his brother Bulalio. On the far side of the hut thetwo lay sleeping, and the head of Umslopogaas rested on the Lily’sbreast, and by his side gleamed the great axe Groan-Maker.

“Awake!” cried the Wolf.

Now Umslopogaas sprang to his feet grasping at his axe, but Nada threw her armswide, murmuring; “Let me sleep on, sweet is sleep.”

“Sound shall ye sleep, anon!” gasped Galazi. “Swift, brother,bind on the wolf’s hide, take shield! Swift, I say—for the Slayersof the king are at your gates!”

Now Nada sprang up also, and they did his bidding like people in a dream; and,while they found their garments and a shield, Galazi took beer and drank it,and got his breath again. They stood without the hut. Now the heaven was grey,and east and west and north and south tongues of flame shot up against the sky,for the town had been fired by the Slayers.

Umslopogaas looked and his sense came back to him: he understood. “Whichway, brother?” he said.

“Through the fire and the impi to our Grey People on the mountain,”said Galazi. “There, if we can win it, we shall find succour.”

“What of my people in the kraal,” asked Umslopogaas.

“They are not many, brother; the women and the children are gone. I haveroused the men—most will escape. Hence, ere we burn!”

Now they ran towards the fence, and as they went men joined them to the numberof ten, half awakened, fear-stricken, armed—some with spears, some withclubs—and for the most part naked. They sped on together towards thefence of the town that was now but a ring of fire, Umslopogaas and Galazi infront, each holding the Lily by a hand. They neared the fence—fromwithout came the shouts of the Slayers—lo! it was afire. Nada shrank backin fear, but Umslopogaas and Galazi dragged her on. They rushed at the blazingfence, smiting with axe and club. It broke before them, they were through butlittle harmed. Without were a knot of the Slayers, standing back a small spacebecause of the heat of the flames. The Slayers saw them, and crying,“This is Bulalio, kill the wizard!” sprang towards them withuplifted spears. Now the People of the Axe made a ring round Nada, and in thefront of it were Umslopogaas and Galazi. Then they rushed on and met those ofthe Slayers who stood before them, and the men of Dingaan were swept away andscattered by Groan-Maker and the Watcher, as dust is swept of a wind, as grassis swept by a sickle.

They were through with only one man slain, but the cry went up that the chiefof the wizards and the Lily, his wife, had fled. Then, as it was these whom hewas chiefly charged to kill, the captain called off the impi from watching forthe dwellers in the town, and started in pursuit of Umslopogaas. Now, at thistime nearly a hundred men of the People of the Axe had been killed and of theSlayers some fifty men, for, having been awakened by the crying of Galazi, thesoldiers of the axe fought bravely, though none saw where his brother stood,and none knew whither their chief had fled except those ten who went with thebrethren.

Meanwhile, the Wolf-Brethren and those with them were well away, and it hadbeen easy for them to escape, who were the swiftest-footed of any in the land.But the pace of a regiment is the pace of its slowest-footed soldier, and Nadacould not run with the Wolf-Brethren. Yet they made good speed, and werehalfway down the gorge that led to the river before the companies of Dingaanpoured into it. Now they came to the end of it, and the foe was near—thisend of the gorge is narrow, my father, like the neck of a gourd—thenGalazi stopped and spoke:—

“Halt! ye People of the Axe,” he said, “and let us talkawhile with these who follow till we get our breath again. But you, my brother,pass the river with the Lily in your hand. We will join you in the forest; butif perchance we cannot find you, you know what must be done: set the Lily inthe cave, then return and call up the grey impi. Wow! my brother, I must findyou if I may, for if these men of Dingaan have a mind for sport there shall besuch a hunting on the Ghost Mountain as the old Witch has not seen. Go now, mybrother!”

“It is not my way to turn and run while others stand and fight,”growled Umslopogaas; “yet, because of Nada, it seems that I must.”

“Oh! heed me not, my love,” said Nada, “I have brought theesorrow—I am weary, let me die; kill me and save yourselves!”

For answer, Umslopogaas took her by the hand and fled towards the river; butbefore he reached it he heard the sounds of the fray, the war-cry of theSlayers as they poured upon the People of the Axe, the howl of his brother, theWolf, when the battle joined—ay, and the crash of the Watcher as the blowwent home.

“Well bitten, Wolf!” he said, stopping; “that one shall needno more; oh! that I might”—but again he looked at Nada, and spedon.

Now they had leaped into the foaming river, and here it was well that the Lilycould swim, else both had been lost. But they won through and passed forward tothe mountain’s flank. Here they walked on among the trees till the forestwas almost passed, and at length Umslopogaas heard the howling of a wolf.

Then he must set Nada on his shoulders and carry her as once Galazi had carriedanother, for it was death for any except the Wolf-Brethren to walk on the GhostMountain when the wolves were awake.

Presently the wolves flocked around him, and leaped upon him in joy, glaringwith fierce eyes at her who sat upon his shoulders. Nada saw them, and almostfell from her seat, fainting with fear, for they were many and dreadful, andwhen they howled her blood turned to ice.

But Umslopogaas cheered her, telling her that these were his dogs with whom hewent out hunting, and with whom he should hunt presently. At length they cameto the knees of the Old Witch and the entrance to the cave. It was empty exceptfor a wolf or two, for Galazi abode here seldom now; but when he was on themountain would sleep in the forest, which was nearer the kraal of his brotherthe Slaughterer.

“Here you must stay, sweet,” said Umslopogaas when he had drivenout the wolves. “Here you must rest till this little matter of theSlayers is finished. Would that we had brought food, but we had little time toseek it! See, now I will show you the secret of the stone; thus far I will pushit, no farther. Now a touch only is needed to send it over the socket and home;but then they must be two strong men who can pull it back again. Therefore pushit no farther except in the utmost need, lest it remain where it fall, whetheryou will it or not. Have no fear, you are safe here; none know of this placeexcept Galazi, myself and the wolves, and none shall find it. Now I must begoing to find Galazi, if he still lives; if not, to make what play I canagainst the Slayers, alone with the wolves.”

Now Nada wept, saying that she feared to be left, and that she should never seehim more, and her grief wrung his heart. Nevertheless, Umslopogaas kissed herand went, closing the stone after him in that fashion of which he had spoken.When the stone was shut the cave was almost dark, except for a ray of lightthat entered by a hole little larger than a man’s hand, that, looked atfrom within, was on the right of the stone. Nada sat herself so that this raystruck full on her, for she loved light, and without it she would pine asflowers do. There she sat and thought in the darksome cave, and was filled withfear and sorrow. And while she brooded thus, suddenly the ray went out, and sheheard a noise as of some beast that smells at prey. She looked, and in thegloom she saw the sharp nose and grinning fangs of a wolf that were thrusttowards her through the little hole.

Nada cried aloud in fear, and the fangs were snatched back, but presently sheheard a scratching without the cave, and saw the stone shake. Then she thoughtin her foolishness that the wolf knew how to open the stone, and that he woulddo this, and devour her, for she had heard the tale that all these wolves werethe ghosts of evil men, having the understanding of men. So, in her fear andfolly, she seized the rock and dragged on it as Umslopogaas had shown her howto do. It shook, it slipped over the socket ledge, and rolled home like apebble down the mouth of a gourd.

“Now I am safe from the wolves,” said Nada. “See, I cannot somuch as stir the stone from within.” And she laughed a little, thenceased from laughing and spoke again. “Yet it would be ill if Umslopogaascame back no more to roll away that rock, for then I should be like one in agrave—as one who is placed in a grave being yet strong and quick.”She shuddered as she thought of it, but presently started up and set her ear tothe hole to listen, for from far down the mountain there rose a mighty howlingand a din of men.

When Umslopogaas had shut the cave, he moved swiftly down the mountain, andwith him went certain of the wolves; not all, for he had not summoned them. Hisheart was heavy, for he feared that Galazi was no more. Also he was mad withrage, and plotted in himself to destroy the Slayers of the king, every man ofthem; but first he must learn what they would do. Presently, as he wended, heheard a long, low howl far away in the forest; then he rejoiced, for he knewthe call—it was the call of Galazi, who had escaped the spears of theSlayers.

Swiftly he ran, calling in answer. He won the place. There, seated on a stone,resting himself, was Galazi, and round him surged the numbers of the GreyPeople. Umslopogaas came to him and looked at him, for he seemed somewhatweary. There were flesh wounds on his great breast and arms, the little shieldwas well-nigh hewn to strips, and the Watcher showed signs of war.

“How went it, brother?” asked Umslopogaas.

“Not so ill, but all those who stood with me in the way are dead, andwith them a few of the foe. I alone am fled like a coward. They came on usthrice, but we held them back till the Lily was safe; then, all our men beingdown, I ran, Umslopogaas, and swam the torrent, for I was minded to die here inmy own place.”

Now, though he said little of it, I must tell you, my father, that Galazi hadmade a great slaughter there in the neck of the donga. Afterwards I counted theslain, and they were many; the nine men of the People of the Axe were hidden inthem.

“Perhaps it shall be the Slayers who die, brother.”

“Perhaps, at least, there shall be death for some. Still it is in mymind, Slaughterer, that our brotherhood draws to an end, for the fate of himwho bears the Watcher, and which my father foretold, is upon me. If so,farewell. While it lasted our friendship has been good, and its ending shall begood. Moreover, it would have endured for many a year to come had you notsought, Slaughterer, to make good better, and to complete our joy of fellowshipand war with the love of women. From that source flow these ills, as a riverfrom a spring; but so it was fated. If I fall in this fray may you yet live onto fight in many another, and at the last to die gloriously with axe aloft; andmay you find a brisker man and a better Watcher to serve you in your need.Should you fall and I live on, I promise this: I will avenge you to the lastand guard the Lily whom you love, offering her comfort, but no more. Now thefoe draws on, they have travelled round about by the ford, for they dared notface the torrent, and they cried to me that they are sworn to slay us or beslain, as Dingaan, the king, commanded. So the fighting will be of the best,if, indeed, they do not run before the fangs of the Grey People. Now, Chief,speak your word that I may obey it.”

Thus Galazi spoke in the circle of the wolves, while Umslopogaas leaned uponhis Axe Groan-Maker, and listened to him, ay, and wept as he listened, forafter the Lily and me, Mopo, he loved Galazi most dearly of all who lived. Thenhe answered:—

“Were it not for one in the cave above, who is helpless and tender, Iwould swear to you, Wolf, that if you fall, on your carcase I will die; and Ido swear that, should you fall, while I live Groan-Maker shall be busy fromyear to year till every man of yonder impi is as you are. Perchance I did ill,Galazi, when first I hearkened to the words of Zinita and suffered women tocome between us. May we one day find a land where there are no women, and waronly, for in that land we shall grow great. But now, at the least, we will makea good end to this fellowship, and the Grey People shall fight their fill, andthe old Witch who sits aloft waiting for the world to die shall smile to seethat fight, if she never smiled before. This is my word: that we fall upon themen of Dingaan twice, once in the glade of the forest whither they will comepresently, and, if we are beaten back, then we must stand for the last time onthe knees of the Witch in front of the cave where Nada is. Say, Wolf, will theGrey Folk fight?”

“To the last, brother, so long as one is left to lead them, after that Ido not know! Still they have only fangs to set against spears. Slaughterer,your plan is good. Come, I am rested.”

So they rose and numbered their flock, and all were there, though it was not asit had been years ago when first the Wolf-Brethren hunted on Ghost Mountain;for many of the wolves had died by men’s spears when they harried thekraals of men, and no young were born to them. Then, as once before, the packwas halved, and half, the she-wolves, went with Umslopogaas, and half, thedog-wolves, went with Galazi.

Now they passed down the forest paths and hid in the tangle of the thickets atthe head of the darksome glen, one on each side of the glen. Here they waitedtill they heard the footfall of the impi of the king’s Slayers, as itcame slowly along seeking them. In front of the impi went two soldiers watchingfor an ambush, and these two men were the same who had talked together thatdawn when Galazi sprang between them. Now also they spoke as they peered thisway and that; then, seeing nothing, stood awhile in the mouth of the glenwaiting the coming of their company; and their words came to the ears ofUmslopogaas.

“An awful place this, my brother,” said one. “A place full ofghosts and strange sounds, of hands that seem to press us back, and whinings asof invisible wolves. It is named Ghost Mountain, and well named. Would that theking had found other business for us than the slaying of thesesorcerers—for they are sorcerers indeed, and this is the home of theirsorceries. Tell me, brother, what was that which leaped between us this morningin the dark! I say it was a wizard. Wow!they are all wizards. Could anywho was but a man have done the deeds which he who is named the Wolf wroughtdown by the river yonder, and then have escaped? Had the Axe but stayed withthe Club they would have eaten up our impi.”

“The Axe had a woman to watch,” laughed the other. “Yes, itis true this is a place of wizards and evil things. Methinks I see the red eyesof the Esedowanaglaring at us through the dark of the trees and smelltheir smell. Yet these wizards must be caught, for know this, my brother: if wereturn to Umgugundhlovu with the king’s command undone, then there arestakes hardening in the fire of which we shall taste the point. If we are allkilled in the catching, and some, it seems, are missing already, yet they mustbe caught. Say, my brother, shall we draw on? The impi is nigh. Would thatFaku, our captain yonder, might find two others to take our place, for in thisthicket I had rather run last than first. Well, here leads the spoor—awondrous mass of wolf-spoor mixed with the footprints of men; perhaps they aresometimes the one and sometimes the other—who knows, my brother? It is aland of ghosts and wizards. Let us on! Let us on!”

Now all this while the Wolf-Brethren had much ado to keep their people quiet,for their mouths watered and their eyes shone at the sight of the men, and atlength it could be done no more, for with a howl a single she-wolf rushed fromher lair and leapt at the throat of the man who spoke, nor did she miss hergrip. Down went wolf and man, rolling together on the ground, and there theykilled each other.

“The Esedowana!the Esedowanaare upon us!” cried theother scout, and, turning, fled towards the impi. But he never reached it, forwith fearful howlings the ghost-wolves broke their cover and rushed on him fromthe right and the left, and lo! there was nothing of him left except his spearalone.

Now a low cry of fear rose from the impi, and some turned to fly, but Faku, thecaptain, a great and brave man, shouted to them, “Stand firm, children ofthe king, stand firm, these are no Esedowana, these are but theWolf-Brethren and their pack. What! will ye run from dogs, ye who have laughedat the spears of men? Ring round! Stand fast!”

The soldiers heard the voice of their captain, and they obeyed his voice,forming a double circle, a ring within a ring. They looked to the right, there,Groan-Maker aloft, the wolf fangs on his brow, the worn wolf-hide streaming onthe wind, Bulalio rushed upon them like a storm, and with him came his red-eyedcompany. They looked to the left—ah, well they know that mighty Watcher!Have they not heard his strokes down by the river, and well they know the giantwho wields it like a wand, the Wolf King, with the strength of ten! Wow!They are here! See the people black and grey, hear them howl their war-chant!Look how they leap like water—leap in a foam of fangs against the hedgeof spears! The circle is broken; Groan-Maker has broken it! Ha! Galazi also isthrough the double ring; now must men stand back to back or perish!

How long did it last? Who can say? Time flies fast when blows fall thick. Atlength the brethren are beaten back; they break out as they broke in, and aregone, with such of their wolf-folk as were left alive. Yet that impi wassomewhat the worse, but one-third of those lived who looked on the sun withoutthe forest; the rest lay smitten, torn, mangled, dead, hidden under the heapsof bodies of wild beasts.

“Now this is a battle of evil spirits that live in the shapes of wolves,and as for the Wolf-Brethren, they are sorcerers of the rarest,” saidFaku the captain, “and such sorcerers I love, for they fight furiously.Yet I will slay them or be slain. At the least, if there be few of us left, themost of the wolves are dead also, and the arms of the wizards growweary.”

So he moved forward up the mountain with those of the soldiers who remained,and all the way the wolves harried them, pulling down a man here and a manthere; but though they heard and saw them cheering on their pack theWolf-Brethren attacked them no more, for they saved their strength for the lastfight of all.

The road was long up the mountain, and the soldiers knew little of the path,and ever the ghost-wolves harried on their flanks. So it was evening beforethey came to the feet of the stone Witch, and began to climb to the platform ofher knees. There, on her knees as it were, they saw the Wolf-Brethren standingside by side, such a pair as were not elsewhere in the world, and they seemedafire, for the sunset beat upon them, and the wolves crept round their feet,red with blood and fire.

“A glorious pair!” quoth great Faku; “would that I foughtwith them rather than against them! Yet, they must die!” Then he began toclimb to the knees of the Witch.

Now Umslopogaas glanced up at the stone face of her who sat aloft, and it wasalight with the sunset.

“Said I not that the old Witch should smile at this fray?” hecried. “Lo! she smiles! Up, Galazi, let us spend the remnant of ourpeople on the foe, and fight this fight out, man to man, with no beast to spoilit! Ho! Blood and Greysnout! ho! Deathgrip! ho! wood-dwellers grey and black,at them, my children!”

The wolves heard; they were few and they were sorry to see, with weariness andwounds, but still they were fierce. With a howl, for the last time they leapeddown upon the foe, tearing, harrying, and killing till they themselves weredead by the spear, every one of them except Deathgrip, who crept back sorelywounded to die with Galazi.

“Now I am a chief without a people,” cried Galazi. “Well, ithas been my lot in life. So it was in the Halakazi kraals, so it is on GhostMountain at the last, and so also shall it be even for the greatest kings whenthey come to their ends, seeing that they, too, must die alone. Say,Slaughterer, choose where you will stand, to the left or to the right.”

Now, my father, the track below separated, because of a boulder, and there weretwo little paths which led to the platform of the Witch’s knees with,perhaps, ten paces between them. Umslopogaas guarded the left-hand path andGalazi took the right. Then they waited, having spears in their hands.Presently the soldiers came round the rock and rushed up against them, some onone path and some on the other.

Then the brethren hurled their spears at them and killed three men. Now theassegais were done, and the foe was on them. Umslopogaas bends forward, hislong arm shoots out, the axe gleams, and a man who came on falls back.

“One!” cries Umslopogaas.

“One, my brother!” answers Galazi, as he draws back the Watcherfrom his blow.

A soldier rushes forward, singing. To and fro he moves in front of Umslopogaas,his spear poised to strike. Groan-Maker swoops down, but the man leaps back,the blow misses, and the Slaughterer’s guard is down.

“A poor stroke, Sorcerer!” cries the man as he rushes in to stabhim. Lo! the axe wheels in the air, it circles swiftly low down by the ground;it smites upward. Before the spearsman can strike the horn of Groan-Maker hassped from chin to brain.

“But a good return, fool!” says Umslopogaas.

“Two!” cries Galazi, from the right.

“Two! my brother,” answers Umslopogaas.

Again two men come on, one against each, to find no better luck. The cry of“Three!” passes from brother to brother, and after it risesthe cry of “Four!”

Now Faku bids the men who are left to hold their shields together and push thetwo from the mouths of the paths, and this they do, losing four more men at thehands of the brethren before it is done.

“Now we are on the open! Ring them round and down with them!” criesFaku.

But who shall ring round Groan-Maker that shines on all sides at once,Groan-Maker who falls heavily no more, but pecks and pecks and pecks like awood-bird on a tree, and never pecks in vain? Who shall ring round those feetswifter than the Sassaby of the plains? Wow!He is here! He is there! Heis a sorcerer! Death is in his hand, and death looks out of his eyes!

Galazi lives yet, for still there comes the sound of the Watcher as it thunderson the shields, and the Wolf’s hoarse cry of the number of the slain. Hehas a score of wounds, yet he fights on! his leg is almost hewn from him withan axe, yet he fights on! His back is pierced again and again, yet he fightson! But two are left alive before him, one twists round and spears him frombehind. He heeds it not, but smites down the foe in front. Then he turns and,whirling the Watcher on high, brings him down for the last time, and somightily that the man before him is crushed like an egg.

Galazi brushes the blood from his eyes and glares round on the dead.“All!Slaughterer,” he cries.

“All save two, my brother,” comes the answer, sounding above theclash of steel and the sound of smitten shields.

Now the Wolf would come to him, but cannot, for his life ebbs.

“Fare you well, my brother! Death is good! Thus, indeed, I would die, forI have made me a mat of men to lie on,” he cried with a great voice.

“Fare you well! Sleep softly, Wolf!” came the answer. “Allsave one!”

Now Galazi fell dying on the dead, but he was not altogether gone, for he stillspoke. “All save one! Ha! ha! ill for that one then when Groan-Maker yetis up. It is well to have lived so to die. Victory! Victory!”

And Galazi the Wolf struggled to his knees and for the last time shook theWatcher about his head, then fell again and died.

Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka, and Faku, the captain of Dingaan, gazed on eachother. They alone were left standing upon the mountain, for the rest were alldown. Umslopogaas had many wounds. Faku was unhurt; he was a strong man, alsoarmed with an axe.

Faku laughed aloud. “So it has come to this, Slaughterer,” he said,“that you and I must settle whether the king’s word be done or no.Well, I will say that however it should fall out, I count it a great fortune tohave seen this fight, and the highest of honours to have had to do with twosuch warriors. Rest you a little, Slaughterer, before we close. Thatwolf-brother of yours died well, and if it is given me to conquer in this bout,I will tell the tale of his end from kraal to kraal throughout the land, and itshall be a tale forever.”

CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE LILY’S FAREWELL

Umslopogaas listened, but he made no answer to the words of Faku the captain,though he liked them well, for he would not waste his breath in talking, andthe light grew low.

“I am ready, Man of Dingaan,” he said, and lifted his axe.

Now for awhile the two circled round and round, each waiting for a chance tostrike. Presently Faku smote at the head of Umslopogaas, but the Slaughtererlifted Groan-Maker to ward the blow. Faku crooked his arm and let the axe curldownwards, so that its keen edge smote Umslopogaas upon the head, severing hisman’s ring and the scalp beneath.

Made mad with the pain, the Slaughterer awoke, as it were. He graspedGroan-maker with both hands and struck thrice. The first blow hewed away theplumes and shield of Faku, and drove him back a spear’s length, thesecond missed its aim, the third and mightiest twisted in his wet hands, sothat the axe smote sideways. Nevertheless, it fell full on the breast of thecaptain Faku, shattering his bones, and sweeping him from the ledge of rock onto the slope beneath, where he lay still.

“It is finished with the daylight,” said Umslopogaas, smilinggrimly. “Now, Dingaan, send more Slayers to seek your slain,” andhe turned to find Nada in the cave.

But Faku the captain was not yet dead, though he was hurt to death. He sat up,and with his last strength he hurled the axe in his hand at him whose might hadprevailed against him. The axe sped true, and Umslopogaas did not see it fly.It sped true, and its point struck him on the left temple, driving in the boneand making a great hole. Then Faku fell back dying, and Umslopogaas threw uphis arms and dropped like an ox drops beneath the blow of the butcher, and layas one dead, under the shadow of a stone.

All day long Nada crouched in the cave listening to the sounds of war thatcrept faintly up the mountain side; howling of wolves, shouting of men, and theclamour of iron on iron. All day long she sat, and now evening came apace, andthe noise of battle drew near, swelled, and sank, and died away. She heard thevoices of the Wolf-Brethren as they called to each other like bucks, naming thenumber of the slain. She heard Galazi’s cry of“Victory!” and her heart leapt to it, though she knew thatthere was death in the cry. Then for the last time she heard the faint ringingof iron on iron, and the light went out and all grew still.

All grew still as the night. There came no more shouting of men and no moreclash of arms, no howlings of wolves, no cries of pain or triumph—all wasquiet as death, for death had taken all.

For awhile Nada the Lily sat in the dark of the cave, saying to herself,“Presently he will come, my husband, he will surely come; the Slayers areslain—he does not but tarry to bind his wounds; a scratch, perchance,here and there. Yes, he will come, and it is well, for I am weary of myloneliness, and this place is grim and evil.”

Thus she spoke to herself in hope, but nothing came except the silence. Thenshe spoke again, and her voice echoed in the hollow cave. “Now I will bebold, I will fear nothing, I will push aside the stone and go out to find him.I know well he does but linger to tend some who are wounded, perhaps Galazi.Doubtless Galazi is wounded. I must go and nurse him, though he never loved me,and I do not love him overmuch who would stand between me and my husband. Thiswild wolf-man is a foe to women, and, most of all, a foe to me; yet I will bekind to him. Come, I will go at once,” and she rose and pushed at therock.

Why, what was this? It did not stir. Then she remembered that she had pulled itbeyond the socket because of her fear of the wolf, and that the rock hadslipped a little way down the neck of the cave. Umslopogaas had told her thatshe must not do this, and she had forgotten his words in her foolishness.Perhaps she could move the stone; no, not by the breadth of a grain of corn.She was shut in, without food or water, and here she must bide till Umslopogaascame. And if he did not come? Then she must surely die.

Now she shrieked aloud in her fear, calling on the name of Umslopogaas. Thewalls of the cave answered “Umslopogaas! Umslopogaas!” andthat was all.

Afterwards madness fell upon Nada, my daughter, and she lay in the cave fordays and nights, nor knew ever how long she lay. And with her madness camevisions, for she dreamed that the dead One whom Galazi had told her of sat oncemore aloft in his niche at the end of the cave and spoke to her, saying:—

“Galazi is dead! The fate of him who bears the Watcher has fallen on him.Dead are the ghost-wolves; I also am dead of hunger in this cave, and as I diedso shall you die, Nada the Lily! Nada, Star of Death! because of whose beautyand foolishness all this death has come about.”

This is seemed to Nada, in her madness, that the shadow of him who had sat inthe niche spoke to her from hour to hour.

It seemed to Nada, in her madness, that twice the light shone through the holeby the rock, and that was day, and twice it went out, and that was night. Athird time the ray shone and died away, and lo! her madness left her, and sheawoke to know that she was dying, and that a voice she loved spoke without thehole, saying in hollow accents:—

“Nada? Do you still live, Nada?”

“Yea,” she answered hoarsely. “Water! give me water!”

Next she heard a sound as of a great snake dragging itself along painfully. Awhile passed, then a trembling hand thrust a little gourd of water through thehole. She drank, and now she could speak, though the water seemed to flowthrough her veins like fire.

“Is it indeed you, Umslopogaas?” she said, “or are you dead,and do I dream of you?”

“It is I, Nada,” said the voice. “Hearken! have you drawn therock home?”

“Alas! yes,” she answered. “Perhaps, if the two of us striveat it, it will move.”

“Ay, if our strength were what it was—but now! Still, let ustry.”

So they strove with a rock, but the two of them together had not the strengthof a girl, and it would not stir.

“Give over, Umslopogaas,” said Nada; “we do but waste thetime that is left to me. Let us talk!”

For awhile there was no answer, for Umslopogaas had fainted, and Nada beat herbreast, thinking that he was dead.

Presently he spoke, however, saying, “It may not be; we must perish here,one on each side of the stone, not seeing the other’s face, for my mightis as water; nor can I stand upon my feet to go and seek for food.”

“Are you wounded, Umslopogaas?” asked Nada.

“Ay, Nada, I am pierced to the brain with the point of an axe; no fairstroke, the captain of Dingaan hurled it at me when I thought him dead, and Ifell. I do not know how long I have lain yonder under the shadow of the rock,but it must be long, for my limbs are wasted, and those who fell in the frayare picked clean by the vultures, all except Galazi, for the old wolf Deathgriplies on his breast dying, but not dead, licking my brother’s wounds, andscares the fowls away. It was the beak of a vulture, who had smelt me out atlast, that woke me from my sleep beneath the stone, Nada, and I crept hither.Would that he had not awakened me, would that I had died as I lay, rather thanlived a little while till you perish thus, like a trapped fox, Nada, andpresently I follow you.”

“It is hard to die so, Umslopogaas,” she answered, “I who amyet young and fair, who love you, and hoped to give you children; but so it hascome about, and it may not be put away. I am well-nigh sped, husband; horrorand fear have conquered me, my strength fails, but I suffer little. Let us talkno more of death, let us rather speak of our childhood, when we wandered handin hand; let us talk also of our love, and of the happy hours that we havespent since your great axe rang upon the rock in the Halakazi caves, and myfear told you the secret of my womanhood. See, I thrust my hand through thehole; can you not kiss it, Umslopogaas?”

Now Umslopogaas stooped his shattered head, and kissed the Lily’s littlehand, then he held it in his own, and so they sat till the end—hewithout, resting his back against the rock, she within, lying on her side, herarm stretched through the little hole. They spoke of their love, and tried toforget their sorrow in it; he told her also of the fray which had been and howit went.

“Ah!” she said, “that was Zinita’s work, Zinita whohated me, and justly. Doubtless she set Dingaan on this path.”

“A little while gone,” quoth Umslopogaas; “and I hoped thatyour last breath and mine might pass together, Nada, and that we might gotogether to seek great Galazi, my brother, where he is. Now I hope that helpwill find me, and that I may live a little while, because of a certainvengeance which I would wreak.”

“Speak not of vengeance, husband,” she answered, “I, too, amnear to that land where the Slayer and the Slain, the Shedder of Blood and theAvenger of Blood are lost in the same darkness. I would die with love, and loveonly, in my heart, and your name, and yours only, on my lips, so that ifanywhere we live again it shall be ready to spring forth to greet you. Yet,husband, it is in my heart that you will not go with me, but that you shalllive on to die the greatest of deaths far away from here, and because ofanother woman. It seems that, as I lay in the dark of this cave, I saw you,Umslopogaas, a great man, gaunt and grey, stricken to the death, and the axeGroan-maker wavering aloft, and many a man dead upon a white and shimmeringway, and about you the fair faces of white women; and you had a hole in yourforehead, husband, on the left side.”

“That is like to be true, if I live,” he answered, “for thebone of my temple is shattered.”

Now Nada ceased speaking, and for a long while was silent; Umslopogaas was alsosilent and torn with pain and sorrow because he must lose the Lily thus, andshe must die so wretchedly, for one reason only, that the cast of Faku hadrobbed him of his strength. Alas! he who had done many deeds might not save hernow; he could scarcely hold himself upright against the rock. He thought of it,and the tears flowed down his face and fell on to the hand of the Lily. Shefelt them fall and spoke.

“Weep not, my husband,” she said, “I have been all too ill awife to you. Do not mourn for me, yet remember that I loved you well.”And again she was silent for a long space.

Then she spoke and for the last time of all, and her voice came in a gaspingwhisper through the hole in the rock:—

“Farewell, Umslopogaas, my husband and my brother, I thank you for yourlove, Umslopogaas. Ah! I die!”

Umslopogaas could make no answer, only he watched the little hand he held.Twice it opened, twice it closed upon his own, then it opened for the thirdtime, turned grey, quivered, and was still forever!

Now it was at the hour of dawn that Nada died.

CHAPTER XXXV.
THE VENGEANCE OF MOPO AND HIS FOSTERLING

It chanced that on this day of Nada’s death and at that same hour of dawnI, Mopo, came from my mission back to the kraal of the People of the Axe,having succeeded in my end, for that great chief whom I had gone out to visithad hearkened to my words. As the light broke I reached the town, and lo! itwas a blackness and a desolation.

“Here is the footmark of Dingaan,” I said to myself, and walked toand fro, groaning heavily. Presently I found a knot of men who were of thepeople that had escaped the slaughter, hiding in the mealie-fields lest theSlayers should return, and from them I drew the story. I listened in silence,for, my father, I was grown old in misfortune; then I asked where were theSlayers of the king? They replied that they did not know; the soldiers had goneup the Ghost Mountain after the Wolf-Brethren and Nada the Lily, and from theforest had come a howling of beasts and sounds of war; then there was silence,and none had been seen to return from the mountain, only all day long thevultures hung over it.

“Let us go up the mountain,” I said.

At first they feared, because of the evil name of the place; but in the endthey came with me, and we followed on the path of the impi of the Slayers andguessed all that had befallen it. At length we reached the knees of stone, andsaw the place of the great fight of the Wolf-Brethren. All those who had takenpart in that fight were now but bones, because the vultures had picked themevery one, except Galazi, for on the breast of Galazi lay the old wolfDeathgrip, that was yet alive. I drew near the body, and the great wolfstruggled to his feet and ran at me with bristling hair and open jaws, fromwhich no sound came. Then, being spent, he rolled over dead.

Now I looked round seeking the axe Groan-Maker among the bones of the slain,and did not find it and the hope came into my heart that Umslopogaas hadescaped the slaughter. Then we went on in silence to where I knew the cave mustbe, and there by its mouth lay the body of a man. I ran to it—it wasUmslopogaas, wasted with hunger, and in his temple was a great wound and on hisbreast and limbs were many other wounds. Moreover, in his hand he held anotherhand—a dead hand, that was thrust through a hole in the rock. I knew itsshape well—it was the little hand of my child, Nada the Lily.

Now I understood, and, bending down, I felt the heart of Umslopogaas, and laidthe down of an eagle upon his lips. His heart still stirred and the down waslifted gently.

I bade those with me drag the stone, and they did so with toil. Now the lightflowed into the cave, and by it we saw the shape of Nada my daughter. She wassomewhat wasted, but still very beautiful in her death. I felt her heart also:it was still, and her breast grew cold.

Then I spoke: “The dead to the dead. Let us tend the living.”

So we bore in Umslopogaas, and I caused broth to be made and poured it down histhroat; also I cleansed his great wound and bound healing herbs upon it, plyingall my skill. Well I knew the arts of healing, my father; I who was the firstof the izinyangaof medicine, and, had it not been for my craft,Umslopogaas had never lived, for he was very near his end. Still, there wherehe had once been nursed by Galazi the Wolf, I brought him back to life. It wasthree days till he spoke, and, before his sense returned to him, I caused agreat hole to be dug in the floor of the cave. And there, in the hole, I buriedNada my daughter, and we heaped lily blooms upon her to keep the earth fromher, and then closed in her grave, for I was not minded that Umslopogaas shouldlook upon her dead, lest he also should die from the sight, and because of hisdesire to follow her. Also I buried Galazi the Wolf in the cave, and set theWatcher in his hand, and there they both sleep who are friends at last, theLily and the Wolf together. Ah! when shall there be such another man and suchanother maid?

At length on the third day Umslopogaas spoke, asking for Nada. I pointed to theearth, and he remembered and understood. Thereafter the strength of Umslopogaasgathered on him slowly, and the hole in his skull skinned over. But now hishair was grizzled, and he scarcely smiled again, but grew even more grim andstern than he had been before.

Soon we learned all the truth about Zinita, for the women and children cameback to the town of the People of the Axe, only Zinita and the children ofUmslopogaas did not come back. Also a spy reached me from the Mahlabatine andtold me of the end of Zinita and of the flight of Dingaan before the Boers.

Now when Umslopogaas had recovered, I asked him what he would do, and whetheror not I should pursue my plots to make him king of the land.

But Umslopogaas shook his head, saying that he had no heart that way. He woulddestroy a king indeed, but now he no longer desired to be a king. He soughtrevenge alone. I said that it was well, I also sought vengeance, and seekingtogether we would find it.

Now, my father, there is much more to tell, but shall I tell it? The snow hasmelted, your cattle have been found where I told you they should be, and youwish to be gone. And I also, I would be gone upon a longer journey.

Listen, my father, I will be short. This came into my mind: to play off Pandaagainst Dingaan; it was for such an hour of need that I had saved Panda alive.After the battle of the Blood River, Dingaan summoned Panda to a hunt. Then itwas that I journeyed to the kraal of Panda on the Lower Tugela, and with meUmslopogaas. I warned Panda that he should not go to this hunt, for he was thegame himself, but that he should rather fly into Natal with all his people. Hedid so, and then I opened talk with the Boers, and more especially with thatBoer who was named Ungalunkulu, or Great Arm. I showed the Boer that Dingaanwas wicked and not to be believed, but Panda was faithful and good. The end ofit was that the Boers and Panda made war together on Dingaan. Yes, I made thatwar that we might be revenged on Dingaan. Thus, my father, do little thingslead to great.

Were we at the big fight, the battle of Magongo? Yes, my father; we were there.When Dingaan’s people drove us back, and all seemed lost, it was I whoput into the mind of Nongalaza, the general, to pretend to direct the Boerswhere to attack, for the Amaboona stood out of that fight, leaving it to usblack people. It was Umslopogaas who cut his way with Groan-Maker through awing of one of Dingaan’s regiments till he came to the Boer captainUngalunkulu, and shouted to him to turn the flank of Dingaan. That finished it,my father, for they feared to stand against us both, the white and the blacktogether. They fled, and we followed and slew, and Dingaan ceased to be a king.

He ceased to be a king, but he still lived, and while he lived our vengeancewas hungry. So we went to the Boer captain and to Panda, and spoke to themnicely, saying, “We have served you well, we have fought for you, and soordered things that victory is yours. Now grant us this request, that we mayfollow Dingaan, who has fled into hiding, and kill him wherever we find him,for he has worked us wrong, and we would avenge it.”

Then the white captain and Panda smiled and said, “Go children, andprosper in your search. No one thing shall please us more than to know thatDingaan is dead.” And they gave us men to go with us.

Then we hunted that king week by week as men hunt a wounded buffalo. We huntedhim to the jungles of the Umfalozi and through them. But he fled ever, for heknew that the avengers of blood were on his spoor. After that for awhile welost him. Then we heard that he had crossed the Pongolo with some of the peoplewho still clung to him. We followed him to the place Kwa Myawo, and there welay hid in the bush watching. At last our chance came. Dingaan walked in thebush and with him two men only. We stabbed the men and seized him.

Dingaan looked at us and knew us, and his knees trembled with fear. Then Ispoke:—

“What was that message which I sent thee, O Dingaan, who art no more aking—that thou didst evil to drive me away, was it not? because I setthee on thy throne and I alone could hold thee there?”

He made no answer, and I went on:—

“I, Mopo, son of Makedama, set thee on thy throne, O Dingaan, who wast aking, and I, Mopo, have pulled thee down from thy throne. But my message didnot end there. It said that, ill as thou hadst done to drive me away, yet worseshouldst thou do to look upon my face again, for that day should be thy day ofdoom.”

Still he made no answer. Then Umslopogaas spoke:—

“I am that Slaughterer, O Dingaan, no more a king, whom thou didst sendSlayers many and fierce to eat up at the kraal of the People of the Axe. Whereare thy Slayers now, O Dingaan? Before all is done thou shalt look uponthem.”

“Kill me and make an end; it is your hour,” said Dingaan.

“Not yet awhile, O son of Senzangacona,” answered Umslopogaas,“and not here. There lived a certain woman and she was named Nada theLily. I was her husband, O Dingaan, and Mopo here, he was her father. But,alas! she died, and sadly—she lingered three days and nights before shedied. Thou shalt see the spot and hear the tale, O Dingaan. It will wring thyheart, which was ever tender. There lived certain children, born of anotherwoman named Zinita, little children, sweet and loving. I was their father, OElephant in a pit, and one Dingaan slew them. Of them thou shalt hear also. Nowaway, for the path is far!”

Two days went by, my father, and Dingaan sat bound and alone in the cave onGhost Mountain. We had dragged him slowly up the mountain, for he was heavy asan ox. Three men pushing at him and three others pulling on a cord about hismiddle, we dragged him up, staying now and again to show him the bones of thosewhom he had sent out to kill us, and telling him the tale of that fight.

Now at length we were in the cave, and I sent away those who were with us, forwe wished to be alone with Dingaan at the last. He sat down on the floor of thecave, and I told him that beneath the earth on which he sat lay the bones ofthat Nada whom he had murdered and the bones of Galazi the Wolf.

On the third day before the dawn we came again and looked upon him.

“Slay me,” he said, “for the Ghosts torment me!”

“No longer art thou great, O shadow of a king,” I said, “whonow dost tremble before two Ghosts out of all the thousands that thou hastmade. Say, then, how shall it fare with thee presently when thou art of theirnumber?”

Now Dingaan prayed for mercy.

“Mercy, thou hyena!” I answered, “thou prayest for mercy whoshowed none to any! Give me back my daughter. Give this man back his wife andchildren; then we will talk of mercy. Come forth, coward, and die the death ofcowards.”

So, my father, we dragged him out, groaning, to the cleft that is above in thebreast of the old Stone Witch, that same cleft where Galazi had found thebones. There we stood, waiting for the moment of the dawn, that hour when Nadahad died. Then we cried her name into his ears and the names of the children ofUmslopogaas, and cast him into the cleft.

This was the end of Dingaan, my father—Dingaan, who had the fierce heartof Chaka without its greatness.

CHAPTER XXXVI.
MOPO ENDS HIS TALE

That is the tale of Nada the Lily, my father, and of how we avenged her. A sadtale—yes, a sad tale; but all was sad in those days. It was otherwiseafterwards, when Panda reigned, for Panda was a man of peace.

There is little more to tell. I left the land where I could stay no longer whohad brought about the deaths of two kings, and came here to Natal to live nearwhere the kraal Duguza once had stood.

The bones of Dingaan as they lay in the cleft were the last things my eyesbeheld, for after that I became blind, and saw the sun no more, nor anylight—why I do not know, perhaps from too much weeping, my father. So Ichanged my name, lest a spear might reach the heart that had planned the deathof two kings and a prince—Chaka, Dingaan, and Umhlangana of the bloodroyal. Silently and by night Umslopogaas, my fosterling, led me across theborder, and brought me here to Stanger; and here as an old witch-doctor I havelived for many, many years. I am rich. Umslopogaas craved back from Panda thecattle of which Dingaan had robbed me, and drove them hither. But none werehere who had lived in the kraal Duguza, none knew, in Zweete the blind oldwitch-doctor, that Mopo who stabbed Chaka, the Lion of the Zulu. None know itnow. You have heard the tale, and you alone, my father. Do not tell it againtill I am dead.

Umslopogaas? Yes, he went back to the People of the Axe and ruled them, butthey were never so strong again as they had been before they smote the Halakaziin their caves, and Dingaan ate them up. Panda let him be and liked him well,for Panda did not know that the Slaughterer was son to Chaka his brother, andUmslopogaas let that dog lie, for when Nada died he lost his desire to begreat. Yet he became captain of the Nkomabakosi regiment, and fought in manybattles, doing mighty deeds, and stood by Umbulazi, son of Panda, in the greatfray on the Tugela, when Cetywayo slew his brother Umbulazi.

After that also he plotted against Cetywayo, whom he hated, and had it not beenfor a certain white man, a hunter named Macumazahn, Umslopogaas would have beenkilled. But the white man saved him by his wit. Yes, and at times he came tovisit me, for he still loved me as of old; but now he has fled north, and Ishall hear his voice no more. Nay, I do not know all the tale; there was awoman in it. Women were ever the bane of Umslopogaas, my fostering. I forgetthe story of that woman, for I remember only these things that happened longago, before I grew very old.

Look on this right hand of mine, my father! I cannot see it now; and yet I,Mopo, son of Makedama, seem to see it as once I saw, red with the blood of twokings. Look on—

Suddenly the old man ceased, his head fell forward upon his withered breast.When the White Man to whom he told this story lifted it and looked at him, hewas dead!

Related articles