NADA THE LILY

By H. Rider Haggard

DEDICATION

Sompseu:

For I will call you by the name that for fifty years has been honouredby every tribe between Zambesi and Cape Agulbas, --I greet you!

Sompseu, my father, I have written a book that tells of men and mattersof which you know the most of any who still look upon the light;therefore, I set your name within that book and, such as it is, I offerit to you. 

If you knew not Chaka, you and he have seen the same suns shine, youknew his brother Panda and his captains, and perhaps even that very Mopowho tells this tale, his servant, who slew him with the Princes. Youhave seen the circle of the witch-doctors and the unconquerable Zuluimpis rushing to war; you have crowned their kings and shared theircounsels, and with your son's blood you have expiated a statesman'serror and a general's fault. 

Sompseu, a song has been sung in my ears of how first you mastered thispeople of the Zulu. Is it not true, my father, that for long hours yousat silent and alone, while three thousand warriors shouted for yourlife? And when they grew weary, did you not stand and say, pointingtowards the ocean: "Kill me if you wish, men of Cetywayo, but I tellyou that for every drop of my blood a hundred avengers shall rise fromyonder sea!"

Then, so it was told me, the regiments turned staring towards the BlackWater, as though the day of Ulundi had already come and they saw thewhite slayers creeping across the plains. 

Thus, Sompseu, your name became great among the people of the Zulu, asalready it was great among many another tribe, and their nobles did youhomage, and they gave you the Bayete, the royal salute, declaring by themouth of their Council that in you dwelt the spirit of Chaka. 

Many years have gone by since then, and now you are old, my father. Itis many years even since I was a boy, and followed you when you went upamong the Boers and took their country for the Queen. 

Why did you do this, my father? I will answer, who know the truth. Youdid it because, had it not been done, the Zulus would have stamped outthe Boers. Were not Cetywayo's impis gathered against the land, and wasit not because it became the Queen's land that at your word he sent themmurmuring to their kraals? (1) To save bloodshed you annexed the countrybeyond the Vaal. Perhaps it had been better to leave it, since "Deathchooses for himself, " and after all there was killing--of our ownpeople, and with the killing, shame. But in those days we did not guesswhat we should live to see, and of Majuba we thought only as a littlehill!

Enemies have borne false witness against you on this matter, Sompseu, you who never erred except through over kindness. Yet what does thatavail? When you have "gone beyond" it will be forgotten, since the stingof ingratitude passes and lies must wither like the winter veldt. Onlyyour name will not be forgotten; as it was heard in life so it shall beheard in story, and I pray that, however humbly, mine may pass down withit. Chance has taken me by another path, and I must leave the waysof action that I love and bury myself in books, but the old days andfriends are in my mind, nor while I have memory shall I forget them andyou. 

Therefore, though it be for the last time, from far across the seas Ispeak to you, and lifting my hand I give your "Sibonga" (2) and thatroyal salute, to which, now that its kings are gone and the "People ofHeaven" are no more a nation, with Her Majesty you are alone entitled:--

 Bayete! 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! Bayete, T' Sompseu! (3)

and farewell!

H. RIDER HAGGARD. 

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

 (1) "I thank my father Sompseu for his message. I am glad that he has sent it, because the Dutch have tired me out, and I intended to fight them once and once only, and to drive them over the Vaal. Kabana, you see my impis are gathered. It was to fight the Dutch I called them together; now I send them back to their homes. " --Message from Cetywayo to Sir. T. Shepstone, April, 1877. 

 (2) Titles of praise. 

 (3) Bayete, 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! Bayete, 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 hewas yet a lad, --now some seventeen years ago, --fortune took him to SouthAfrica. There he was thrown in with men who, for thirty or forty years, had been intimately acquainted with the Zulu people, with their history, their heroes, and their customs. From these he heard many tales andtraditions, some of which, perhaps, are rarely told nowadays, and intime to come may cease to be told altogether. Then the Zulus were stilla nation; now that nation has been destroyed, and the chief aim ofits white rulers is to root out the warlike spirit for which it wasremarkable, and to replace it by a spirit of peaceful progress. The Zulumilitary organisation, perhaps the most wonderful that the world hasseen, is already a thing of the past; it perished at Ulundi. It wasChaka who invented that organisation, building it up from the smallestbeginnings. When he appeared at the commencement of this century, it wasas the ruler of a single small tribe; when he fell, in the year 1828, beneath the assegais of his brothers, Umhlangana and Dingaan, and of hisservant, Mopo or Umbopo, as he is called also, all south-eastern Africawas at his feet, and in his march to power he had slaughtered more thana million human beings. An attempt has been made in these pages to setout the true character of this colossal genius and most evil man, --aNapoleon and a Tiberiius in one, --and also that of his brother andsuccessor, Dingaan, so no more need be said of them here. The author'saim, moreover, has been to convey, in a narrative form, some idea of theremarkable spirit which animated these kings and their subjects, and tomake accessible, in a popular shape, incidents of history which are now, for the most part, only to be found in a few scarce works of reference, rarely consulted, except by students. It will be obvious that such atask has presented difficulties, since he who undertakes it must for atime forget his civilisation, and think with the mind and speak with thevoice of a Zulu of the old regime. All the horrors perpetrated by theZulu tyrants cannot be published in this polite age of melanite andtorpedoes; their details have, therefore, been suppressed. Still muchremains, and those who think it wrong that massacre and fightingshould be written of, --except by special correspondents, --or that thesufferings of mankind beneath one of the world's most cruel tyranniesshould form the groundwork of romance, may be invited to leave thisbook unread. Most, indeed nearly all, of the historical incidentshere recorded are substantially true. Thus, it is said that Chaka didactually kill his mother, Unandi, for the reason given, and destroy anentire tribe in the Tatiyana cleft, and that he prophesied of the comingof the white man after receiving his death wounds. Of the incident ofthe Missionary and the furnace of logs, it is impossible to speak socertainly. It came to the writer from the lips of an old traveller in"the Zulu"; but he cannot discover any confirmation of it. Still, thesekings undoubtedly put their soldiers to many tests of equal severity. Umbopo, or Mopo, as he is named in this tale, actually lived. After hehad stabbed Chaka, he rose to great eminence. Then he disappears fromthe scene, but it is not accurately known whether he also went "the wayof the assegai, " or perhaps, as is here suggested, came to live nearStanger under the name of Zweete. The fate of the two lovers at themouth of the cave is a true Zulu tale, which has been considerablyvaried to suit the purposes of this romance. The late Mr. Leslie, whodied in 1874, tells it in his book "Among the Zulus and Amatongas. " "Iheard a story the other day, " he says, "which, if the power of writingfiction were possessed by me, I might have worked up into a first-classsensational novel. " It is the story that has been woven into the plot ofthis book. To him also the writer is indebted for the artifice by whichUmslopogaas obtained admission to the Swazi stronghold; it was told toMr. Leslie by the Zulu who performed the feat and thereby 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 bygoneyears by word of mouth, and more recently through his pamphlet "Zululandand the Zulus, " and to Mr. John Bird, formerly treasurer to theGovernment of Natal, whose compilation, "The Annals of Natal, " isinvaluable to all who would study the early history of that colony andof Zululand. 

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 can onlysay that they seem to him of a sort that might well have been mythicallyconnected with the names of those heroes. Similar beliefs and traditionsare common 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 spearsstuck in him "as thick as reeds in a morass. " This man's strength wasso great that he could kill a leopard "like a fly, " with his hands only, 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 thisromance. It has been little if at all exaggerated. Thus the writer wellremembers hearing a legend how the Guardian Spirit of the Ama-Zulu wasseen riding down the storm. Here is what Mr. Fynney says of her in thepamphlet to which reference has been made: "The natives have a spiritwhich they call Nomkubulwana, or the Inkosazana-ye-Zulu (the Princessof Heaven). She is said to be robed in white, and to take the form ofa young maiden, in fact an angel. She is said to appear to somechosen person, to whom she imparts some revelation; but, whateverthat revelation may be, it is kept a profound secret from outsiders. I remember that, just before the Zulu war, Nomkubulwana appeared, revealing something or other which had a great effect throughout theland, and I know that the Zulus were quite impressed that some calamitywas about to befall them. One of the ominous signs was that fire is saidto have descended from heaven, and ignited the grass over the gravesof the former kings of Zululand. . .. On another occasion Nomkubulwanaappeared to some one in Zululand, the result of that visit being, thatthe native women buried their young children up to their heads in sand, deserting them for the time being, going away weeping, but returning atnightfall to unearth the little ones again. "

For this divine personage there is, therefore, authority, and the samemay be said of most of the supernatural matters spoken of in thesepages. The exact spiritual position held in the Zulu mind by theUmkulunkulu, --the Old--Old, --the Great--Great, --the Lord of Heavens, --isa more vexed question, and for its proper consideration the reader mustbe referred to Bishop Callaway's work, the "Religious System of theAmazulu. " Briefly, Umkulunkulu's character seems to vary from the ideaof an ancestral spirit, or the spirit of an ancestor, to that of a god. In the case of an able and highly intelligent person like the Mopo ofthis story, the ideal would probably not be a low one; therefore he ismade to speak of Umkulunkulu as the Great Spirit, or God. 

It only remains to the writer to express his regret that this story isnot more varied in its hue. It would have been desirable to introducesome gayer and more happy incidents. But it has not been possible. It isbelieved that the picture given of the times is a faithful one, thoughit may be open to correction in some of its details. At the least, theaged man who tells the tale of his wrongs and vengeance could not beexpected to treat his subject in an optimistic or even in a cheerfulvein. 

 (1) I grieve to state that I must now say the late Mr. F. B. Fynney. 

NADA THE LILY

INTRODUCTION

Some years since--it was during the winter before the Zulu War--a WhiteMan was travelling through Natal. His name does not matter, for he playsno part in this story. With him were two wagons laden with goods, whichhe was transporting to Pretoria. The weather was cold and there waslittle or no grass for the oxen, which made the journey difficult; buthe had been tempted to it by the high rates of transport that prevailedat that season of the year, which would remunerate him for any probableloss he might suffer in cattle. So he pushed along on his journey, andall went well until he had passed the little town of Stanger, once thesite of Duguza, the kraal of Chaka, the first Zulu king and the uncle ofCetywayo. The night after he left Stanger the air turned bitterly cold, heavy grey clouds filled the sky, and hid the light of the stars. 

"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 the skylook like that in Scotland before snow. " Then he reflected that therehad been no deep snow in Natal for years, and, having drunk a "tot" ofsquareface and smoked his pipe, he went to bed beneath the after-tent ofhis larger wagon. 

During the night he was awakened by a sense of bitter cold and the lowmoaning of the oxen that were tied to the trek-tow, every ox in itsplace. He thrust his head through the curtain of the tent and lookedout. The earth was white with snow, and the air was full of it, sweptalong by a cutting wind. 

Now he sprang up, huddling on his clothes and as he did so calling tothe Kaffirs who slept beneath the wagons. Presently they awoke fromthe stupor which already was beginning to overcome them, and crept out, shivering with cold and wrapped from head to foot in blankets. 

"Quick! you boys, " he said to them in Zulu; "quick! Would you see thecattle 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 reims. The wagons were outspannedside by side with a space between them, and into this space the mob ofthirty-six oxen was driven and there secured by reims tied crosswisefrom the front and hind wheels of the wagons. Then the White Man creptback to his bed, and the shivering natives, fortified with gin, orsquareface, as it is called locally, took refuge on the second wagon, drawing a tent-sail over them. 

For awhile there was silence, save for the moaning of the huddled andrestless cattle. 

"If the snow goes on I shall lose my oxen, " he said to himself; "theycan never bear this cold. "

Hardly had the words passed his lips when the wagon shook; there was asound of breaking reims and trampling hoofs. Once more he looked out. The oxen had "skrecked" in a mob. There they were, running away into thenight and the snow, seeking to find shelter from the cold. In a minutethey had vanished utterly. There was nothing to be done, except wait forthe morning. 

At last it came, revealing a landscape blind with snow. Such search ascould be made told them nothing. The oxen had gone, and their spoor wasobliterated by the fresh-fallen flakes. The White Man called a councilof his Kaffir servants. "What was to be done?" he asked. 

One said this thing, one that, but all agreed that they must wait to actuntil the 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 driverof the first wagon. 

"My father, " he said to the White Man, "this is my word. The oxen arelost 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 awitch doctor named Zweete. He is old--very old--but he has wisdom, andhe can tell you where the oxen are if any man may, my father. "

"Stuff!" answered the White Man. "Still, as the kraal cannot be colderthan this wagon, we will go and ask Zweete. Bring a bottle of squarefaceand some snuff with you for presents. "

An hour later he stood in the hut of Zweete. Before him was a veryancient 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 in athin 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 wrongto ask me, --yes, to show you that there is truth in us Zulu doctors, Iwill help you. My father, I know what you seek. You seek to know whereyour oxen have run for shelter from the cold! Is it not so?"

"It is so, Doctor, " answered the White Man. "You have long ears. "

"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 mehearken! Let me look!"

For awhile he was silent, rocking himself to and fro, then he spoke:"You have a farm, White Man, down near Pine Town, is it not? Ah! Ithought so--and an hour's ride from your farm lives a Boer with fourfingers only on his right hand. There is a kloof on the Boer's farmwhere mimosa-trees grow. There, in the kloof, you shall find youroxen--yes, five days' journey from here you will find them all. I sayall, my father, except three only--the big black Africander ox, thelittle red Zulu ox with one horn, and the speckled ox. You shall notfind these, for they have died in the snow. Send, and you will findthe others. No, no! I ask no fee! I do not work wonders for reward. Whyshould 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 eleventhday of his sojourn at the kraal of Zweete, those whom he sent returnedwith the oxen, except the three only. After that he scoffed no more. Those eleven days he spent in a hut of the old man's kraal, and everyafternoon he came and talked with him, sitting far into the night. 

On the third day he asked Zweete how it was that his left hand was whiteand shrivelled, and who were Umslopogaas and Nada, of whom he had letfall some words. Then the old man told him the tale that is set outhere. Day by day he told some of it till it was finished. It is not allwritten in these pages, for portions may have been forgotten, or putaside as irrelevant. Neither has it been possible for the writer of itto render the full force of the Zulu idiom nor to convey a picture ofthe teller. For, in truth, he acted rather than told his story. Was thedeath of a warrior in question, he stabbed with his stick, showing howthe blow fell and where; did the story grow sorrowful, he groaned, oreven wept. Moreover, he had many voices, one for each of the actors inhis tale. This man, ancient and withered, seemed to live again in thefar past. It was the past that spoke to his listener, telling of deedslong forgotten, of deeds that are no more known. 

Yet as he best may, the White Man has set down the substance of thestory of Zweete in the spirit in which Zweete told it. And because thehistory of Nada the Lily and of those with whom her life was intertwinedmoved him strangely, and in many ways, he has done more, he has printedit that others may judge of it. 

And now his part is played. Let him who was named Zweete, but who hadanother name, 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, holder of the iron Chieftainess, the axe Groan-maker, who was namedBulalio the Slaughterer, and of his love for Nada, the most beautiful ofZulu women. It is long; but you are here for many nights, and, if I liveto tell it, it shall be told. Strengthen your heart, my father, for Ihave much to say that is sorrowful, and even now, when I think of Nadathe tears creep through the horn that shuts out my old eyes from light. 

Do you know who I am, my father? You do not know. You think that I am anold, old witch-doctor named Zweete. So men have thought for many years, but that is not my name. Few have known it, for I have kept it locked inmy breast, lest, thought I live now under the law of the White Man, andthe Great Queen is my chieftainess, an assegai still might find thisheart 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 blindcannot. But still, within me, I see it as it was once. Ay! I see it redand strong--red with the blood of two kings. Listen, my father; bendyour ear to me and listen. I am Mopo--ah! I felt you start; you startas the regiment of the Bees started when Mopo walked before their ranks, and from the assegai in his hand the blood of Chaka (1) dropped slowlyto the earth. I am Mopo who slew Chaka the king. I killed him withDingaan 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 killedhim with the princes, but Dingaan, I and one other slew alone. 

 (1) The Zulu Napoleon, one of the greatest geniuses and most wicked men who ever lived. He was killed in the year 1828, having slaughtered more than a million human beings. --ED. 

What do you say? "Dingaan died by the Tongola. "

Yes, yes, he died, but not there; he died on the Ghost Mountain; he liesin the breast of the old Stone Witch who sits aloft forever waiting forthe world to perish. But I also was on the Ghost Mountain. In those daysmy feet still could travel fast, and vengeance would not let me sleep. I travelled by day, and by night I found him. I and another, we killedhim--ah! ah!

Why do I tell you this? What has it to do with the loves of Umslopogaasand Nada the Lily? I will tell you. I stabbed Chaka for the sake of mysister, Baleka, the mother of Umslopogaas, and because he had murderedmy wives and children. I and Umslopogaas slew Dingaan for the sake ofNada, who was my daughter. 

There are great names in the story, my father. Yes, many have heard thenames: when the Impis roared them out as they charged in battle, I havefelt the mountains shake and seen the waters quiver in their sound. Butwhere are they now? Silence has them, and the white men write them downin books. I opened the gates of distance for the holders of the names. They passed through and they are gone beyond. I cut the strings thattied them to the world. They fell off. Ha! ha! They fell off! Perhapsthey are falling still, perhaps they creep about their desolate kraalsin the skins of snakes. I wish I knew the snakes that I might crush themwith my heel. Yonder, beneath us, at the burying place of kings, thereis a hole. In that hole lies the bones of Chaka, the king who died forBaleka. Far away in Zululand there is a cleft upon the Ghost Mountain. At the foot of that cleft lie the bones of Dingaan, the king who diedfor Nada. It was far to fall and he was heavy; those bones of his arebroken into little pieces. I went to see them when the vultures and thejackals had done their work. And then I laughed three times and camehere to die. 

All that is long ago, and I have not died; though I wish to die andfollow the road that Nada trod. Perhaps I have lived to tell you thistale, my father, that you may repeat it to the white men if you will. How old am I? Nay, I do not know. Very, very old. Had Chaka lived hewould have been as old as I. (2) None are living whom I knew when I wasa boy. I am so old that I must hasten. The grass withers, and the wintercomes. Yes, while I speak the winter nips my heart. Well, I am ready tosleep in the cold, and perhaps I shall awake again in the spring. 

 (2) This would have made him nearly a hundred years old, an age rarely attained by a native. The writer remembers talking to an aged Zulu woman, however, who told him that she was married when Chaka was king. --ED. 

Before the Zulus were a people--for I will begin at the beginning--I wasborn of the Langeni tribe. We were not a large tribe; afterwards, allour able-bodied men numbered one full regiment in Chaka's army, perhapsthere were between two and three thousand of them, but they were brave. Now they are all dead, and their women and children with them, --thatpeople is no more. It is gone like last month's moon; how it went I willtell you by-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 ofthe tribe, and his kraal was built on the crest of a hill, but I was notthe son of his head wife. One evening, when I was still little, standingas high as a man's elbow only, I went out with my mother below thecattle kraal to see the cows driven in. My mother was very fond of thesecows, and there was one with a white face that would follow her about. She carried my little sister Baleka riding on her hip; Baleka was ababy then. We walked till we met the lads driving in the cows. My mothercalled the white-faced cow and gave it mealie leaves which she hadbrought with her. Then the boys went on with the cattle, but thewhite-faced cow stopped by my mother. She said that she would bring itto 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. Presentlywe saw a woman walking towards us across the plain. She walked like onewho is tired. On her back was a bundle of mats, and she led by the handa boy of about my own age, but bigger and stronger than I was. We waiteda long while, till at last the woman came up to us and sank down on theveldt, for she was very weary. We saw by the way her hair was dressedthat 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 have travelled far. "

"How are you named?--and what is your people?" asked my mother. 

"My name is Unandi: I am the wife of Senzangacona, of the Zulu tribe, "said the stranger. 

Now there had been war between our people and the Zulu people, andSenzangacona had killed some of our warriors and taken many of ourcattle. So, when my mother heard the speech of Unandi she sprang up inanger. 

"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 you out ofour country. "

The woman, who was very handsome, waited till my mother had finished herangry words; then she looked up and spoke slowly, "There is a cow by youwith milk dropping from its udder; will you not even give me and myboy a gourd of milk?" And she took a gourd from her bundle and held ittowards 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, but when he scowled his eyes were like the sky before a thunderstorm. 

"Mother, " he said, "we are not wanted here any more than we were wantedyonder, " and he nodded towards the country where the Zulu people lived. "Let us be going to Dingiswayo; the Umtetwa people will protect us. "

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

I heard, and something pulled at my heart; I was sorry for the womanand her boy, they looked so tired. Then, without saying anything to mymother, I snatched the gourd and ran with it to a little donga that washard by, for I knew that there was a spring. Presently I came back withthe gourd full of water. My mother wanted to catch me, for she was veryangry, but I ran past her and gave the gourd to the boy. Then my motherceased trying to interfere, only she beat the woman with her tongue allthe while, saying that evil had come to our kraals from her husband, andshe felt in her heart that more evil would come upon us from her son. Her Ehlose (3) told her so. Ah! my father, her Ehlose told her true. If the woman Unandi and her child had died that day on the veldt, thegardens of my people would not now be a wilderness, and their boneswould not lie in the great gulley that is near U'Cetywayo's kraal. 

 (3) Guardian spirit. --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, having taken the gourd, did not offer the water to his mother. He dranktwo-thirds of it himself; I think that he would have drunk it all hadnot his thirst been slaked; but when he had done he gave what was leftto his mother, and she finished it. Then he took the gourd again, andcame forward, holding it in one hand; in the other he carried a shortstick. 

"What is your name, boy?" he said to me as a big rich man speaks to onewho 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 I shall grow big, so big that my head will be lost in the clouds;you will look up and you shall not see it. My face will blind you; itwill be bright like the sun; and my people will grow great with me; theyshall eat up the whole world. And when I am big and my people are big, and we have stamped the earth flat as far as men can travel, then I willremember your tribe--the tribe of the Langeni, who would not give meand my mother a cup of milk when we were weary. You see this gourd; forevery drop it can hold the blood of a man shall flow--the blood of oneof your men. But because you gave me the water I will spare you, Mopo, and you only, and make you great under me. You shall grow fat in myshadow. You alone I will never harm, however you sin against me; this Iswear. But for that woman, " and he pointed to my mother, "let her makehaste 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 himanother note--the brat of an evil prophet!" And putting down Baleka, sheran at the boy. 

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

These, my father, were the first words I heard Chaka speak, and theywere words of prophecy, and they came true. The last words I heard himspeak were words of prophecy also, and I think that they will come true. Even now they are coming true. In the one he told how the Zulu peopleshould rise. And say, have they not risen? In the other he told how theyshould fall; and they did fall. Do not the white men gather themselvestogether even now against U'Cetywayo, as vultures gather round a dyingox? The Zulus are not what they were to stand against them. Yes, yes, they will come true, and mine is the song of a people that 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 andsat up with her hands over her face. The blood from the wound the stickhad made ran down her face on to her breast, and I wiped it away withgrass. She sat for a long while thus, while the child cried, the cowlowed to be milked, and I wiped up the blood with the grass. At last shetook her hands away and spoke to me. 

"Mopo, my son, " she said, "I have dreamed a dream. I dreamed that Isaw 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 in his hand he shook a little assegai that was red with blood. Hecaught up people after people in his hands and tore them, he stampedtheir kraals flat with his feet. Before him was the green of summer, behind him the land was black as when the fires have eaten the grass. Isaw our people, Mopo; they were many and fat, their hearts laughed, themen were brave, the girls were fair; I counted their children bythe hundreds. I saw them again, Mopo. They were bones, white bones, thousands of bones tumbled together in a rocky place, and he, Chaka, stood over the bones and laughed till the earth shook. Then, Mopo, inmy dream, I saw you grown a man. You alone were left of our people. Youcrept up behind the giant Chaka, and with you came others, great men ofa royal look. You stabbed him with a little spear, and he fell down andgrew small again; he fell down and cursed you. But you cried in his eara name--the name of Baleka, your sister--and he died. Let us go home, Mopo, let us go home; the darkness falls. "

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

CHAPTER II. MOPO IS IN TROUBLE

Now, I must tell how my mother did what the boy Chaka had told her, anddied quickly. For where his stick had struck her on the forehead therecame a sore that would not be healed, and in the sore grew an abscess, and the abscess ate inwards till it came to the brain. Then my motherfell down and died, and I cried very much, for I loved her, and itwas dreadful to see her cold and stiff, with not a word to say howeverloudly I called to her. Well, they buried my mother, and she was soonforgotten. I only remembered her, nobody else did--not even Baleka, forshe was too little--and as for my father he took another young wife andwas content. After that I was unhappy, for my brothers did not love me, because I was much cleverer than they, and had greater skill with theassegai, and was swifter in running; so they poisoned the mind of myfather against me and he treated me badly. But Baleka and I loved eachother, for we were both lonely, and she clung to me like a creeper tothe only tree in a plain, and though I was young, I learned this: thatto be wise is to be strong, for though he who holds the assegai kills, yet he whose mind directs the battle is greater than he who kills. Now Isaw that the witch-finders and the medicine-men were feared in the land, and that everybody looked up to them, so that, even when they had onlya stick in their hands, ten men armed with spears would fly before them. Therefore I determined that I should be a witch-doctor, for they alonecan kill those whom they hate with a word. So I learned the arts of themedicine-men. I made sacrifices, I fasted in the veldt alone, I did allthose things of which you have heard, and I learned much; for there iswisdom in our magic as well as lies--and you know it, my father, elseyou 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. Bynow I had mastered all I could learn by myself, so I joined myself on tothe chief medicine-man of our tribe, who was named Noma. He was old, hadone eye only, and was very clever. Of him I learned some tricks and morewisdom, but at last he grew jealous of me and set a trap to catch me. Asit chanced, a rich man of a neighbouring tribe had lost some cattle, andcame with gifts to Noma praying him to smell them out. Noma tried andcould not find them; his vision failed him. Then the headman grew angryand demanded back his gifts; but Noma would not give up that which heonce had held, and hot words passed. The headman said that he would killNoma; Noma said that he would bewitch the headman. 

"Peace, " I said, for I feared that blood would be shed. "Peace, and letme see if my snake will tell me where the cattle are. "

"You are nothing but a boy, " answered the headman. "Can a boy havewisdom?"

"That shall soon be known, " I said, taking the bones in my hand. (1)

 (1) The Kafir witch-doctors use the knuckle-bones of animals in their magic rites, throwing them something as we throw dice. --ED. 

"Leave the bones alone!" screamed Noma. "We will ask nothing more of oursnakes for the good of this son of a dog. "

"He shall throw the bones, " answered the headman. "If you try to stophim, I will let sunshine through you with my assegai. " And he lifted hisspear. 

Then I made haste to begin; I threw the bones. The headman sat on theground before me and answered my questions. You know of these matters, my father--how sometimes the witch-doctor has knowledge of where thelost things are, for our ears are long, and sometimes his Ehlose tellshim, as but the other day it told me of your oxen. Well, in this case, my snake stood up. I knew nothing of the man's cattle, but my Spirit waswith me and soon I saw them all, and told them to him one by one, theircolour, their age--everything. I told him, too, where they were, and howone of them had fallen into a stream and lay there on its back drowned, with its forefoot caught in a forked root. As my Ehlose told me so Itold the headman. 

Now, the man was pleased, and said that if my sight was good, and hefound the cattle, the gifts should be taken from Noma and given to me;and he asked the people who were sitting round, and there were many, ifthis was not just. "Yes, yes, " they said, it was just, and they wouldsee that it was done. But Noma sat still and looked at me evilly. Heknew that I had made a true divination, and he was very angry. It was abig matter: the herd of cattle were many, and, if they were found whereI had said, then all men would think me the greater wizard. Now it waslate, and the moon had not yet risen, therefore the headman said thathe would sleep that night in our kraal, and at the first light wouldgo with me to the spot where I said the cattle were. After that he wentaway. 

I too went into my hut and lay down to sleep. Suddenly I awoke, feelinga weight upon my breast. I tried to start up, but something cold prickedmy throat. I fell back again and looked. The door of the hut was open, the moon lay low on the sky like a ball of fire far away. I could seeit through the door, and its light crept into the hut. It fell upon theface of Noma the witch-doctor. He was seated across me, glaring at mewith his one eye, and in his hand was a knife. It was that which I hadfelt prick my throat. 

"You whelp whom I have bred up to tear me!" he hissed into my ear, "youdared to divine where I failed, did you? Very well, now I will show youhow 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 by bit, and in the morning I will tell the people that the spiritsdid it because you lied. Next, I will take off your arms and legs. Yes, yes, I will make you like a stick! Then I will"--and he began driving inthe knife under my 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. "Willyou get up, go to find the dog's cattle and drive them to a certainplace, and hide them there?" And he named a secret valley that was knownto very few. "If you do that, I will spare you and give you three ofthe cows. If you refuse or play my false, then, by my father's spirit, Iwill find a way to kill you!"

"Certainly I will do it, my uncle, " I answered. "Why did you not trustme before? Had I known that you wanted to keep the cattle, I would neverhave 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 domy bidding. You can be back here two hours after dawn. "

So I got up, thinking all the while whether I should try to spring onhim. But I was without arms, and he had the knife; also if, by chance, Iprevailed and killed him, it would have been thought that I had murderedhim, and I should have tasted the assegai. So I made another plan. Iwould go and find the cattle in the valley where I had smelt them out, but I would not bring them to the secret hiding-place. No; I woulddrive them straight to the kraal, and denounce Noma before the chief, myfather, and all the people. But I was young in those days, and did notknow the heart of Noma. He had not been a witch-doctor till he grew oldfor nothing. Oh! he was evil!--he was cunning as a jackal, and fiercelike a lion. . He had planted me by him like a tree, but he meant tokeep me clipped like a bush. Now I had grown tall and overshadowed him;therefore he would root me up. 

I went to the corner of my hut, Noma watching me all the while, and tooka kerrie and my small shield. Then I started through the moonlight. TillI was past the kraal I glided along quietly as a shadow. After that, Ibegan 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 thehillside where the bush began. Here it was very dark under the shadeof the trees, and I sang louder than ever. At last I found the littlebuffalo path I sought, and turned along it. Presently I came to an openplace, where the moonlight crept in between the trees. I knelt down andlooked. Yes! my snake had not lied to me; there was the spoor of thecattle. Then I went on gladly till I reached a dell through which thewater ran softly, sometimes whispering and sometimes talking out loud. Here the trail of the cattle was broad: they had broken down the fernswith 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. Allwas just as I had seen it in my heart. 

I stepped forward and looked round. My eye caught something; it was thefaint grey light of the dawn glinted on the cattle's horns. As I looked, one of them snorted, rose and shook the dew from his hide. He seemed bigas an elephant in the mist and twilight. 

Then I collected them all--there were seventeen--and drove them beforeme 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 whereI must turn if I wished to hide the cattle in the secret place, as Nomahad bid me. But I would not do this. No, I would go on to the kraalwith them, and tell all men that Noma was a thief. Still, I sat down andrested awhile, for I was tired. As I sat, I heard a noise, and lookedup. There, over the slope of the rise, came a crowd of men, and leadingthem was Noma, and by his side the headman who owned the cattle. I roseand stood still, wondering; but as I stood, they ran towards me shoutingand waving sticks and spears. 

"There he is!" screamed Noma. "There he is!--the clever boy whom I havebrought up to bring shame on me. What did I tell you? Did I not tell youthat he was a thief? Yes--yes! I know your tricks, Mopo, my child! See!he is stealing the cattle! He knew where they were all the time, and nowhe 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 beganto swim round, a red cloth seemed to lift itself up and down before myeyes. I have always seen it thus when I was forced to fight. I screamedout one word only, "Liar!" and ran to meet him. On came Noma. He struckat me with his stick, but I caught the blow upon my little shield, andhit back. Wow! I did hit! The skull of Noma met my kerrie, and down hefell dead at my feet. I yelled again, and rushed on at the headman. Hethrew an assegai, but it missed me, and next second I hit him too. Hegot up his shield, but I knocked it down upon his head, and over herolled senseless. Whether he lived or died I do not know, my father; buthis head being of the thickest, I think it likely that he lived. Then, while the people stood astonished, I turned and fled like the wind. Theyturned too, and ran after me, throwing spears at me and trying to cut meoff. But none of them could catch me--no, not one. I went like the wind;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 ofsight and alone. 

CHAPTER III. MOPO VENTURES HOME

I threw myself down on the grass and panted till my breath came back;then I went and hid in a patch of reeds down by a swamp. All day long Ilay there thinking. What was I to do? Now I was a jackal without a hole. If I went back to my people, certainly they would kill me, whom theythought a thief. My blood would be given for Noma's, and that I did notwish, though my heart was sad. Then there came into my mind the thoughtof Chaka, the boy to whom I had given the cup of water long ago. I hadheard of him: his name was known in the land; already the air was bigwith it; the very trees and grass spoke it. The words he had said andthe vision that my mother had seen were beginning to come true. By thehelp of the Umtetwas he had taken the place of his father Senzangacona;he had driven out the tribe of the Amaquabe; now he made war on Zweete, chief of the Endwande, and he had sworn that he would stamp the Endwandeflat, so that nobody could find them any more. Now I remembered how thisChaka promised that he would make me great, and that I should grow fatin his shadow; and I thought to myself that I would arise and go to him. Perhaps he would kill me; well, what did it matter? Certainly I shouldbe killed if I stayed here. Yes, I would go. But now my heart pulledanother way. There was but one whom I loved in the world--it wasmy sister Baleka. My father had betrothed her to the chief of aneighbouring tribe, but I knew that this marriage was against her wish. Perhaps my sister would run away with me if I could get near her to tellher that I was going. I would try--yes, I would try. 

I waited till the darkness came down, then I rose from my bed of weedsand crept like a jackal towards the kraal. In the mealie gardens Istopped awhile, for I was very hungry, and filled myself with thehalf-ripe mealies. Then I went on till I came to the kraal. Some of mypeople were seated outside of a hut, talking together over a fire. Icrept near, silently as a snake, and hid behind a little bush. I knewthat they could not see me outside the ring of the firelight, and Iwanted to hear what they said. As I guessed, they were talking of meand 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 thepeople of the headman would demand payment for the assault on him. Ilearned, moreover, that my father had ordered out all the men of thetribe to hunt for me on the morrow and to kill me wherever they foundme. "Ah!" I thought, "you may hunt, but you will bring nothing home tothe pot. " Just then a dog that was lying by the fire got up and began tosniff the air. I could not see what dog it was--indeed, I had forgottenall about the dogs when I drew near the kraal; that is what comes ofwant of experience, my father. The dog sniffed and sniffed, then hebegan to growl, looking always my way, and I grew afraid. 

"What is the dog growling at?" said one man to another. "Go and see. "But the other man was taking snuff and did not like to move. "Let thedog go and see for himself, " he answered, sneezing, "what is the good ofkeeping 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, stoppedbarking, and running round the bush he found me and began to lick myface. "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 he bewitched, 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 catchme, or I must run for my life again. But as I sprang up to run, a bigblack snake glided between the men and went off towards the huts. Theyjumped aside in a great fright, then all of them turned to follow thesnake, saying that this was what the dog was barking at. That was mygood Ehlose, my father, which without any doubt took the shape of asnake to save my life. 

When they had gone I crept off the other way, and Koos followed me. Atfirst I thought that I would kill him, lest he should betray me; butwhen I called to him to knock him on the head with my kerrie, he satdown upon the ground wagging his tail, and seemed to smile in my face, and I could not do it. So I thought that I would take my chance, and wewent on together. This was my purpose: first to creep into my own hutand get my assegais and a skin blanket, then to gain speech with Baleka. My hut, I thought, would be empty, for nobody sleeps there exceptmyself, and the huts of Noma were some paces away to the right. I cameto the reed fence that surrounded the huts. Nobody was to be seen at thegate, 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 downoutside, I stepped through boldly, reached the door of my hut, andlistened. It was empty; there was not even a breath to be heard. So Icrept in and began to search for my assegais, my water-gourd, and mywood pillow, which was so nicely carved that I did not like to leave it. Soon I found them. Then I felt about for my skin rug, and as I did so myhand touched something cold. I started, and felt again. It was a man'sface--the face of a dead man, of Noma, whom I had killed and who hadbeen laid in my hut to await burial. Oh! then I was frightened, for Nomadead and in the dark was worse than Noma alive. I made ready to fly, when suddenly I heard the voices of women talking outside the door ofthe hut. I knew the voices; they were those of Noma's two wives, and oneof them said she was coming in to watch by her husband's body. Now I wasin a trap indeed, for before I could do anything I saw the light go outof a hole in the hut, and knew by the sound of a fat woman puffingas she bent herself up that Noma's first wife was coming through it. Presently she was in, and, squatting by the side of the corpse in such afashion that I could not get to the door, she began to make lamentationsand to call down curses on me. Ah! she did not know that I waslistening. I too squatted by Noma's head, and grew quick-witted in myfear. Now that the woman was there I was not so much afraid of the deadman, and I remembered, too, that he had been a great cheat; so I thoughtI would make him cheat for the last time. I placed my hands beneath hisshoulders and pushed him up so that he sat upon the ground. The womanheard the noise and made a sound in her throat. 

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

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

"What! will you also dare to shriek?" I said again in Noma's voice;"then I must teach you silence. " And I tumbled him over on to the top ofher. 

Then her senses left her, and whether she ever found them again I do notknow. 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 Basutos ofchosen cat-skins, and worth three oxen--and I fled, followed by Koos. 

Now the kraal of the chief, my father, Makedama, was two hundred pacesaway, and I must go thither, for there Baleka slept. Also I dared notenter by the gate, because a man was always on guard there. So I cut myway through the reed fence with my assegai and crept to the hut whereBaleka was with some of her half-sisters. I knew on which side of thehut it was her custom to lie, and where her head would be. So I lay downon my side and gently, very gently, began to bore a hole in the grasscovering 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 mymind that Baleka might have changed her place, and that I might wake thewrong girl. I almost gave it over, thinking that I would fly alone, whensuddenly I heard a girl wake and begin to cry on the other side of thethatch. "Ah, " I thought, "that is Baleka, who weeps for her brother!" SoI put my lips where the thatch was thinnest and whispered:--

"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 havedone. No; she understood, and, after waiting awhile, she rose and creptfrom the hut, her blanket in her hand. 

"Why are you here, Mopo?" she whispered, as we met. "Surely you will bekilled!"

"Hush!" I said. And then I told her of the plan which I had made. "Willyou come with me?" I said, when I had done, "or will you creep back intothe 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 theend of it--that you will lead me to my death. "

I did not think much of her words at the time, but afterwards they cameback to me. So we slipped away together, followed by the dog Koos, and soon we were running over the veldt with our faces set towards thecountry of the Zulu tribe. 

CHAPTER IV. THE FLIGHT OF MOPO AND BALEKA

All the rest of that night we journeyed, till even the dog was tired. Then we hid in a mealie field for the day, as we were afraid of beingseen. Towards the afternoon we heard voices, and, looking through thestems of the mealies, we saw a party of my father's men pass searchingfor us. They went on to a neighbouring kraal to ask if we had been seen, and after that we saw them no more for awhile. At night we travelledagain; but, as fate would have it, we were met by an old woman, wholooked oddly at us but said nothing. After that we pushed on day andnight, for we knew that the old woman would tell the pursuers if she metthem; and so indeed it came about. On the third evening we reached somemealie gardens, and saw that they had been trampled down. Among thebroken 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 alittle way. Then we saw that the kraal to which the gardens belongedwas burnt down. We crept up to it, and--ah! it was a sad sight for usto see! Afterwards we became used to such sights. All about us laythe bodies of dead people, scores of them--old men, young men, women, children, little babies at the breast--there they lay among the burnthuts, pierced with assegai wounds. Red was the earth with their blood, and red they looked in the red light of the setting sun. It was asthough all the land had been smeared with the bloody hand of the GreatSpirit, of the Umkulunkulu. Baleka saw it and began to cry; she wasweary, 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 I hearda 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, myfather. A little way from her lay a man dead, and before him severalother men of another tribe: he had died fighting. In front of the womanwere the bodies of three children; another, a little one, lay on herbody. I looked at the woman, and, as I looked, she groaned again, openedher eyes and saw me, and that I had a spear in my hand. 

"Kill me quickly!" she said. "Have you not tortured me enough?"

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

"Then bring me water, " she said; "there is a spring there behind thekraal. "

I called to Baleka to come to the woman, and went with my gourd to thespring. There were bodies in it, but I dragged them out, and when thewater had cleared a little I filled the gourd and brought it back to thewoman. She drank deep, and her strength came back a little--the watergave 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 sleepingby my husband, with him who lies there, and the children. We all ranout. My husband had a spear and shield. He was a brave man. See! he diedbravely: he killed three of the Zulu devils before he himself was dead. Then they caught me, and killed my children, and stabbed me till theythought that I was dead. Afterwards, they went away. I don't know whythey came, but I think it was because our chief would not send men tohelp 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 evilsuch things would not happen. " That is how I thought then, my father;now I think differently. I know that we had not found out the path ofthe Great Spirit, that is all. I was a chicken in those days, my father;afterwards I got used to such sights. They did not stir me any more, notone whit. But then in the days of Chaka the rivers ran blood--yes, wehad to look at the water to see if it was clean before we drank. Peoplelearned how to die then and not make a noise about it. What does itmatter? They would have been dead now anyway. It does not matter;nothing matters, except being born. That is a mistake, my father. 

We stopped at the kraal that night, but we could not sleep, for we heardthe Itongo, the ghosts of the dead people, moving about and calling toeach other. It was natural that they should do so; men were looking fortheir wives, and mothers for their children. But we were afraid thatthey might be angry with us for being there, so we clung together andtrembled in each other's arms. Koos also trembled, and from time to timehe howled loudly. But they did not seem to see us, and towards morningtheir cries grew fainter. 

When the first light came we rose and picked our way through the deaddown to the plain. Now we had an easy road to follow to Chaka's kraal, for there was the spoor of the impi and of the cattle which they hadstolen, and sometimes we came to the body of a warrior who had beenkilled because his wounds prevented him from marching farther. But nowI was doubtful whether it was wise for us to go to Chaka, for after whatwe had seen I grew afraid lest he should kill us. Still, we had nowhereto turn, so I said that we would walk along till something happened. Now we grew faint with hunger and weariness, and Baleka said that we hadbetter sit down and die, for then there would be no more trouble. So wesat down by a spring. But I did not wish to die yet, thought Baleka wasright, 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 atsomething and the sound of struggling. I ran to the bush--he had caughthold of a duiker buck, as big as himself, that was asleep in it. ThenI drove my spear into the buck and shouted for joy, for here was food. When the buck was dead I skinned him, and we took bits of the flesh, washed them in the water, and ate them, for we had no fire to cook themwith. It is not nice to eat uncooked flesh, but we were so hungry thatwe did not mind, and the good refreshed us. When we had eaten what wecould, we rose and washed ourselves at the spring; but, as we washed, 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, peopleof my own 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. We too 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 tothe banks of the White Umfolozi, which twisted through the plain like agreat and shining snake. On the other side the ground rose again, and wedid not know what was beyond, but we thought that in this direction laythe kraal of Chaka. We ran for the river--where else were we to run?And after us came the warriors. They gained on us; they were strong, and they were angry because they had come so far. Run as we would, stillthey gained. Now we neared the banks of the river; it was full and wide. Above us the waters ran angrily, breaking into swirls of white wherethey passed over sunken rocks; below was a rapid, in which none mightlive; between the two a deep pool, where the water was quiet but thestream strong. 

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

"There is this to choose, " I answered; "perish on the spears of ourpeople 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 the spirits ofour fathers be with us! At the least we can swim. " And I led her tothe head of the pool. We threw away our blankets--everything except anassegai, 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 andwere swimming towards the middle of the river, the dog Koos leading theway. 

Then it was that the soldiers appeared upon the bank. "Ah! littlepeople, " one cried, "you swim, do you? Well, you will drown; and if youdo not drown we know a ford, and we will catch you and kill you--yes! ifwe 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 oflight. 

While he spoke we swam hard, and now we were in the current. It sweptus downwards, but still we made way, for we could swim well. It was justthis: if we could reach the bank before we were swept into the rapidswe were safe; if not, then--good-night! Now we were near the other side, but, alas! we were also near the lip of the foaming water. We strained, we struggled. Baleka was a brave girl, and she swam bravely; but thewater pushed her down below me, and I could do nothing to help her. Igot my foot upon the rock and looked round. There she was, and eightpaces from her the broken water boiled. I could not go back. I was tooweak, and it seemed that she must perish. But the dog Koos saw. He swamtowards 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 took struck out with her feet andleft hand, and slowly--very slowly--drew near. Then I stretched outthe handle of my assegai towards her. She caught it with her left hand. Already her feet were over the brink of the rapids, but I pulled andKoos pulled, and we brought her safe into the shadows, and from theshallows to the bank, and there she fell gasping. 

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

"Arise, Baleka!" I said: "they have gone to see a ford. "

"Ah, let me die!" she answered. 

But I forced her to rise, and after awhile she got her breath again, and we walked on as fast as we could up the long rise. For two hourswe walked, or more, till at last we came to the crest of the rise, andthere, far away, we saw a large kraal. 

"Keep heart, " I said. "See, there is the kraal of Chaka. "

"Yes, brother, " she answered, "but what waits us there? Death is behindus 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 pathtill at last we were but half an hour's journey from the kraal. Thenwe looked back, and lo! there behind us were the pursuers--five ofthem--one had drowned in crossing the river. 

Again we ran, but now we were weak, and they gained upon us. Then oncemore I thought of the dog. He was fierce and would tear any one on whomI set him. I called him and told him what to do, though I knew thatit would be his death. He understood, and flew towards the soldiersgrowling, his hair standing up on his spine. They tried to kill him withspears and kerries, but he jumped round them, biting at them, and keptthem back. At last a man hit him, and he sprang up and seized the man bythe throat. There he clung, man and dog rolling over and over together, till the end of it was that they both died. Ah! he was a dog! We do notsee such dogs nowadays. His father was a Boer hound, the first that cameinto 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 fromthe gate of the kraal, and there was something going on inside it; thatwe could see from the noise and the dust. The four soldiers, leaving thedead dog and the dying man, came after us swiftly. I saw that they mustcatch us before we reached the gate, for now Baleka could go but slowly. Then a thought came into my head. I had brought her here, I would saveher life if I could. Should she reach the kraal without me, Chaka wouldnot kill a girl who was so young and fair. 

"Run on, Baleka! run on!" I said, dropping behind. Now she was almostblind with weariness and terror, and, not seeing my purpose, staggeredtowards the gate of the kraal. But I sat down on the veldt to get mybreath again, for I was about to fight four men till I was killed. Myheart beat and the blood drummed in my ears, but when they drew near andI rose--the assegai in my hand--once more the red cloth seemed to go upand down before my eyes, and all fear left me. 

The men were running, two and two, with the length of a spear throwbetween them. But of the first pair one was five or six paces in frontof the other. This man shouted out loud and charged me, shield and spearup. Now I had no shield--nothing but the assegai; but I was crafty andhe was overbold. On he came. I stood waiting for him till he drew backthe spear to stab me. Then suddenly I dropped to my knees and thrustupward with all my strength, beneath the rim of his shield, and healso thrust, but over me, his spear only cutting the flesh of myshoulder--see! here is its scar; yes, to this day. And my assegai? Ah!it went home; it ran through and through his middle. He rolled over andover on the plain. The dust hid him; only I was now weaponless, for thehaft of my spear--it was but a light throwing assegai--broke in two, 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 handsand knees and flung myself over sideways. My body struck the legs of theman who was about to stab me, lifting his feet from beneath him. Down hecame heavily. Before he had touched the ground I was off it. His spearhad fallen from his hand. I stooped, seized it, and as he rose I stabbedhim through the back. It was all done in the shake of a leaf, my father;in the shake of a leaf he also was dead. Then I ran, for I had nostomach for the other two; my valour was gone. 

About a hundred paces from me Baleka was staggering along with her armsout like one who has drunk too much beer. By the time I caught her shewas some forty paces from the gate of the kraal. But then her strengthleft her altogether. Yes! there she fell senseless, and I stood by her. And there, too, I should have been killed, had not this chanced, sincethe other two men, having stayed one instant by their dead fellows, cameon against me mad with rage. For at that moment the gate of the kraalopened, and through it ran a party of soldiers dragging a prisoner bythe arms. After them walked a great man, who wore a leopard skin onhis shoulders, and was laughing, and with him were five or six ringedcouncillors, and after them again came a company of warriors. 

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

"Who are you?" they cried, "who day to kill at the gate of theElephant's kraal? Here the Elephant kills alone. "

"We are of the children of Makedama, " they answered, "and we followthese 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 theroad. Suffer that we slay them. "

"Ask that of the Elephant, " said the soldiers; "ask too that he sufferyou should not be slain. "

Just then the tall chief saw blood and heard words. He stalked up; andhe was a great man to look at, though still quite young in years. Forhe was taller by a head than any round him, and his chest was big as thechests of two; his face was fierce and beautiful, and when he grew angryhis eye flashed like a smitten brand. 

"Who are these that dare to stir up dust at the gates of my kraal?" heasked, frowning. 

"O Chaka, O Elephant!" answered the captain of the soldiers, bendinghimself double before him, "the men say that these are evildoers andthat 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 of mypeople who sought to kill us. 

"I hear you, " he answered, then spoke once more to the captain. "Andwhen they have slain the evildoers, let themselves be blinded and turnedloose to seek their way home, because they have dared to lift a spearwithin the Zulu gates. Now praise on, my children!" And he laughed, while the 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 seeksuch justice as this. 

"Cut out their tongues also, " said Chaka. "What? shall the land of theZulus suffer such a noise? Never! lest the cattle miscarry. To it, yeblack 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 giveit. Take these men, smear them with honey, and pin them over ant-heaps;by to-morrow's sun they will know their own minds. But first kill thesetwo hunted 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 sister Baleka. "

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

"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 the Langeni tribe. It was I who gave thee a gourd of water many years ago, when we wereboth little. Then thou badest me come to thee when thou hadst growngreat, vowing that thou wouldst protect me and never do me harm. So Ihave come, bringing my sister with me; and now, I pray thee, do not eatup the words of long ago. "

As I spoke, Chaka's face changed, and he listened earnestly, as aman who holds 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. But of thy sister I said nothing. Why, then, should she not be slainwhen I swore vengeance against all thy tribe, save thee alone?"

"Because she is too fair to slay, O Chief!" I answered, boldly; "alsobecause I love her, and ask her life as a boon!"

"Turn the girl over, " said Chaka. And they did so, showing her face. 

"Again thou speakest no lie, son of Makedama, " said the chief. "I grantthee the boon. She also shall lie in my hut, and be of the number of my'sisters. ' Now tell me thy tale, speaking only the truth. "

So I sat down and told him all. Nor did he grow weary of listening. But, when I had done, he said but one thing--that he would that the dog Kooshad not been killed; since, if he had still been alive, he would haveset him on the hut of my father Makedama, and made him chief over theLangeni. 

Then he spoke to the captain of the soldiers. "I take back my words, " hesaid. "Let not these men of the Langeni be mutilated. One shall die andthe other shall go free. Here, " and he pointed to the man whom we hadseen led out of the kraal-gate, "here, Mopo, we have a man who hasproved himself a coward. Yesterday a kraal of wizards yonder was eatenup by my order--perhaps you two saw it as you travelled. This man andthree others attacked a soldier of that kraal who defended his wife andchildren. The man fought well--he slew three of my people. Then thisdog was afraid to meet him face to face. He killed him with a throwingassegai, and afterwards he stabbed the woman. That is nothing; but heshould have fought the husband hand to hand. Now I will do him honour. He shall fight to the death with one of these pigs from thy sty, " and hepointed with his spear to the men of my father's kraal, "and the one whosurvives shall be run down as they tried to run you down. I will sendback the other pig to the sty with a message. Choose, children ofMakedama, which of you will live. "

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

"What, is there honour among pigs?" said Chaka. "Then I will settle it. See this assegai? I throw it into the air; if the blade falls uppermostthe tall man shall go free; if the shaft falls uppermost, then life isto 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 haftstruck the ground first. 

"Come hither, thou, " said Chaka to the tall brother. "Hasten back tothe 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 Zulus it is a very bad omen for a dog to climb the roof of a hut. The saying conveyed a threat to be appreciated by every Zulu. --ED. 

The man turned, shook his brother by the hand, and went, bearing thewords of evil omen. 

Then Chaka called to the Zulu and the last of those who had followedus to kill us, bidding them fight. So, when they had praised the princethey fought fiercely, and the end of it was that the man of my peopleconquered the Zulu. But as soon as he had found his breath again he wasset 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 gotaway safely. Nor was Chaka angry at this; for I think that he bade themen who hunted him to make speed slowly. There was only one good thingin the cruel heart of Chaka, that he would always save the life of abrave man if he could do so without making his word nothing. And for mypart, I was glad to think that the man of my people had conquered himwho murdered the children of the dying woman that we found at the kraalbeyond 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 theZulu. Now you may ask why have I kept you so long with this tale, whichis as are other tales of our people. But that shall be seen, for fromthese matters, as a tree from a seed, grew the birth of UmslopogaasBulalio, Umslopogaas the Slaughterer, and Nada the Beautiful, of whoselove my story has to tell. For Nada was my daughter, and Umslopogaas, though few knew it, was none other than the son of Chaka, born of mysister Baleka. 

Now when Baleka recovered from the weariness of our flight, and had herbeauty again, 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 his izinyanga of medicine, and he was so well pleased with mymedicine that in the end I became his head doctor. Now this was a greatpost, in which, during the course of years, I grew fat in cattle and inwives; but also it was one of much danger. For when I rose strong andwell in the morning, I could never know but that at night I should sleepstiff and red. Many were the doctors whom Chaka slew; doctored theynever so well, they were killed at last. For a day would surely comewhen the king felt ill in his body or heavy in his mind, and then tothe assegai or the torment with the wizard who had doctored him! Yet Iescaped, because of the power of my medicine, and also because of thatoath 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 behindhim at council, in the battle I was ever at his side. 

Ah! the battle! the battle! In those days we knew how to fight, myfather! In those days the vultures would follow our impis by thousands, the hyenas would steal along our path in packs, and none went emptyaway. Never may I forget the first fight I stood in at the side ofChaka. It was just after the king had built his great kraal on the southbank of the Umhlatuze. Then it was that the chief Zwide attacked hisrival Chaka for the third time and Chaka moved out to meet him withten full regiments, (1) now for the first time armed with the shortstabbing-spear. 

 (1) About 30, 000 men. --ED. 

The ground lay this: On a long, low hill in front of our impi weremassed the regiments of Zwide; there were seventeen of them; the earthwas black with their number; their plumes filled the air like snow. We, too, were on a hill, and between us lay a valley down which there rana little stream. All night our fires shone out across the valley; allnight the songs of soldiers echoed down the hills. Then the grey dawningcame, the oxen lowed to the light, the regiments arose from their bed ofspears; they sprang up and shook the dew from hair and shield--yes! theyarose! the glad to die! The impi assumed its array regiment by regiment. There was the breast of spears, there were the horns of spears, theywere numberless as the stars, and like the stars they shone. The morningbreeze came up and fanned them, their plumes bent in the breeze; likea plain of seeding grass they bent, the plumes of the soldiers ripe forthe assegai. Up over the shoulder of the hill came the sun of Slaughter;it glowed red upon the red shields, red grew the place of killing; thewhite 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 thewaking of 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 armsof Victory. Victory would be their bride that night, and oh! her breastis fair. 

Hark! the war-song, the Ingomo, the music of which has the power todrive men mad, rose far away to the left, and was thrown along fromregiment to regiment--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 hiscaptains, his indunas, and by me. He walked along like a great buck;death was in his eyes, and like a buck he sniffed the air, scenting theair of slaughter. He lifted his assegai, and a silence fell; only thesound of chanting still rolled along the hills. 

"Where are the children of Zwide?" he shouted, and his voice was likethe voice of a bull. 

"Yonder, father, " answered the regiments. And every spear pointed acrossthe valley. 

"They do not come, " he shouted again. "Shall we then sit here till wegrow old?"

"No, father, " they answered. "Begin! begin!"

"Let the Umkandhlu regiment come forward!" he shouted a third time, andas he spoke the black shields of the Umkandhlu leaped from the ranks ofthe impi. 

"Go, my children!" cried Chaka. "There is the foe. Go and return nomore!"

"We hear you, father!" they answered with one voice, and moved down theslope like a countless herd of game with horns of steel. 

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

Ou! they are coming! Ou! they have met! Hearken to the thunder of theshields! 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 goesup from the host, only Chaka smiles. 

"Open up! open up!" he cries. "Make room for the Umkandhlu GIRLS!" Andwith hanging heads they pass us. 

Now he whispers a word to the indunas. The indunas run; they whisper toMenziwa the general and to the captains; then two regiments rush downthe hill, two more run to the right, and yet another two to the left. But Chaka stays on the hill with the three that are left. Again comesthe roar of the meeting shields. Ah! these are men: they fight, they donot run. Regiment after regiment pours upon them, but still they stand. They fall by hundreds and by thousands, but no man shows his back, andon each man there lie two dead. Wow! my father, of those two regimentsnot one escaped. They were but boys, but they were the children ofChaka. Menziwa was buried beneath the heaps of his warriors. Now thereare no such men. 

They are all dead and quiet. Chaka still holds his hand! He looks to thenorth and to the south. See! spears are shining among the trees. Now thehorns of our host close upon the flanks of the foe. They slay and areslain, but the men of Zwide are many and brave, and the battle turnsagainst us. 

Then again Chaka speaks a word. The captains hear, the soldiers stretchout their 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 ofplumes, and, like a river that has burnt its banks, like storm-cloudsbefore the gale, we sweep down upon friend and foe. They form up to meetus; the stream is passed; our wounded rise upon their haunches and waveus on. We trample them down. What matter? They can fight no more. Thenwe meet Zwide rushing to greet us, as bull meets bull. Ou! my father, I know no more. Everything grows red. That fight! that fight! We sweptthem away. When it was done there was nothing to be seen, but thehillside was black and red. Few fled; few were left to fly. We passedover them like fire; we ate them up. Presently we paused, looking forthe foe. All were dead. The host of Zwide was no more. Then we mustered. Ten regiments had looked upon the morning sun; three regiments saw thesun 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 wereached our kraal once more, Chaka summoned that regiment and musteredit. He spoke to them gently, gently. He thanked them for their service. He said it was natural that "girls" should faint at the sight of bloodand turn to seek their kraals. Yet he had bid them come back no more andthey had come back! What then was there now left for him to do? And hecovered his face with his blanket. Then the soldiers killed them all, nearly two thousand of them--killed them with taunts and jeers. 

That is how we dealt with cowards in those days, my father. After that, one Zulu was a match for five of any other tribe. If ten came againsthim, still he did not turn his back. "Fight and fall, but fly not, " thatwas our watchword. Never again while Chaka lived did a conquered forcepass the gates of the king's kraal. 

That fight was but one war out of many. With every moon a fresh impistarted to wash its spears, and came back few and thin, but with victoryand countless cattle. Tribe after tribe went down before us. Those ofthem who escaped the assegai were enrolled into fresh regiments, andthus, though men died by thousands every month, yet the army grew. Soon there were no other chiefs left. Umsuduka fell, and after himMancengeza. Umzilikazi was driven north; Matiwane was stamped flat. Thenwe poured into this land of Natal. When we entered, its people could notbe numbered. When we left, here and there a man might be found in a holein the earth--that was all. Men, women, and children, we wiped them out;the land was clean of them. Next came the turn of U'Faku, chief of theAmapondos. 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, though he had many wives. Every child born to him by his "sisters" wasput away at once. 

"What, Mopo, " he said to me, "shall I rear up children to put me to theassegai when they grow great? They call me tyrant. Say, how do thosechiefs die whom men name tyrants? They die at the hands of those whomthey have bred. Nay, Mopo, I will rule for my life, and when I join thespirits of my fathers let the strongest take my power and my place!"

Now it chanced that shortly after Chaka had spoken thus, my sisterBaleka, the king's wife, fell in labour; and on that same day my wifeMacropha was brought to bed of twins, and this but eight days after mysecond wife, Anadi, had given birth to a son. You ask, my father, howI came to be married, seeing that Chaka forbade marriage to all hissoldiers till they were in middle life and had put the man's ring upontheir heads. It was a boon he granted me as inyanga of medicine, sayingit was well that a doctor should know the sicknesses of women andlearn how to cure their evil tempers. As though, my father, that werepossible!

When the king heard that Baleka was sick he did not kill her outright, because he loved her a little, but he sent for me, commanding me toattend her, and when the child was born to cause its body to be broughtto him, according to custom, so that he might be sure that it was dead. I bent to the earth before him, and went to do his bidding with a heavyheart, for was not Baleka my sister? and would not her child be of myown blood? Still, it must be so, for Chaka's whisper was as the shout ofother kings, and, if we dared to disobey, then our lives and the livesof all in our kraals would answer for it. Better that an infant shoulddie than that we should become food for jackals. Presently I came to theEmposeni, the place of the king's wives, and declared the king's word tothe soldiers on guard. They lowered their assegais and let me pass, andI entered the hut of Baleka. In it were others of the king's wives, butwhen they saw me they rose and went away, for it was not lawful thatthey should stay where I was. Thus I was left alone with my sister. 

For awhile she lay silent, and I did not speak, though I saw by theheaving of her breast that she was weeping. 

"Hush, little one!" I said at length; "your sorrow will soon be done. "

"Nay, " she answered, lifting her head, "it will be but begun. Oh, cruelman! I know the reason of your coming. You come to murder the babe thatshall 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 babe bedragged from my breast and be strangled, and by you, Mopo? Have Inot loved you, Mopo? Did I not flee with you from our people and thevengeance of our father? Do you know that not two moons gone the kingwas wroth with you because he fell sick, and would have caused you tobe slain had I not pleaded for you and called his oath to mind? And thusyou pay me: you come to kill my child, my first-born child!"

"It is the king's word, woman, " I answered sternly; but my heart wassplit in two within me. 

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

Now, as she wept I heard a stir without the hut, and the light in thedoorway was darkened. A woman entered alone. I looked round to seewho it was, then fell upon the ground in salutation, for before me wasUnandi, mother of the king, who was named "Mother of the Heavens, " thatsame lady to whom my mother had refused the milk. 

"Hail, Mother of the Heavens!" I said. 

"Greeting, Mopo, " she answered. "Say, why does Baleka weep? Is itbecause 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 ismy brother, has come from him who is my lord and they son, to murderthat which shall be born of me. O thou whose breasts have given suck, plead for me! Thy son was not slain at birth. "

"Perhaps it were well if he had been so slain, Baleka, " said Unandi;"then had many another man lived to look upon the sun who is now dead. "

"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 thystock wither? The king, our lord, lives in war. He too may die, and whatthen?"

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

"They are not of they flesh, mother. What? thou dost not hearken! Thenas a 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 see the deadinfant, and if he suspect, and even reeds have ears, you know the heartof 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 theHeavens, and, my brother, hear me also. Do not think to play with me inthis matter. I will save my child or you twain will perish with it. ForI will tell the king that you came to me, the two of you, and whisperedplots into my ear--plots to save the child and kill the king. Nowchoose, and swiftly!"

She sank bank, there was silence, and we looked one upon another. ThenUnandi spoke. 

"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 hasnot seen the light rules as king in Zululand, and then in reward youshall be the greatest of the people, the king's voice, whisperer in theking's ear. But if you break your oath, then beware, for I shall not diealone!"

"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 that which must bedone swiftly, for my sorrow is upon me. Go, knowing that if you fail Iwill be pitiless, for I will bring you to your death, yes, even if myown death is the price!"

So I went. "Whither to 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? shouldI kill my own child that its life might be given for the life of thebabe of Baleka? And should I lift up my will against the will of theking, saving the child to look upon the sun which he had doomed todarkness? Nay, I would fly, leaving all, and seek out some far tribewhere I might begin to live again. Here I could not live; here in theshadow of Chaka was nothing but death. 

I reached my own huts, there to find that my wife Macropha was deliveredof twins. I sent away all in the hut except my other wife, Anadi, shewho eight days gone had born 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 Nadathe Beautiful, Nada the Lily. Then a thought came into my heart. Herewas a path to run on. 

"Give me the boy, " I said to Anadi. "He is not dead. Give him to me thatI may take him outside the kraal and wake him to life by my medicine. "

"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, andoutside of all I rolled a mat of plaited grass. 

"Suffer none to enter the hut till I return, " I said; "and speak no wordof the child that seems to be dead. If you allow any to enter, or if youspeak 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 tosave both when twins are born; but I ran swiftly to the gates of theEmposeni. 

"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 alonein the hut with my sister. 

"The child is born, " said the mother of the king. "Look at him, Mopo, son of Makedama!"

I looked. He was a great child with large black eyes like the eyesof Chaka the king; and Unandi, too, looked at me. "Where is it?" shewhispered. 

I loosed the mat and drew the dead child from the medicines, glancinground fearfully 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 thetongue of the child. Now this drug has the power to make the tongue ittouches dumb for awhile. Then I wrapped up the child in my medicinesand again bound the mat about the bundle. But round the throat of thestill-born babe I tied a string of fibre as though I had strangled it, and wrapped it loosely in a piece of matting. 

Now for the first time I spoke to Baleka: "Woman, " I said, "and thoualso, Mother of the Heavens, I have done your wish, but know that beforeall is finished this deed shall bring about the death of many. Be secretas the grave, for the grave yawns for you both. "

I went again, bearing the mat containing the dead child in my righthand. But the bundle of medicines that held the living one I fastenedacross my shoulders. I passed out of the Emposeni, and, as I went, Iheld up the bundle in my right hand to the guards, showing them thatwhich was in it, but saying nothing. 

"It is good, " they said, nodding. 

But now ill-fortune found me, for just outside the Emposeni I met threeof the king's messengers. 

"Greeting, son of Makedama!" they said. "The king summons you to theIntunkulu"--that is the royal house, my father. 

"Good!" I answered. "I will come now; but first I would run to my ownplace to see how it goes with Macropha, my wife. Here is that which theking seeks, " and I showed them the dead child. "Take it to him if youwill. "

"That is not the king's command, Mopo, " they answered. "His word is thatyou should stand before him at once. "

Now my heart turned to water in my breast. Kings have many ears. Couldhe have heard? And how dared I go before the Lion bearing his livingchild hidden on my back? Yet to waver was to be lost, to show fear wasto be lost, to disobey was to be lost. 

"Good! I come, " I answered. And we walked to the gate of the Intunkulu. 

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

"Rise, son of Makedama!" he said. 

"I cannot rise, Lion of the Zulu, " I answered, "I cannot rise, havingroyal 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 take itaway. "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 of one who isa 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 wouldvisit her. "

"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 my will. '"

"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? Mymyself I swear, though she is my mother--if I thought"--and he ceased. 

Thee was a silence, then he spoke again. "Say, what is in that mat?" andhe pointed with his little assegai at the bundle on my shoulders. 

"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 that which I amforced to swallow--I, who am the first of doctors?"

"Death is the king's medicine, " I answered, lifting the bundle, andlaying it as far from him in the shadow of the fence as I dared. ThenI bent over it, slowly undoing the rimpis with which it was tied, whilethe sweat of terror ran down by face blinding me like tears. What wouldI do if he saw the child? What if the child awoke and cried? I wouldsnatch the assegai from his hand and stab him! Yes, I would kill theking and then kill myself! Now the mat was unrolled. Inside were thebrown leaves and roots of medicine; beneath them was the senseless badewrapped in dead moss. 

"Ugly stuff, " said the king, taking snuff. "Now see, Mopo, what a goodaim I have! This for thy medicine!" And he lifted his assegai to throwit through the bundle. But as he threw, my snake put it into the king'sheart to sneeze, and thus it came to pass that the assegai only piercedthe 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. "And now, begone! Take my advice: kill thy children, as I kill mine, lest theylive to worry thee. The whelps of lions are best drowned. "

I did up the bundle fast--fast, though my hands trembled. Oh! what ifthe child should wake and cry. It was done; I rose and saluted the king. Then I doubled myself up and passed from before him. Scarcely was Ioutside the gates of the Intunkulu when the infant began to squeak inthe bundle. If it had been one minute before!

"What, " said a soldier, as I passed, "have you got a puppy hidden underyour moocha, (1) Mopo?"

 (1) Girdle composed of skin and tails of oxen. -ED. 

I made no answer, but hurried on till I came to my huts. I entered;there were my 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, " I answered. 

"His eyes are not as his eyes were, " she said again. "Now they are bigand black, like the eyes of the king. "

"My spirit looked upon his eyes and made them beautiful, " I answered. 

"This child has a birth-mark on his thigh, " she said a third time. "Thatwhich I gave you had no mark. "

"I laid my medicine there, " I answered. 

"It is not the same child, " she said sullenly. "It is a changeling whowill lay ill-luck at our doors. "

Then I rose up in my rage and cursed her heavily, for I saw that if shewas not stopped this woman's tongue would bring us all to ruin. 

"Peace, witch!" I cried. "How dare you to speak thus from a lying heart?Do you wish to draw down a curse upon our roof? Would you make us allfood for the king's spear? Say such words again, and you shall sitwithin the circle--the Ingomboco shall know you for a witch!"

So I stormed on, threatening to bring her to death, till at length shegrew fearful, and fell at my feet praying for mercy and forgiveness. But I was much afraid because of this woman's tongue, and not withoutreason. 

CHAPTER VII. UMSLOPOGAAS ANSWERS THE KING

Now the years went on, and this matter slept. Nothing more was heard ofit, but still it only slept; and, my father, I feared greatly forthe hour when it should awake. For the secret was known by twowomen--Unandi, Mother of the Heavens, and Baleka, my sister, wife of theking; and by two more--Macropha and Anadi, my wives--it was guessed at. How, then, should it remain a secret forever? Moreover, it came aboutthat Unandi and Baleka could not restrain their fondness for this childwho was called my son and named Umslopogaas, but who was the son ofChaka, the king, and of the Baleka, and the grandson of Unandi. So ithappened that very often one or the other of them would come into myhut, making pretence to visit my wives, and take the boy upon her lapand fondle it. In vain did I pray them to forbear. Love pulled at theirheart-strings more heavily than my words, and still they came. This wasthe 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 of me. "Cannot she kiss me, if she will find a child to kiss?" And he laughedlike a wolf. 

I said that I did not know, and the matter passed over for awhile. But after that Chaka caused his mother to be watched. Now the boyUmslopogaas grew great and strong; there was no such lad of his yearsfor a day's journey round. But from a babe he was somewhat surly, of fewwords, and like his father, Chaka, afraid of nothing. In all the worldthere were but two people whom he loved--these were I, Mopo, who wascalled his father, and Nada, she who was said to be his twin sister. 

Now it must be told of Nada that as the boy Umslopogaas was thestrongest and bravest of children, so the girl Nada was the gentlest andmost fair. Of a truth, my father, I believe that her blood was not allZulu, though this I cannot say for certain. At the least, her eyes weresofter and larger than those of our people, her hair longer and lesstightly curled, and her skin was lighter--more of the colour of purecopper. These things she had from her mother, Macropha; though she wasfairer than Macropha--fairer, indeed, than any woman of my people whomI have seen. Her mother, Macropha, my wife, was of Swazi blood, and wasbrought to the king's kraal with other captives after a raid, and givento me as a wife by the king. It was said that she was the daughter of aSwazi headman of the tribe of the Halakazi, and that she was born of hiswife is true, but whether he was her father I do not know; for I haveheard from the lips of Macropha herself, that before she was born therewas a white man staying at her father's kraal. He was a Portuguese fromthe coast, a handsome man, and skilled in the working of iron. Thiswhite man loved the mother of my wife, Macropha, and some held thatMacropha was his daughter, and not that of the Swazi headman. At leastI know this, that before my wife's birth the Swazi killed the white man. But none can tell the truth of these matters, and I only speak of thembecause the beauty of Nada was rather as is the beauty of the whitepeople than of ours, and this might well happen if her grandfatherchanced to be a white man. 

Now Umslopogaas and Nada were always together. Together they ate, together they slept and wandered; they thought one thought and spokewith one tongue. Ou! it was pretty to see them! Twice while they werestill children did Umslopogaas save the life of Nada. 

The first time it came about thus. The two children had wandered farfrom the kraal, seeking certain berries that little ones love. On theywandered and on, singing as they went, till at length they found theberries, and ate heartily. Then it was near sundown, and when they hadeaten they fell asleep. In the night they woke to find a great windblowing and a cold rain falling on them, for it was the beginning ofwinter, when fruits are ripe. 

"Up, Nada!" said Umslopogaas, "we must seek the kraal or the cold willkill us. "

So Nada rose, frightened, and hand in hand they stumbled through thedarkness. But in the wind and the night they lost their path, and whenat length the dawn came they were in a forest that was strange to them. They rested awhile, and finding berries ate them, then walked again. All that day they wandered, till at last the night came down, and theyplucked branches of trees and piled the branches over them for warmth, and they were so weary that they fell asleep in each other's arms. Atdawn they rose, but now they were very tired and berries were few, sothat by midday they were spent. Then they lay down on the side of asteep 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 willclimb the hill and look across the forest. "

So he left her and climbed the hill, and on its side he found manyberries and a root that is good for food, and filled himself with them. At length he came to the crest of the hill and looked out across the seaof green. Lo! there, far away to the east, he saw a line of white thatlay like smoke against the black surface of a cliff, and knew it for thewaterfall beyond the royal town. Then he came down the hill, shoutingfor joy and bearing roots and berries in his hand. But when he reachedthe spot where Nada was, he found that her senses had left her throughhunger, cold, and weariness. She lay upon the ground like one asleep, and over her stood a jackal that fled as he drew nigh. Now it would seemthat there but two shoots to the stick of Umslopogaas. One was to savehimself, and the other to lie down and die by Nada. Yet he found athird, for, undoing the strips of his moocha, he made ropes of them, and with the ropes he bound Nada on his back and started for the king'skraal. He could never have reached it, for the way was long, yet atevening some messengers running through the forest came upon a nakedlad with a girl bound to his back and a staff in his hand, who staggeredalong slowly with starting eyes and foam upon his lips. He could notspeak, he was so weary, and the ropes had cut through the skin of hisshoulders; yet one of the messengers knew him for Umslopogaas, the sonof Mopo, and they bore him to the kraal. They would have left the girlNada, thinking her dead, but he pointed to her breast, and, feeling it, they found that her heart still beat, so they brought her also; and theend 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, and not lead his sister to the wilds. But the boy loved roaming like afox, and where he went there Nada followed. So it came about that oneday they slipped from the kraal when the gates were open, and sought outa certain deep glen which had an evil name, for it was said that spiritshaunted it and put those to death who entered there. Whether this wastrue I do not know, but I know that in the glen dwelt a certain womanof the woods, who had her habitation in a cave and lived upon what shecould kill or steal or dig up with her hands. Now this woman wasmad. For it had chanced that her husband had been "smelt out" by thewitch-doctors as a worker of magic against the king, and slain. ThenChaka, according to custom, despatched the slayers to eat up his kraal, and they came to the kraal and killed his people. Last of all theykilled his children, three young girls, and would have assegaied theirmother, when suddenly a spirit entered into her at the sight, and shewent mad, so that they let her go, being afraid to touch her afterwards. So she fled and took up her abode in the haunted glen; and this wasthe nature of her madness, that whenever she saw children, and moreespecially girl children, a longing came upon her to kill them as herown had been killed. This, indeed, she did often, for when the moonwas full and her madness at its highest, she would travel far to findchildren, 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 sat down by a pool of water not far from the mouth of her cave, weaving flowers into a garland. Presently Umslopogaas left Nada, tosearch for rock lilies which she loved. As he went he called back toher, and his voice awoke the woman who was sleeping in her cave, forshe came out by night only, like a jackal. Then the woman stepped forth, smelling blood and having a spear in her hand. Presently she saw Nadaseated upon the grass weaving flowers, and crept towards her to killher. Now as she came--so the child told me--suddenly a cold wind seemedto breathe upon Nada, and fear took hold of her, though she did not seethe woman who would murder her. She let fall the flowers, and lookedbefore her into the pool, and there, mirrored in the pool, she saw thegreedy face of the child-slayer, who crept down upon her from above, 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 Umslopogaashad taken, and after her leapt and ran the mad woman. Umslopogaas heardher cry. He turned and rushed back over the brow of the hill, and, lo!there before him was the murderess. Already she had grasped Nada by thehair, already her spear was lifted to pierce her. Umslopogaas had nospear, he had nothing but a little stick without a knob; yet with it herushed at the mad woman and struck her so smartly on the arm that shelet go of the girl and turned on him with a yell. Then, lifting herspear, she struck at him, but he leapt aside. Again she struck; but hesprang into the air, and the spear passed beneath him. A third time thewoman struck, and, though he fell to earth to avoid the blow, yet theassegai pierced his shoulder. But the weight of his body as he felltwisted it from her hand, and before she could grasp him he was up, andbeyond her reach, the spear still fast in his shoulder. 

Then the woman turned, screaming with rage and madness, and ran at Nadato kill her with her hands. But Umslopogaas set his teeth, and, drawingthe spear from his wound, charged her, shouting. She lifted a greatstone and hurled it at him--so hard that it flew into fragments againstanother stone which it struck; yet he charged on, and smote at her sotruly that he drove the spear through her, and she fell down dead. Afterthat Nada bound up his wound, which was deep, and with much pain hereached the king's kraal and told me this story. 

Now there were some who cried that the boy must be put to death, becausehe had killed one possessed with a spirit. But I said no, he should notbe touched. He had killed the woman in defence of his own life and thelife of his sister; and every one had a right to slay in self-defence, except as against the king or those who did the king's bidding. Moreover, I said, if the woman had a spirit, it was an evil one, for nogood spirit would ask the lives of children, but rather those of cattle, for it is against our custom to sacrifice human beings to the Amatongaeven in war, though the Basuta dogs do so. Still, the tumult grew, forthe witch-doctors were set upon the boy's death, saying that evil wouldcome of it if he was allowed to live, having killed one inspired, and atlast the matter came to the ears of the king. Then Chaka summoned me andthe 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 notkilled. They answered that the spirit of the dead woman would lead himto bring evil on the royal house. Chaka asked if he would bring evil onhim, the king. They in turn asked the spirits, and answered no, not onhim, but on one of the royal house who should be after him. Chaka saidthat he cared nothing what happened to those who came after him, orwhether good or evil befell them. Then he spoke to Umslopogaas, wholooked him boldly in the face, as an equal looks at an equal. 

"Boy, " he said, "what hast thou to say as to why thou shouldst not bekilled as these men demand?"

"This, Black One, " answered Umslopogaas; "that I stabbed the woman indefence of my own life. "

"That is nothing, " said Chaka. "If I, the king, wished to kill thee, mightest thou therefore kill me or those whom I sent? The Itongo in thewoman was a Spirit King and ordered her to kill thee; thou shouldst thenhave let thyself be killed. Hast thou no other reason?"

"This, Elephant, " answered Umslopogaas; "the woman would have murderedmy sister, whom I love better than my life. "

"That is nothing, " said Chaka. "If I ordered thee to be killed for anycause, should I not also order all within thy gates to be killed withthee? May not, then, a Spirit King do likewise? If thou hast nothingmore to say thou must die. "

Now I grew afraid, for I feared lest Chaka should slay him whowas called my son because of the word of the doctors. But the boyUmslopogaas looked up and answered boldly, not as one who pleads for hislife, but as one who demands a right:--

"I have this to say, Eater-up of Enemies, and if it is not enough, letus stop talking, and let me be killed. Thou, O king, didst command thatthis woman should be slain. Those whom thou didst send to destroyher spared her, because they thought her mad. I have carried out thecommandment of the king; I have slain her, mad or sane, whom the kingcommanded should be killed, and I have earned not death, but a reward. "

"Well said, Umslopogaas!" answered Chaka. "Let ten head of cattle begiven to this boy with the heart of a man; his father shall guard themfor him. Art thou satisfied now, Umslopogaas?"

"I take that which is due to me, and I thank the king because he neednot pay 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, inthat path, and thou mayst find those who shall cry the royal salute ofBayete to 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 mutteringtogether, for they were ill-pleased and foreboded evil. Also they werejealous of me, and wished to smite me through the heart of him who wascalled my son. 

CHAPTER VIII. THE GREAT INGOMBOCO

After this there was quiet until the Feast of the First-fruits wasended. But few people were killed at these feast, though there wasa great Ingomboco, or witch-hunt, and many were smelt out by thewitch-doctors as working magic against the king. Now things had cometo this pass in Zululand--that the whole people cowered before thewitch-doctors. No man might sleep safe, for none knew but that on themorrow he would be touched by the wand of an Isanusi, as we name afinder of witches, and led away to his death. For awhile Chaka saidnothing, and so long as the doctors smelt out those only whom he wishedto get rid of--and they were many--he was well pleased. But when theybegan to work for their own ends, and to do those to death whom he didnot desire to kill, he grew angry. Yet the custom of the land wasthat 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 saveeven those whom he loved. One night I came to doctor him, for he wassick in his mind. On that very day there had been an Ingomboco, and fiveof the bravest captains of the army had been smelt out by the Abangoma, the witch-finders, together with many others. All had been destroyed, and men had been sent to kill the wives and children of the dead. NowChaka was very angry at this slaying, and opened his heart to me. 

"The witch-doctors rule in Zululand, and not I, Mopo, son of Makedama, "he said to me. "Where, then, is it to end? Shall I myself be smelt outand slain? These Isanusis are too strong for me; they lie upon the landlike the shadow of night. Tell me, how may I be free of them?"

"Those who walk the Bridge of Spears, O king, fall off into Nowhere, "I answered darkly; "even witch-doctors cannot keep a footing on thatbridge. Has not a witch-doctor a heart that can cease to beat? Has henot 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 is sacrilege totouch an Isanusi?"

"I speak that which is in the king's mind, " I answered. "Hearken, Oking! It is indeed sacrilege to touch a true Isanusi, but what if theIsanusi be a liar? What if he smell out falsely, bringing those to deathwho are innocent of evil? Is it then sacrilege to bring him to that endwhich he has given to many another? Say, O king!"

"Good words!" answered Chaka. "Now tell me, son of Makedama, how maythis matter be put to proof?"

Then I leaned forward, whispering into the ear of the Black One, and henodded heavily. 

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 ofall those who were dear to me. For they hated me as one instructed intheir magic, one who had the seeing eye and the hearing ear. 

One morning thereafter a new thing came to pass in the royal kraal, forthe king himself ran out, crying aloud to all people to come and see theevil that had been worked upon him by a wizard. They came together andsaw this. On the door-posts of the gateway of the Intunkulu, the houseof the king, were great smears of blood. The knees of men strong in thebattle trembled when they saw it; women wailed aloud as they wail overthe dead; they wailed because of the horror of the omen. 

"Who has done this thing?" cried Chaka in a terrible voice. "Who hasdared to bewitch the king and to strike blood upon his house?"

There was no answer, and Chaka spoke again. "This is no little matter, "he said, "to be washed away with the blood of one or two and beforgotten. 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 tothe baby in his hut and cattle in his kraal! Let messengers go out eastand west, and north and south, and summon the witch-doctors from everyquarter! Let them summon the captains from every regiment and theheadmen from every kraal! On the tenth day from now the circle of theIngomboco must be set, and there shall be such a smelling out of wizardsand of witches as has not been known in Zululand!"

So the messengers went out to do the bidding of the king, taking thenames of those who should be summoned from the lips of the indunas, and day by day people flocked up to the gates of the royal kraal, and, creeping on their knees before the majesty of the king, praised himaloud. But he vouchsafed an answer to none. One noble only he caused tobe killed, because he carried in his hand a stick of the royal red wood, which Chaka himself had given him in bygone years. (1)

 (1) This beautiful wood 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 hundredand a half of them, and they were made hideous and terrible with thewhite bones of men, with bladders of fish and of oxen, with fat ofwizards, and with skins of snakes. They walked in silence till they camein front of the Intunkulu, the royal house; then they stopped and sangthis song for the king to hear:--

 We have come, O king, we have come from the caves and the rocks and the swamps, 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 YOU farewell!

Then they were silent, and went in silence to the place appointed forthem, there to pass the night in mutterings and magic. But those whowere gathered together shivered with fear when they heard their words, for they knew well that many a man would be switched with the gnu's tailbefore the sun sank once more. And I, too, trembled, for my heart wasfull of fear. Ah! my father, those were evil days to live in when Chakaruled, and death met us at every turn! Then no man might call his lifehis own, or that of his wife or child, or anything. All were the king's, and what war spared that the witch-doctors took. 

The morning dawned heavily, and before it was well light the heraldswere out summoning all to the king's Ingomboco. Men came by hundreds, carrying short sticks only--for to be seen armed was death--and seatedthemselves in the great circle before the gates of the royal house. Oh! their looks were sad, and they had little stomach for eating thatmorning, they who were food for death. They seated themselves; thenround them on the outside of the circle gathered knots of warriors, chosen men, great and fierce, armed with kerries only. These were theslayers. 

When all was ready, the king came out, followed by his indunas and byme. As he appeared, wrapped in the kaross of tiger-skins and toweringa head higher than any man there, all the multitude--and it was manyas the game on the hills--cast themselves to earth, and from every lipsharp and sudden went up the royal salute of Bayete. But Chaka took nonote; his brow was cloudy as a mountain-top. He cast one glance at thepeople and one at the slayers, and wherever his eye fell men turned greywith fear. Then he stalked on, and sat himself upon a stool to the northof the great ring looking toward the open space. 

For awhile there was silence; then from the gates of the women'squarters came a band of maidens arrayed in their beaded dancing-dresses, and carrying green branches in their hands. As they came, they clappedtheir hands and sang softly:--

 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 heldup his hand, and there was a patter of running feet. Presently frombehind the royal huts appeared the great company of the Abangoma, thewitch-doctors--men to the right and women to the left. In the lefthand of each was the tail of a vilderbeeste, in the right a bundle ofassegais and a little shield. They were awful to see, and the bonesabout them rattled as they ran, the bladders and the snake-skins floatedin the air behind them, their faces shone with the fat of anointing, their eyes started like the eyes of fishes, and their lips twitchedhungrily as they glared round the death-ring. Ha! ha! little did thoseevil children guess who should be the slayers and who should be theslain before that sun sank!

On they came, like a grey company of the dead. On they came in silencebroken only by the patter of their feet and the dry rattling of theirbony necklets, till they stood in long ranks before the Black One. Awhile they stood thus, then suddenly every one of them thrust forwardthe 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 thecompany of 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 to the work. Hearken! Wizards have bewitched me! Wizards have dared to smite bloodupon the gateways of the king. Dig in the burrows of the earth andfind them, ye rats! Fly through the paths of the air and find them, yevultures! Smell at the gates of the people and name them, ye jackals! yehunters in the night! Drag them from the caves if they be hidden, fromthe distance if they be fled, from the graves if they be dead. To thework! to the work! Show them to me truly, and your gifts shall be great;and for them, if they be a nation, they shall be slain. Now begin. Beginby companies of ten, for you are many, and all must be finished ere thesun sink. "

"It shall be finished, Father, " they answered. 

Then ten of the women stood forward, and at their head was the mostfamous witch-doctress of that day--an aged woman named Nobela, a womanto whose eyes the darkness was no evil, whose scent was keen as a dog's, who heard the voices of the dead as they cried in the night, and spoketruly of what she heard. All the other Isanusis, male and female, satdown in a half-moon facing the king, but this woman drew forward, andwith her came nine of her sisterhood. They turned east and west, northand south, searching the heavens; they turned east and west, north andsouth, searching the earth; they turned east and west, north and south, searching the hearts of men. Then they crept round and round the greatring like cats; then they threw themselves upon the earth and smelt it. And all the time there was silence, silence deep as midnight, and init men hearkened to the beating of their hearts; only now and again thevultures 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 werewithin ten paces of where I sat among the indunas near to the king. Theindunas looked on each other and grew grey with fear; and for me, myfather, my knees were loosened and my marrow turned to water in mybones. For I knew well who was that son of a stranger of whom theyspoke. It was I, my father, I who was about to be smelt out; and if Iwas smelt out I should be killed with all my house, for the king'soath would scarcely avail me against the witch-doctors. I looked atthe fierce faces of the Isanusis before me, as they crept, crept likesnakes. I glanced behind and saw the slayers grasping their kerries forthe 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 Ingomboco was set, and hope creptback to me like the first gleam of the dawn upon a stormy night. StillI did not hope overmuch, for it well might happen that the king had butset a trap to catch 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 asthey nodded the necklets of bones rattled on their skinny necks. Thenthey drew their heads to a circle, and Nobela thrust hers into thecentre of the circle and said a word. 

"Ha! ha!" they laughed, "we hear you! His is the name. Let him be namedby it in the face of Heaven, him and all his house; then let him hear noother 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 facewith the 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. Iheard the feet of the slayers as they bounded forward to hale me to thedreadful death, but my tongue clave to the roof of my mouth--I could notsay a word. I glanced at the king, and, as I did so, I thought that Iheard him mutter: "Near the mark, not in it. "

Then he held up his spear, and all was silence. The slayers stopped intheir stride, the witch-doctors stood with outstretched arms, the worldof men was as though it had been frozen into sleep. 

"Hold!" he said. "Stand aside, son of Makedama, who art named anevildoer! Stand aside, thou, Nobela, and those with thee who have namedhim evildoer! What? Shall I be satisfied with the life of one dog? Smellon, ye vultures, company by company, smell on! For the day the labour, at night the feast!"

I rose, astonished, and stood on one side. The witch-doctresses alsostood on one side, wonderstruck, since no such smelling out as this hadbeen seen in the land. For till this hour, when a man was swept with thegnu's tail of the Isanusi that was the instant of his death. Why, then, men asked in their hearts, was the death delayed? The witch-doctorsasked it also, and looked to the king for light, as men look to athunder-cloud for the flash. But from the Black One there came no word. 

So we stood on one side, and a second party of the Isanusi women 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 ofthe king's councillors, naming them guilty of the witch-work. 

"Stand ye on one side!" said the king to those who had been smelt out;"and ye who have hunted out their wickedness, stand ye with those whonamed 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 they named certain of the great generals, and were in turn bidden tostand on one side together with those whom they had named. 

So it went on through all the day. Company by company the women doomedtheir victims, till there were no more left in their number, and werecommanded to stand aside together with those whom they had doomed. Thenthe male Isanusis began, and I could see well that by this time theirhearts were fearful, for they smelt a snare. Yet the king's bidding mustbe done, and though their magic failed them here, victims must be found. So they smelt out this man and that man till we were a great company ofthe doomed, who sat in silence on the ground looking at each other withsad eyes and watching the sun, which we deemed our last, climb slowlydown the sky. And ever as the day waned those who were left untried ofthe witch-doctors grew madder and more fierce. They leaped into the air, they ground their teeth, and rolled upon the ground. They drew forthsnakes and devoured them alive, they shrieked out to the spirits andcalled upon the names of ancient kings. 

At length it drew on to evening, and the last company of thewitch-doctors did their work, smelling out some of the keepers ofthe Emposeni, the house of the women. But there was one man of theircompany, a young man and a tall, who held back and took no share in thework, but stood by himself in the centre of the great circle, fixing hiseyes on the heavens. 

And when this company had been ordered to stand aside also together withthose whom 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 didnot do his office. 

"My name is Indabazimbi, the son of Arpi, O king, " he answered, "and Iam of the tribe of the Maquilisini. Does the king bid me to smell outhim of whom the spirits have spoken to me as the worker of this deed?"

"I bid thee, " said the king. 

Then the young man Indabazimbi stepped straight forward across the ring, making no cries or gestures, but as one who walks from his gate to thecattle kraal, and suddenly he struck the king in the face with the tailin his hand, saying, "I smell out the Heavens above me!" (2)

 (2) A Zulu title for the king. --ED. 

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

"Thou hast said it, " he cried, "and thou alone! Listen, ye people! I didthe deed! I smote blood upon the gateways of my kraal; with my own handI smote it, that I might learn who were the true doctors and who werethe false! Now it seems that in the land of the Zulu there is one truedoctor--this young man--and of the false, look at them and count them, they are like the leaves. See! there they stand, and by them stand thosewhom they have doomed--the innocent whom, with their wives and children, they have doomed to the death of the dog. Now I ask you, my people, whatreward 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 didthey desire to taste of their own medicine of death. But the king onlylaughed the more. 

"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 themaway! stamp them out!--all! all, save this young man!"

Then we bounded from the ground, for our hearts were fierce with hateand with longing to avenge the terrors we had borne. The doomed slew thedoomers, while from the circle of the Ingomboco a great roar of laughterwent up, for men rejoiced because the burden of the witch-doctors hadfallen from them. 

At last it was done, and we drew back from the heap of the dead. Nothing was heard there now--no more cries or prayers or curses. Thewitch-finders travelled the path on which they had set the feet of many. The king drew near to look. He came alone, and all who had done hisbidding bent their heads and crept past him, praising him as they went. Only I stood still, covered, as I was with mire and filth, for I did notfear to stand in the presence of the king. Chaka drew near, and lookedat the piled-up heaps of the slain and the cloud of dust that yet hungover them. 

"There they lie, Mopo, " he said. "There lie those who dared to prophecyfalsely to the king! That was a good word of thine, Mopo, which taughtme to set the snare for them; yet methought I saw thee start whenNobela, queen of the witch-doctresses, switched death on thee. Well, they are dead, and the land breathes more freely; and for the evil whichthey have done, it is as yonder dust, that shall soon sink again toearth and there be lost. "

Thus he spoke, then ceased--for lo! something moved beneath the cloudof dust, something broke a way through the heap of the dead. Slowly itforced its path, pushing the slain this way and that, till at length itstood upon its feet and tottered towards us--a thing dreadful to lookon. The shape was the shape of an aged woman, and even through the bloodand mire I knew her. It was Nobela, she who had doomed me, she whom butnow I had smitten to earth, but who had come back from the dead to curseme!

On she tottered, her apparel hanging round her in red rags, a hundredwounds upon her face and form. I saw that she was dying, but life stillflickered in her, 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 smelt him out this morning when I was alive; now that I am as onealready dead, I smell him out again. He shall bewitch thee with bloodindeed, Chaka--he and Unandi, thy mother, and Baleka, thy wife. Think ofmy words when the assegai reddens before thee for the last time, king!Farewell!" And she uttered 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 inhis memory, or so much of them as had been spoken of Unandi and Baleka. There they remained like seeds in the earth, there they grew to bringforth fruit in their season. 

And thus ended the great Ingomboco of Chaka, the greatest Ingomboco thatever was held in Zululand. 

CHAPTER IX. THE LOSS OF UMSLOPOGAAS

Now, after the smelling out of the witch-doctors, Chaka caused a watchto be kept upon his mother Unandi, and his wife Baleka, my sister, andreport was brought to him by those who watched, that the two women cameto my huts by stealth, and there kissed and nursed a boy--one ofmy children. Then Chaka remembered the prophecy of Nobela, the deadIsanusi, and his heart grew dark with doubt. But to me he said nothingof the matter, for then, as always, his eyes looked over my head. He didnot fear me or believe that I plotted against him, I who was his dog. Still, he did this, though whether by chance or design I do not know: hebade me go on a journey to a distant tribe that lived near the bordersof the Amaswazi, there to take count of certain of the king's cattlewhich were in the charge of that tribe, and to bring him account ofthe tale of their increase. So I bowed before the king, and said thatI 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 there I found that my wife, Anadi, the mother of Moosa, my son, hadfallen sick with a wandering sickness, for strange things came into hermind, and what came into her mind that she said, being, as I did notdoubt, bewitched by some enemy of my 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 son of Chaka. But when I spoke to Macropha of the matter she burstinto tears and clung to me. I asked her why she wept thus, and sheanswered that the shadow of evil lay upon her heart, for she was surethat if I left her at the king's kraal, when I returned again I shouldfind neither her nor Nada, my child, nor Umslopogaas, who was named myson, and whom I loved as a son, still in the land of life. Then I triedto calm her; but the more I strove the more she wept, saying that sheknew well that these things would be so. 

Now I asked her what could be done, for I was stirred by her tears, andthe dread of evil crept from her to me as shadows creep from the valleyto the mountain. 

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 theplace of my own people till the terror of Chaka has gone by. "

"How can I do this?" I said. "None may leave the king's kraal withoutthe king's pass. "

"A man may put away his wife, " she replied. "The king does not standbetween a man and his wife. Say, my husband, that you love me no longer, 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 leftamong the living. "

"So be it, " I answered. "Leave the kraal with Nada and Umslopogaas thisnight, and to-morrow morning meet me at the river bank, and we shallgo 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 thechildren. 

Now at the dawning on the morrow I summoned the men whom the king hadgiven me, and we started upon our journey. When the sun was well up wecame to the banks of the river, and there I found my wife Macropha, andwith her the two children. They rose as I came, but I frowned at my wifeand she gave me no greeting. Those with me looked at her askance. 

"I have divorced this woman, " I said to them. "She is a withered tree, aworn out old hag, and now I take her with me to send her to the countryof the Swazis, whence she came. Cease weeping, " I added to Macropha, "itis 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 thena great lad drawing on to manhood, fierce in temper, well grown andbroad for his years. 

We had journeyed seven days, for the way was long, and on the night ofthe seventh day we came to a mountainous country in which there were fewkraals, for Chaka had eaten them all up years before. Perhaps you knowthe place, my father. In it is a great and strange mountain. It ishaunted also, and named the Ghost Mountain, and on the top of it is agrey peak rudely shaped like the head of an aged woman. Here in thiswild place we must sleep, for darkness drew on. Now we soon learned thatthere were many lions in the rocks around, for we heard their roaringand were much afraid, all except Umslopogaas, who feared nothing. So wemade a circle of thorn-bushes and sat in it, holding our assegais ready. Presently the moon came up--it was a full-grown moon and very bright, sobright that we could see everything for a long way round. Now some sixspear-throws from where we sat was a cliff, and at the top of the cliffwas 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 ofthe cliff, and with them were two little ones that played about likekittens, so that had we not been frightened it would have been beautifulto see them. 

"Oh! Umslopogaas, " said Nada, "I wish that I had one of the little lionsfor a dog. "

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

"Peace, boy, " I said. "No man may take young lions from their lair andlive. "

"Such things have been done, my father, " he answered, laughing. And nomore was said of the matter. 

Now when the cubs had played awhile, we saw the lioness take up the cubsin her mouth and carry them into the cave. Then she came out again, andwent away with her mate to seek food, and soon we heard them roaringin the distance. Now we stacked up the fire and went to sleep in ourenclosure of thorns without fear, for we knew that the lions were faraway eating game. But Umslopogaas did not sleep, for he had determinedthat he would fetch the cub which Nada had desired, and, being youngand foolhardy, he did not think of the danger which he would bring uponhimself and all of us. He knew no fear, and now, as ever, if Nada spokea word, nay, even if she thought of a thing to desire it, he would notrest till it was won for her. So while we slept Umslopogaas crept likea snake from the fence of thorns, and, taking an assegai in his hand, he slipped away to the foot of the cliff where the lions had their den. Then he climbed the cliff, and, coming to the cave, entered there andgroped his way into it. The cubs heard him, and, thinking that it wastheir mother who returned, began to whine and purr for food. Guided bythe light of their yellow eyes, he crept over the bones, of which therewere many in the cave, and came to where they lay. Then he put out hishands 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 beforethe lions returned, and came back to the thorn fence where we lay justas dawn as 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 thegrey mist, stood the lad Umslopogaas, laughing. In his teeth he held theassegai, yet dripping with blood, and in his hands the lion cub that, despite its whines and struggles, he grasped by the skin of the neck andthe hind legs. 

"Awake, my sister!" he cried; "here is the dog you seek. Ah! he bitesnow, but he will soon grow tame. "

Nada awoke, and rising, cried out with joy at the sight of the cub, butfor a moment I stood astonished. 

"Fool!" I cried at last, "let the cub go before the lions come to rendus!"

"I will not let it go, my father, " he answered sullenly. "Are there notfive of us with spears, and can we not fight two cats? I was not afraidto 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 ran towards Umslopogaasto 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 leastnot living!" And suddenly he seized the head of the cub and twisted itsneck; then threw it on to the ground, and added, "See, now I have doneyour bidding, my father!"

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

"Into the fence!--back into the fence!" I cried, and we sprang overthe thorn-bushes where those with us were making ready their spears, trembling as they handled them with fear and the cold of the morning. Welooked up. There, down the side of the cliff, came the lions, boundingon the scent of him who had robbed them of their young. The lion ranfirst, and as he came he roared; then followed the lioness, but she didnot roar, for in her mouth was the cub that Umslopogaas had assegaied inthe cave. Now they drew near, mad with fury, their manes bristling, andlashing their flanks with their long tails. 

"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, "andwait to curse till you have done both. "

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

"Get behind me, Nada, " cried Umslopogaas, brandishing his spear, "thelion 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 travelledthrough the air towards us. 

"Catch him on the spears!" cried Umslopogaas, and by nature, as it were, we did the boy's bidding; for huddling ourselves together, we held outthe assegais so that the lion fell upon them as he sprang, and theirblades sank far into him. But the weight of his charge carried us tothe ground, and he fell on to us, striking at us and at the spears, androaring with pain and fury as he struck. Presently he was on his legsbiting at the spears in his breast. Then Umslopogaas, who alone did notwait his onslaught, but had stepped aside for his own ends, uttered aloud cry and drove his assegai into the lion behind the shoulder, sothat with a groan the brute rolled over dead. 

Meanwhile, the lioness stood without the fence, the second dead cub inher mouth, for she could not bring herself to leave either of them. Butwhen she heard her mate's last groan she dropped the cub and gatheredherself together to spring. Umslopogaas alone stood up to face her, for he only had withdrawn his assegai from the carcass of the lion. Sheswept on towards the lad, who stood like a stone to meet her. Now shemet his spear, it sunk in, it snapped, and down fell Umslopogaas deador senseless beneath the mass of the lioness. She sprang up, the brokenspear standing in her breast, sniffed at Umslopogaas, then, as thoughshe knew that it was he who had robbed her, she seized him by the loinsand moocha, and sprang with him over the fence. 

"Oh, save him!" cried the girl Nada in bitter woe. And we rushed afterthe lioness shouting. 

For a moment she stood over her dead cubs, Umslopogaas hanging from hermouth, and looked at them as though she wondered; and we hoped that shemight let him fall. Then, hearing our cries, she turned and bounded awaytowards the bush, bearing Umslopogaas in her mouth. We seized our spearsand followed; but the ground grew stony, and, search as we would, wecould find no trace of Umslopogaas or of the lioness. They had vanishedlike a cloud. So we came back, and, ah! my heart was sore, for I lovedthe lad as though he had indeed been my son. But I knew that he wasdead, 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 our company. 

"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 thatUmslopogaas was not born of Macropha. 

Still, we waited in that place a day, thinking that, perhaps, thelioness would return to her den and that, at least, we might kill her. But she came back no more. So on the next morning we rolled up ourblankets and started forward on our journey, sad at heart. In truth, Nada was so weak from grief that she could hardly travel, but I neverheard the name of Umslopogaas pass her lips again during that journey. She buried him in her heart and said nothing. And I too said nothing, but I wondered why it had been brought about that I should save the lifeof 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 in public we looked sullenly on one another, we parted as thosepart who meet no more, for it was in our thoughts, that we should neversee each other's face again, nor, indeed, did we do so. And I drew Nadaaside and spoke to her thus: "We part, my daughter; nor do I know whenwe shall meet again, for the times are troubled and it is for yoursafety and that of your mother that I rob my eyes of the sight of you. Nada, you will soon be a woman, and you will be fairer than any womanamong our people, and it may come about that many great men will seekyou in marriage, and, perhaps, that I, your father, shall not be thereto choose for you whom you shall wed, according to the custom of ourland. 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 thusshall a woman find happiness. "

Here I stopped, for the girl took hold of my hand and looked into myface. "Peace, my father, " she said, "do not speak to me of marriage, 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, thatI may go to seek him whom I love only!"

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

"I know nothing of such matters, my father, " she said. "I speak what myheart 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 mebut a 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 wasnot her brother, but one whom she might have married. Only I marvelledthat the voice of nature should speak so truly in her, telling her thatwhich was lawful, even when it seemed to be most unlawful. 

"Speak no more of Umslopogaas, " I said, "for surely he is dead, andthough 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 mein your memory, and the love I bear you, and the words which fromtime to time I have said to you. The world is a thorny wilderness, mydaughter, and its thorns are watered with a rain of blood, and we wanderin our wretchedness like lost travellers in a mist; nor do I know whyour feet are set on this wandering. But at last there comes an end, andwe die and go hence, none know where, but perhaps where we go the evilmay change to the good, and those who were dear to each other on theearth may become yet dearer in the heavens; for I believe that manis not born to perish altogether, but is rather gathered again to theUmkulunkulu who sent him on his journeyings. Therefore keep hope, mydaughter, for if these things are not so, at least sleep remains, andsleep is soft, and so farewell. "

Then we kissed and parted, and I watched Macropha, my wife, and Nada, my daughter, till they melted into the sky, as they walked upontheir journey to Swaziland, and was very sad, because, having lostUmslopogaas, he who in after days was named the Slaughterer and theWoodpecker, 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 did the king's business. And on the fifth morning I rose up, together with those with me, and we turned our faces towards theking's kraal. But when we had journeyed a little way we met a party ofsoldiers, who commanded us to stand. 

"What is it, king's men?" I asked boldly. 

"This, son of Makedama, " answered their spokesman: "give over to us yourwife Macropha and your children Umslopogaas and Nada, that we may dowith them as the king commands. "

"Umslopogaas, " I answered, "has gone where the king's arm cannotstretch, for he is dead; and for my wife Macropha and my daughter Nada, 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, forI hate her, and have divorced her; and as for the girl, well, there aremany girls, and it is no great matter if she lives or dies, yet I prayhim to spare her. "

Thus I spoke carelessly, for I knew well that my wife and child werebeyond the reach of Chaka. 

"You do well to ask the girl's life, " said the soldier, laughing, "forall those born to you are dead, by order of the king. "

"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, all five of them. "

"Is it indeed so?" I answered. "The king's will be done. I wearied ofthose brawling women. "

"So, Mopo, " said the soldier; "but to get other wives and have morechildren born to you, you must live yourself, for no children are bornto the dead, and I think that Chaka has an assegai which you shallkiss. "

"Is it so?" I answered. "The king's will be done. The sun is hot, and Itire of the road. He who kisses the assegai sleeps sound. "

Thus I spoke, my father, and, indeed, in that hour I desired to die. The world was empty for me. Macropha and Nada were gone, Umslopogaas wasdead, and my other wives and children were murdered. I had no heart tobegin to build up a new house, none were left for me to love, and itseemed well that I should die also. 

The soldiers asked those with me if that tale was true which I toldof the death of Umslopogaas and of the going of Macropha and Nada intoSwaziland. They said, Yes, it was true. Then the soldiers said that theywould lead me back to the king, and I wondered at this, for I thoughtthat they would kill me where I stood. So we went on, and piece by pieceI learned what had happened at the king's kraal. 

On the day after I left, it came to the ears of Chaka, by the mouth ofhis spies, that my second wife--Anadi--was sick and spoke strange wordsin her sickness. Then, taking three soldiers with him, he went to mykraal at the death of the day. He left the three soldiers by the gatesof the kraal, bidding them to suffer none to come in or go out, butChaka himself entered the large hut where Anadi lay sick, having his toyassegai, with the shaft of the royal red wood, in his hand. Now, as itchanced, in the hut were Unandi, the mother of Chaka, and Baleka, my sister, the wife of Chaka, for, not knowing that I had taken awayUmslopogaas, the son of Baleka, according to their custom, these twofoolish women had come to kiss and fondle the lad. But when they enteredthe hut they found it full of my other wives and children. These theysent away, all except Moosa, the son of Anadi--that boy who was borneight days before Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka. But they kept Moosa inthe hut, and kissed him, giving him imphi (1) to eat, fearing lest itshould seem strange to the women, my wives, if, Umslopogaas being gone, they refused to take notice of any other child. 

 (1) A variety of sugar-cane. --ED. 

Now as they sat this, presently the doorway was darkened, and, behold!the king himself crept through it, and saw them fondling the childMoosa. When they knew who it was that entered, the women flungthemselves upon the ground before him and praised him. But he smiledgrimly, and bade them be seated. Then he spoke to them, saying, "Youwonder, Unandi, my mother, and Baleka, my wife, why it is that I amcome here into the hut of Mopo, son of Makedama. I will tell you: it isbecause 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, andBaleka, my sister. "

Thus he spoke, eyeing them as he did so, and taking snuff from the bladeof his little assegai, and though his words were gentle they shookwith fear, for when Chaka spoke thus gently he meant death to many. ButUnandi, Mother of the Heavens, answered, saying that it was well thatthe king had come, since his medicine would bring rest and peace to herwho lay sick. 

"Yes, " he answered; "it is well. It is pleasant, moreover, my motherand 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 sickwoman, who lay asleep, might not wake and utter foolish words in herwandering. But the prayer was answered from below and not from above, for Anadi woke, and, hearing the voice of the king, her sick mind flewto him whom she believed to be the king's child. 

"Ah!" she said, sitting upon the ground and pointing to her own son, Moosa, who squatted frightened against the wall of the hut. "Kiss him, Mother of the Heavens, kiss him! Whom do they call him, the young cubwho brings 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 a lowvoice. "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 tohear. She is bewitched, and has dreams and fancies. "

"Peace!" he answered. "I will listen to this woman's wanderings. Perhapssome star of truth shines in her darkness, and I would see light. Who, then, is he, woman?"

"Who is he?" she answered. "Are you a fool that ask who he is? Heis--hush!--put your ear close--let me speak low lest the reeds of thehut speak it to the king. He is--do you listen? He is--the son of Chakaand Baleka, the sister of Mopo, the changeling whom Unandi, Mother ofthe Heavens, palmed off upon this house to bring a curse on it, andwhom 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 to her; itis 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 is thetrick thou hast played upon me, my mother. Thou wouldst give a son toto me who will have no son: thou wouldst give me a son to kill me. Good!Mother of the Heavens, take thou the doom of the Heavens! Thou wouldstgive me a son to slay me and rule in my place; now, in turn, I, thy son, will rob me of a mother. Die, Unandi!--die at the hand thou didst bringforth!" And he 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 herside. 

"So shalt thou die also, Chaka the Evil!" she cried, and fell down deadthere 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 hutinto the Emposeni, and so swiftly that the guards at the gates could notstop her. But when she reached her own hut Baleka's strength failed her, and she fell senseless on the ground. But the boy Moosa, my son, beingovercome with terror, stayed where he was, and Chaka, believing him tobe his son, murdered him also, and with his own hand. 

Then he stalked out of the hut, and leaving the three guards at thegate, commanded a company of soldiers to surround the kraal and fire it. This they did, and as the people rushed out they killed them, and thosewho did not run out were burned in the fire. Thus, then, perished all mywives, my children, my servants, and those who were within the gates intheir company. The tree was burned, and the bees in it, and I alone wasleft living--I and Macropha and 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 him who was named by son. But he commanded the messengers that theyshould not slay me, but bring me living before them. 

Now when the soldiers did not kill me I took counsel with myself, for itwas my belief that I was saved alive only that I might die later, andin a more cruel fashion. Therefore for awhile I thought that it would bewell if I did that for myself which another purposed to do for me. Whyshould I, who was already doomed, wait to meet my doom? What had I leftto keep me in the place of life, seeing that all whom I loved weredead or gone? To die would be easy, for I knew the ways of death. In mygirdle I carried a secret medicine; he who eats of it, my father, willsee the sun's shadow move no more, and will never look upon the starsagain. But I was minded to know the assegai or the kerrie; nor would Iperish more slowly beneath the knives of the tormentors, nor be parchedby 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 theface of death, I had borne this medicine with me by night and by day. Surely now was the time to use it. 

So I thought as I sat through the watches of the night, ay! and drew outthe bitter drug and laid it on my tongue. But as I did so I rememberedmy daughter Nada, who was left to me, though she sojourned in a farcountry, and my wife Macropha and my sister Baleka, who still lived, sosaid the soldiers, though how it came about that the king had not killedher I did not know then. Also another thought was born in my heart. While life remained to me, I might be revenged upon him who had wroughtme this woe; but can the dead strike? Alas! the dead are strengthless, and if they still have hearts to suffer, they have no hands to give backblow for blow. Nay, I would live on. Time to die when death could nomore be put away. Time to die when the voice of Chaka spoke my doom. Death chooses for himself and answers no questions; he is a guest towhom none need open the door of his hut, for when he wills he can passthrough the thatch like air. Not yet would I taste of that medicine ofmine. 

So I lived on, my father, and the soldiers led me back to the kraal ofChaka. Now when we came to the kraal it was night, for the sun had sunkas we passed through the gates. Still, as he had been commanded, thecaptain of those who watched me went in before the king and told himthat I lay without in bonds. And the king said, "Let him be broughtbefore me, who was my physician, that I may tell him how I have doctoredthose 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 onthe further side of the fire, looking towards the opening of the hut, and the smoke from the fire wreathed him round, and its light shone uponhis face and flickered in his terrible eyes. 

At the door of the hut certain councillors seized me by the arms anddragged me towards the fire. But I broke from them, and prostratingmyself, for my arms were free, I praised the king and called him by hisroyal names. The councillors sprang towards me to seize me again, but Chaka said, "Let him be; I would talk with my servant. " Then thecouncillors bowed themselves on either side, and laid their hands ontheir sticks, their foreheads touching the ground. But I sat down on thefloor of the hut over against the king, and we 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 my cattle?"

"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, forgetting none; and Chaka listened silently as one who is asleep. But Iknew that he did not sleep, for all the while the firelight flickeredin his fierce eyes. Also I knew that he did but torment me, or that, perhaps, he would learn of the cattle before he killed me. At length allthe tale was told. 

"So, " said the king, "it goes well. There are yet honest men left in theland. Knowest thou, Mopo, that sorrow has come upon thy house while thouwast 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 ranbriskly through they huts. "

"I have heard it, I king!"

"They tell me, Mopo, that those within thy gates grew mad at thesight of the fire, and dreaming there was no escape, that they stabbedthemselves with assegais or leaped into the flames. "

"I have heard it, O king! What of it? Any river is deep enough to drowna fool!"

"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 whobore me, she who was named Mother of the Heavens?"

Then, my father, I, Mopo, acted wisely, because of the thought which mygood spirit gave me, for I cast myself upon the ground, and wailed aloudas though in utter grief. 

"Spare my ears, Black One!" I wailed. "Tell me not that she who borethee 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 galeor as the sea. "

"Cease, my servant, cease!" said the mocking voice of Chaka; "but knowthis, thou hast done well to grieve aloud, because the Mother of theHeavens is no more, and ill wouldst thou have done to grieve becausethe fire from above has kissed thy gates. For hadst thou done this lastthing or left the first undone, I should have known that thy heart waswicked, and by now thou wouldst have wept indeed--tears of blood, Mopo. It is well for thee, then, that thou hast read my riddle aright. "

Now I saw the depths of the pit that Chaka had dug for me, and blessedmy Ehlose who had put into my heart those words which I should answer. I hoped also that Chaka would now let me go; but it was not to be, forthis was but the beginning of my trial. 

"Knowest thou, Mopo, " said the king, "that as my mother died yonder inthe flames of thy kraal she cried out strange and terrible words whichcame to my ears through the singing of the fire. These were her words:that thou, Mopo, and thy sister Baleka, and thy wives, had conspiredtogether to give a child to me who would be childless. These were herwords, the words that came to me through the singing of the fire. Tellme now, Mopo, where are those children that thou leddest from thy kraal, the boy with the lion eyes who is named Umslopogaas, and the girl who isnamed Nada?"

"Umslopogaas is dead by the lion's mouth, O king!" I answered, "and Nadasits in the Swazi caves. " And I told him of the death of Umslopogaas andof how I had divorced Macropha, my wife. 

"The boy with the lion eyes to the lion's mouth!" said Chaka. "Enoughof him; he is gone. Nada may yet be sought for with the assegai inthe Swazi caves; enough of her. Let us speak of this song that mymother--who, alas! is dead, Mopo--this song she sang through the singingof 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 of it, Oking. "

"Thou knowest naught of it, Mopo?" said the king. And again he lookedat me terribly through the reek of the fire. "Thou knowest naught of 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 thineinto the heart of the flame!" And he pointed with his little assegai, the assegai handled with the royal wood, to where the fire glowedreddest--ay, he pointed and laughed. 

Then, my father, I grew cold indeed--yes, I grew cold who soon shouldbe hot, for I saw the purpose of Chaka. He would put me to the trial byfire. 

For a moment I sat silent, thinking. Then the king spoke again in agreat voice: "Nay, Mopo, be not so backward; shall I sit warm and seethee suffer cold? What, my councillors, rise, take the hand of Mopo, andhold it to the flame, that his heart may rejoice in the warmth of theflame while we speak together of this matter of the child that was, so my mother sang, born to Baleka, my wife, the sister of Mopo, myservant. "

"There is little need for that, O king, " I answered, being made bold byfear, for I saw that if I did nothing death would swiftly end my doubts. 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 keenis the thirst for vengeance, so I said to my heart, "Not yet awhile; Iwill endure 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, "I said 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 fromthe flame. Now my flesh was wet with the sweat of fear, and for a littlemoment the flames curled round it and did not burn me. But I knew thatthe torment was to come. 

For a short while Chaka watched me, smiling. Then he spoke slowly, thatthe fire 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 born in pastyears 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 bythe heat, and the flame got hold of me and ate into my flesh, and itstorment was great. But of this I showed no sign upon my face, for I knewwell that if I showed sign or uttered cry, then, having failed in thetrial, death would be my portion. 

Then the king spoke again, "Dost thou swear by my head, Mopo, that noson of 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 felt my eyes start forward in their sockets, my blood seemed to boilwithin me, it rushed into my head, and down my face their ran two tearsof blood. But yet I held my hand in the fire and made no sign, while theking and his councillors watched me curiously. Still, for a moment Chakasaid nothing, and that moment seemed to me as all the years of my life. 

"Ah!" he said at length, "I see that thou growest warm, Mopo! Withdrawthy hand from the flame. I am answered; thou hast passed the trial; thyheart 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 of hurt on thosewhose heart is pure. "

But as I spoke I looked at my left hand. It was black, my father--blackas a charred stick, and the nails were gone from the twisted fingers. Look at it now, my father; you can see, though my eyes are blind. Thehand is white, like yours--it is white and dead and shrivelled. Theseare the marks of the fire in Chaka's hut--the fire that kissed me many, many years ago; I have had but little use of that hand since this nightof torment. But my right arm yet remained to me, my father, and, ah! Iused 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 throughthe singing flames was no true song. It is well for thee, Mopo, for insuch a matter my oath had not helped thee. But my mother is dead--deadin the flames with thy wives and children, Mopo, and in this there iswitchcraft. We will have a mourning, Mopo, thou and I, such a mourningas has not been seen in Zululand, for all the people on the earth shallweep at it. And there shall be a 'smelling out' at this mourning, Mopo. But we will summon no witch-doctors, thou and I will be witch-doctors, and ourselves shall smell out those who have brought these woes upon us. What! shall my mother die unavenged, she who bore me and has perished bywitchcraft, and shall thy wives and children die unavenged--thou beinginnocent? Go forth, Mopo, my faithful servant, whom I have honoured withthe warmth of my fire, go forth!" And once again he stared at me throughthe reek of the flame, and pointed with his assegai to the door of thehut. 

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, but when I was without the gates the anguish that took me because of myburnt hand was more than I could bear. I ran to and fro groaning tillI came to the hut of one whom I knew. There I found fat, and havingplunged my hand in the fat, I wrapped it round with a skin and passedout again, for I could not stay still. I went to and fro, till at lengthI reached the spot where my huts had been. The outer fence of the hutsstill stood; the fire had not caught it. I passed through the fence;there within were the ashes of the burnt huts--they lay ankle-deep. Iwalked in among the ashes; my feet struck upon things that were sharp. 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 ofheart; I covered myself over with the ashes of my kraal and with thebones of my wives and children. Yes, my father, there I lay, and on mewere the ashes, and among the ashes were the bones. Thus, then, did Ilie for the last time in my kraal, and was sheltered from the frost ofthe night by the dust of those to whom I had given life. Such were thethings that befell us in the days of Chaka, my father; yes, not to mealone, but to many another also. 

I lay among the ashes and groaned with the pain of my burn, and groanedalso from the desolation of my heart. Why had I not tasted the poison, there in the hut of Chaka, and before the eyes of Chaka? Why did I nottaste it now and make an end? Nay, I had endured the agony; I would notgive him this last triumph over me. Now, having passed the fire, oncemore I should be great in the land, and I would become great. Yes, Iwould bear my sorrows, and become great, that in a day to be I mightwreak vengeance on the king. Ah! my father, there, as I rolled among theashes, I prayed to the Amatongo, to the ghosts of my ancestors. I prayedto my Ehlose, to the spirit that watches me--ay, and I even dared topray to the Umkulunkulu, the great soul of the world, who moves throughthe heavens and the earth unseen and unheard. And thus I prayed, that Imight yet live to kill Chaka as he had killed those who were dear to me. And while I prayed I slept, or, if I did not sleep, the light of thoughtwent 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, itwas a madness born of my sorrows. For, my father, it seemed to me that Istood upon the bank of a great and wide river. It was gloomy there, thelight lay low upon the face of the river, but far away on the fartherside was a glow like the glow of a stormy dawn, and in the glow I saw amighty bed of reeds that swayed about in the breath of dawn, and out ofthe reeds came men and women and children, by hundreds and thousands, and plunged into the waters of the river and were buffeted about bythem. Now, my father, all the people that I saw in the water were blackpeople, and all those who were torn out of the reeds were black--theywere none of them white like your people, my father, for this vision wasa vision of the Zulu race, who alone are "torn out of the reeds. " Now, I saw that of those who swam in the river some passed over very quicklyand some stood still, as it were, still in the water--as in life, 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, I saw the face of Dingaan, the prince, his brother, and theface of the boy Umslopogaas and the face of Nada, my daughter, and thenfor the first time I knew that Umslopogaas was not dead, but only lost. 

Now I turned in my vision, and looked at that bank of the river on whichI stood. Then I saw that behind the bank was a cliff, mighty and black, and in the cliff were doors of ivory, and through them came light andthe sound of laughter; there were other doors also, black as thoughfashioned of coal, and through them came darkness and the sounds ofgroans. I saw also that in front of the doors was set a seat, and on theseat was the figure of a glorious woman. She was tall, and she alone waswhite, and clad in robes of white, and her hair was like gold which ismolten in the fire, and her face shone like the midday sun. Then I sawthat those who came up out of the river stood before the woman, thewater 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 therod in her right hand was white and of ivory, and the rod in her lefthand was black and of ebony. And as those who came up before her thronegreeted her, so she pointed now with the wand of ivory in her righthand, and now with the wand of ebony in her left hand. And with the wandof ivory she pointed to the gates of ivory, through which came light andlaughter, and with the wand of ebony she pointed to the gates of coal, through which came blackness and groans. And as she pointed, so thosewho greeted her turned, and went, some through the gates of light andsome through the gates of blackness. 

Presently, as I stood, a handful of people came up from the bank of theriver. I looked on them and knew them. There was Unandi, the mother ofChaka, there was Anadi, my wife, and Moosa, my son, and all my otherwives and children, and those who had perished with them. 

They stood before the figure of the woman, the Princess of the Heavens, to whom the Umkulunkulu has given it to watch over the people of theZulu, and cried aloud, "Hail, Inkosazana-y-Zulu! Hail!"

Then she, the Inkosazana, pointed with the rod of ivory to the gates ofivory; but still they stood before her, not moving. Now the woman spokefor the first time, 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 thiscompany, pray to thee, Queen of the Heavens, for justice on him whomurdered us. "

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

"Chaka, king of the Zulus, " answered the voice of Unandi. "Chaka, myson. "

"Many have come to ask for vengeance on that head, " said the voice ofthe 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, itshall fall, I say. With the spear that pierced thy breast, Unandi, shallthe breast of Chaka be also pierced, and, ye wives and children of Mopo, the hand that pierces shall be the hand of Mopo. As I guide him so shallhe go. Ay, I will teach him to wreak my vengeance on the earth! Pass in, children of my people--pass in to the judgment, for the doom of Chaka iswritten. "

Thus I dreamed, my father. Ay, this was the vision that was sent me asI lay in pain and misery among the bones of my dead in the ashes of mykraal. Thus it was given me to see the Inkosazana of the Heavens as sheis in her own place. Twice more I saw her, as you shall hear, but thatwas on the earth and with my waking eyes. Yes, thrice has it been givento me in all to look upon that face that I shall now see no more till Iam dead, for no man may look four times on the Inkosazana and live. Oram I mad, my father, and did I weave these visions from the woof of mymadness? I do not know, but it is true that I seemed to see them. 

I woke when the sky was grey with the morning light; it was the pain ofmy burnt hand that aroused me from my sleep or from my stupor. I roseshaking the ashes from me, and went without the kraal to wash away theirdefilement. Then I returned, and sat outside the gates of the Emposeni, waiting till the king's women, whom he named his sisters, should cometo draw water according to their custom. At last they came, and, sittingwith my kaross thrown over my face to hide it, looked for the passing ofBaleka. Presently I saw her; she was sad-faced, and walked slowly, herpitcher on her head. I whispered her name, and she drew aside behind analoe bush, and, making pretence that her foot was pierced with a thorn, she lingered till the other women had gone by. Then she came up to me, and we greeted one another, gazing heavily into each other's eyes. 

"In an ill day did I hearken to you, Baleka, " I said, "to you and tothe 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 ofthe Heavens--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 nearest to flesh, and I should think little of it were not my son Umslopogaas also dead, as I have heard but now. "

"You speak like a woman, Baleka. Is it, then, nothing to you that I, your brother, 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 hadthis one alone, and flesh is nearest to flesh. Think you that I shallescape? I tell you nay. I am but spared for a little, then I go wherethe others have gone. Chaka has marked me for the grave; for a littlewhile I may be left, then I die: he does but play with me as a leopardplays with a wounded buck. I care not, I am weary, but I grieve for theboy; there was no such boy in the land. Would that I might die swiftlyand 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 wild eyes. "Oh, say it again--again, Mopo! I would gladly die a hundred deaths toknow that Umslopogaas still lives. "

"Nay, Baleka, I know nothing. But last night I dreamed a dream, " and Itold 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 passesjudgement for life or for death. 

"I think that there is wisdom in your dreams, Mopo, " she said at length. "You were ever a strange man, to whom the gates of distance are no bar. Now it is borne in upon my heart that Umslopogaas still lives, and now Ishall die happy. Yes, gainsay me not; I shall die, I know it. I read itin the 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 yours has broughtmany woes upon us, and it may well happen that in the end it shall allbe 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;he is afraid lest the people should turn upon him who killed his ownmother. Therefore he will give it out that he did not kill her, butthat she perished in the fire which was called down upon your kraalsby witchcraft; and, though all men know the lie, yet none shall dareto gainsay him. As he said to you, there will be a smelling out, but asmelling out of a new sort, for he and you shall be the witch-finders, and at that smelling out he will give to death all those whom he fears, all those whom he knows hate him for his wickedness and because withhis own hand he slew his mother. For this cause, then, he will save youalive, Mopo--yes, and make you great in the land, for if, indeed, hismother Unandi died through witchcraft, as he shall say, are you notalso wronged by him, and did not your wives and children also perish bywitchcraft? Therefore, do not fly; abide here and become great--becomegreat to the great end of vengeance, Mopo, my brother. You have muchwrong to wreak; soon you will have more, for I, too, shall be gone, andmy blood also shall cry for vengeance to you. Hearken, Mopo. Are therenot other princes in the land? What of Dingaan, what of Umhlangana, whatof Umpanda, brothers to the king? Do not these also desire to be kings?Do they not day by day rise from sleep feeling their limbs to know ifthey yet live, do they not night by night lie down to sleep not knowingif it shall be their wives that they shall kiss ere dawn or the redassegai of the king? Draw near to them, my brother; creep into theirhearts and learn their counsel or teach them yours; so in the end shallChaka be brought to that gate through which your wives have passed, andwhere I also am about to tread. "

Thus Baleka spoke and she was gone, leaving me pondering, for her wordswere heavy with wisdom. I knew well that the brothers of the king wentheavily and in fear of death, for his shadow was on them. With Panda, indeed, little could be done, for he lived softly, speaking always asone whose wits are few. But Dingaan and Umhlangana were of another wood, and from them might be fashioned a kerrie that should scatter the brainsof Chaka to the birds. But the time to speak was not now; not yet wasthe cup of Chaka full. 

Then, having finished my thought, I rose, and, going to the kraal of myfriend, I doctored my burnt hand, that pained me, and as I was doctoringit there came a messenger to me summoning me before the king. 

I went in before the king, and prostrated myself, calling him by hisroyal names; but he took me by the hand and raised me up, speakingsoftly. 

"Rise, Mopo, my servant!" he said. "Thou hast suffered much woe becauseof the witchcraft of thine enemies. I, I have lost my mother, and thou, thou hast lost thy wives and children. Weep, my councillors, weep, because I have lost my mother, and Mopo, my servant, as lost his wivesand children, 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 cangive me back my mother; but I can give thee more wives, and thou shaltfind children. Go in among the damsels who are reserved to the king, andchoose thee six; go in among the cattle of the king, and choose theeten times ten of the best; call upon the servants of the king that theybuild up thy kraal greater and fairer than it was before! These thingsI give thee freely; but thou shalt have more, Mopo--yes! thou shalt havevengeance! On the first day of the new moon I summon a great meeting, abandhla of all the Zulu people: yes, thine own tribe, the Langeni, shallbe there also. Then we will mourn together over our woes; then, too, wewill learn who brought these woes upon us. Go now, Mopo, go! And goye also, my councillors, leaving me to weep alone because my mother isdead!"

Thus, then, my father, did the words of Baleka come true, and thus, because of the crafty policy of Chaka, I grew greater in the land thanever I had been before. I chose the cattle, they were fat; I chose thewives, they were fair; but I took no pleasure in them, nor were any morechildren born to me. For my heart was like a withered stick; the sap andstrength had gone from my heart--it was drawn out in the fire of Chaka'shut, and lost in my sorrow 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 windsin and out like a river in a plain, and tell of the fate of Umslopogaaswhen the lion had taken him, as he told it to me in the after years. 

The lioness bounded away, and in her mouth was Umslopogaas. Once hestruggled, but she bit him hard, so he lay quiet in her mouth, andlooking back he saw the face of Nada as she ran from the fence ofthorns, crying "Save him!" He saw her face, he heard her words, then hesaw and heard little more, for the world grew dark to him and he passed, as it were, into a deep sleep. Presently Umslopogaas awoke again, feeling pain in his thigh, where the lioness had bitten him, and heard asound of shouting. He looked up; near to him stood the lioness that hadloosed him from her jaws. She was snorting with rage, and in front ofher was a lad long and strong, with a grim face, and a wolf's hide, black and grey, bound about his shoulders in such fashion that theupper jar and teeth of the wolf rested on his head. He stood before thelioness, shouting, and in one hand he held a large war-shield, and inthe other he grasped a heavy club shod with iron. 

Now the lioness crouched herself to spring, growling terribly, but thelad with the club did not wait for her onset. He ran in upon her andstruck her on the head with the club. He smote hard and well, but thisdid not kill her, for she reared herself upon her hind legs and struckat him heavily. He caught the blow upon his shield, but the shield wasdriven against his breast so strongly that he fell backwards beneath it, and lay there howling like a wolf in pain. Then the lioness sprang uponhim and worried him. Still, because of the shield, as yet she could notcome at him to slay him; but Umslopogaas saw that this might not 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 drivethe spear home or die. So he rose swiftly, for strength came back to himin his need, and ran to where the lioness worried at him who lay beneaththe shield. She did not heed him, so he flung himself upon his kneesbefore her, and, seizing the haft of the broken spear, drive it deepinto her and wrenched it round. Now she saw Umslopogaas and turnedroaring, and clawed at him, tearing his breast and arms. Then, as helay, he heard a mighty howling, and, behold! grey wolves and blackleaped upon the lioness and rent and worried her till she fell and wastorn to pieces by them. After this the senses of Umslopogaas left himagain, 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 heremembered the lioness and looked up to find her. But he did not findher, and he saw that he lay in a cave upon a bed of grass, while allabout him were the skins of beasts, and at his side was a pot filledwith water. He put out his hand and, taking the pot, drank of the water, and then he saw that his arm was wasted as with sickness, and that hisbreast was thick with scars scarcely skinned over. 

Now while he lay and wondered, the mouth of the cave was darkened, andthrough it entered that same lad who had done battle with the lionessand been overthrown by her, bearing a dead buck upon his shoulders. Heput down the buck upon the ground, and, walking to where Umslopogaaslay, 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 you here throughthe forest, for twelve days you have lain without sense, drinking wateronly. 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 tobe troubled; but I held my hand, because of a word which came to mefrom one who is dead. Now eat, that your strength may return to you. Afterwards, we will talk. "

So Umslopogaas ate, and little by little his health returned tohim--every day a little. And afterwards, as they sat at night by thefire in the cave they spoke together. 

"How are you named?" asked Umslopogaas of the other. 

"I am named Galazi the Wolf, " he answered, "and I am of Zulu blood--ay, of the blood of Chaka the king; for the father of Senzangacona, thefather of Chaka, was my great-grandfather. "

"Whence came you, Galazi?"

"I came from Swaziland--from the tribe of the Halakazi, which I shouldrule. This is the story: Siguyana, my grandfather, was a youngerbrother of Senzangacona, the father of Chaka. But he quarrelled withSenzangacona, and became a wanderer. With certain of the people of theUmtetwa he wandered into Swaziland, and sojourned with the Halakazitribe in their great caves; and the end of it was that he killed thechief of the tribe and took his place. After he was dead, my fatherruled in his place; but there was a great party in the tribe that hatedhis rule because he was of the Zulu race, and it would have set up achief 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, hatedme also. So matters stood till last year in the winter, and then myfather set his heart on killing twenty of the headmen, with their wivesand children, because he knew that they plotted against him. But theheadmen learned what was to come, and they prevailed upon a wife of myfather, a woman of their own blood, to poison him. So she poisoned himin the night and in the morning it was told me that my father lay sickand summoned me, and I went to him. In his hut I found him, and he waswrithing with pain. 

"'What is it, my father?' I said. 'Who has done this evil?'

"'It is this, my son, ' he gasped, 'that I am poisoned, and she standsyonder who has done the deed. ' And he pointed to the woman, who stood atthe side of the hut near the door, her chin upon her breast, tremblingas she looked upon the fruit of her wickedness. 

"Now the girl was young and fair, and we had been friends, yet I saythat I did not pause, for my heart was mad within me. I did not pause, but, seizing my spear, I ran at her, and, though she cried for mercy, Ikilled her with the spear. 

"'That was well done, Galazi!' said my father. 'But when I am gone, lookto yourself, my son, for these Swazi dogs will drive you out and rob youof your place! But if they drive you out and you still live, swear thisto me--that you will not rest till you have avenged me. '

"'I swear it, my father, ' I answered. 'I swear that I will stamp out themen of the tribe of Halakazi, every one of them, except those of my ownblood, and bring their women to slavery and their children to bonds!'

"'Big words for a young mouth, ' said my father. 'Yet shall you live tobring these things about, Galazi. This I know of you now in my hour ofdeath: you shall be a wanderer for a few years of your life, child ofSiguyana, and wandering in another land you shall die a man's death, andnot such a death as yonder witch has given to me. ' Then, having spokenthus, 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 afterme. In front of the hut were gathered many headmen waiting for the end, and I saw that 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 rolledthe body of the girl over on to her back so that they might look uponher 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 that this young Zuludog, this murderer of a girl, be chief over us? Never! The old lion isdead, now for the cub!' And he ran at me with spear aloft. 

"'Never!' shouted the others, and they, too, ran towards me, shakingtheir 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 nearme; 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 notlive who can overtake me when my feet are on the ground and I am away. "

"Yet I might try, " said Umslopogaas, smiling, for of all lads among theZulus he was the swiftest of foot. 

"First walk again, then run, " answered Galazi. 

"Take up the tale, " quoth Umslopogaas; "it is a merry one. "

"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 cameon swiftly into the Zulu. Now, it was in my mind to go to Chaka and tellhim of my wrongs, asking that he would send an impi to make an endof the Halakazi. But while I journeyed, finding food and shelter as Imight, I came one night to the kraal of an old man who knew Chaka, andhad known Siguyana, my grandfather, and to him, when I had stayed theretwo days, I told my tale. But the old man counselled me against my plan, saying that Chaka, the king, did not love to welcome new shoots sprungfrom the royal stock, and would kill me; moreover, the man offered me aplace in his kraal. Now, I held that there was wisdom in his words, andthought no more of standing before the king to cry for justice, for hewho 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 wholooked on me with no liking; moreover, I wished to be a chief myself, even if I lived alone. So I left the kraal by night and walked on, notknowing where I should go. 

"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 thekraal sat a very old woman basking in the rays of the setting sun. Shesaw me, and spoke to me, saying, 'Young man, you are tall and strong andswift of foot. Would you earn a famous weapon, a club, that destroys allwho stand before 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-morrow morning, at thefirst light, you shall go up to yonder mountain, ' and she pointed tothe mountain where you are now, stranger, on which the stone Witch sitsforever 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 shallclimb the path and enter a gloomy forest. It is very dark in the forest, but you must push through it till you come to an open place with a wallof rock behind it. In the wall of rock is a cave, and in the cave youwill find the bones of a man. Bring down the bones in a bag, and I willgive you the club!'

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

"'Do not heed her, young man, ' they said, 'unless you are weary of life. Do not heed her: she is crazy. The mountain is haunted; it is a place ofghosts. Look at the stone Witch who sits upon it! Evil spirits live inthat forest, and no man has walked there for many years. This woman'sson was foolish: he went to wander in the forest, saying that he carednothing for ghosts, and the Amatongo, the ghost-folk, killed him. Thatwas many years ago, and none have dared to seek his bones. Ever shesits here and asks of the passers by that they should bring him to her, offering the great club for a reward; but they dare not!'

"'They lie!' said the old woman. 'There are no ghosts there. The ghostslive only in their cowardly hearts; there are but wolves. I know thatthe 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 all these are cowards; there is no man among them since the Zuluskilled my husband, covering him with wounds!'

"Now, I listened, answering nothing; but when all had done, I askedto see 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. Presently she 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 was great and knotty, black as iron that had been smoked in the fire, and shod with metal that was worn smooth with smiting. 

"I looked at it, " went on Galazi, "and I tell you, stranger, a greatdesire 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, 'and it hasnot 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 who held it last slew twenty before he was slain himself, for thisfortune goes with the club--that he who owns it shall die holding it, but in a noble fashion. There is but one other weapon to match withit in Zululand, and that is the great axe of Jikiza, the chief ofthe People of the Axe, who dwells in the kraal yonder; the ancienthorn-hafted Imbubuzi, the Groan-Maker, that brings victory. Were axe, Groan-Maker, and club, Watcher of the Fords, side by side, there areno thirty men in Zululand who could stand before them. I have said. Choose!' And the aged woman watched me cunningly through her horny eyes. 

"'She speaks truly now, ' said one of those who stood near. 'Let the clubbe, young man: he who owns it smites great blows indeed, but in the endhe dies by the assegai. None dare own the Watcher of the Fords. '

"'A good death and a swift!' I answered. And pondered a time, whilestill 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 buta child, I must seek me a man, I must seek me a man!'

"'Not so fast, old wife, ' I said. 'Will you lend me this club to hold inmy hand while I go to find the bones of your son and to snatch them fromthe people of the ghosts?'

"'Lend you the Watcher, boy? Nay, nay! I should see little of you againor of the good club either. '

"'I am no thief, ' I answered. 'If the ghosts kill me, you will see me nomore, or the club either; but if I live I will bring you back the bones, or, if I do not find them, I will render the Watcher into your handsagain. 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 theWatcher, go seek the bones. If you die, let the club be lost with you;if you fail, bring it back to me; but if you win the bones, then it isyours, 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 alittle dancing shield, and made ready to start. The old woman blessed meand bade me farewell, but the other people of the kraal mocked, saying:'A little man for so big a club! Beware, little man, lest the ghostsuse the club on you!' So they spoke, but one girl in the kraal--she is agranddaughter of the old woman--led me aside, praying me not to go, for the forest on the Ghost Mountain had an evil name: none dared walkthere, since it was certainly full of spirits, who howled like wolves. Ithanked the girl, but to the others I said nothing, only I asked of thepath to the Ghost Mountain. 

"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, shapedlike a seated woman, her chin resting upon her breast, the place wherethe cave was being, as it were, on the lap of the woman. Below thisplace the rock sloped sharply, and was clothed with little bushes. Lowerdown yet was a forest, great and dense, that stretched to the top of acliff, and at the foot of the cliff, beyond the waters of the river, laythe wide plains of Zululand. 

"Yonder, stranger, " said Galazi, pointing with the club Watcher of theFords far away to the plain beneath; "yonder is the kraal where the agedwoman 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 thecave, and here is the cave itself. See this stone lying at the mouth ofthe cave, it turns thus, shutting up the entrance hole--it turns gently;though it is so large, a child may move it, for it rests upon a sharppoint of rock. Only mark this, the stone must be pushed too far; for, look! if it came to here, " and he pointed to a mark in the mouth of thecave, "then that man need be strong who can draw it back again, though Ihave done it myself, who am not a man full grown. But if it pass beyondthis mark, then, see, it will roll down the neck of the cave like apebble down the neck of a gourd, and I think that two men, one strivingfrom within and one dragging from without, scarcely could avail topush it clear. Look now, I close the stone, as is my custom of a night, so, "--and he grasped the rock and swung it round upon its pivot, onwhich it turned as a door turns. "Thus I leave it, and though, exceptthose to whom the secret is know, none would guess that a cave was here, yet it can be rolled back again with a push of the hand. But enough ofthe 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 haddared to cross it. 

"'Ha! ha!' they cried, 'now your journey is done, little man; watch bythe ford you who would win the Watcher of the Ford! Beat the water withthe club, perhaps so it shall grow gentle that your feet may pass 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 fastabout my middle, and I held the great club in my teeth by the thong. Then I plunged into the river and swam. Twice, stranger, the currentbore me under, and those on the bank shouted that I was lost; but I roseagain, and in the end I won the farther shore. 

"Now those on the bank mocked no more; they stood still wondering, andI walked on till I came to the foot of the cliff. That cliff is hard toclimb, stranger; when you are strong upon your feet, I will show you thepath. Yet I found a way up it, and by midday I came to the forest. Here, on the edge of the forest, I rested awhile, and ate a little food that Ihad brought with me in the bag, for now I must gather up my strength tomeet the ghosts, if ghosts there were. Then I rose and plunged into theforest. The trees were great that grow there, stranger, and their leavesare so think that in certain places the light is as that of night whenthe moon is young. Still, I wended on, often losing my path. But fromtime to time between the tops of the trees I saw the figure of the greystone woman who sits on the top of Ghost Mountain, and shaped my coursetowards her knees. My heart beat as I travelled through the forest indark 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 thesewere the Amatongo. At times, also, I caught glimpses of some grey wolfas he slunk from tree to tree watching me, and always high above my headthe wind sighed in the great boughs with a sound like the sighing ofwomen. 

"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, the trees grew fewer, the ground sloped upwards, and the light poureddown from the heavens again. But, stranger, you are weary, and the nightwears on; sleep now, and to-morrow I will end the tale. Say, first, howare you named?"

"I am named Umslopogaas, son of Mopo, " he answered, "and my tale shallbe told when yours is done; let us sleep!"

Now when Galazi heard this name he started and was troubled, but saidnothing. So they laid them down to sleep, and Galazi wrapped Umslopogaaswith the skins of bucks. 

But Galazi the Wolf was so hardy that he lay on the bare ground and hadno covering. So they slept, and without the door of the cave the wolveshowled, scenting the blood of men. 

CHAPTER XIII. GALAZI BECOMES KING OF THE WOLVES

On the morrow Umslopogaas awoke, and knew that strength was growing onhim fast. Still, all that day he rested in the cave, while Galaziwent out to hunt. In the evening he returned, bearing a buck upon hisshoulders, and they skinned the buck and ate of it as they sat by thefire. And when the sun was down Galazi 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 aloftthere forever waiting for the world to die. Here the sun shone merrily, here lizards ran and birds flew to and fro, and though it grew towardsthe evening--for I had wandered long in the forest--I was afraid nomore. So I climbed up the steep rock, where little bushes grow likehair on the arms of a man, till at last I came to the knees of the stoneWitch, which are the space before the cave. I lifted by head over thebrink of the rock and looked, and I tell you, Umslopogaas, my blood rancold and my heart turned to water, for there, before the cave, rolledwolves, many and great. Some slept and growled in their sleep, somegnawed at the skulls of dead game, some sat up like dogs and theirtongues hung from their grinning jaws. I looked, I saw, and beyond Idiscovered the mouth of the cave, where the bones of the boy should be. But I had no wish to come there, being afraid of the wolves, for nowI knew that these were the ghosts who live upon the mountain. So Ibethought me that I would fly, and turned to go. And, Umslopogaas, evenas I turned, the great club Watcher of the Fords swung round and smoteme on the back with such a blow as a man smites upon a coward. Nowwhether this was by chance or whether the Watcher would shame him whobore it, say you, for I do not know. At the least, shame entered intome. 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 ghostsat night in the forest? Nay, it was better to die in the jaws of thewolves, and at once. 

"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 ofthe Halakazi, I sprang over the brink of the rock and rushed upon thewolves. They, too, sprang up and stood howling, with bristling hides andfiery eyes, and the smell of them came into my nostrils. Yet when theysaw it was a man that rushed upon them, they were seized with suddenfear and fled this way and that, leaping by great bounds from the placeof rock, which is the knees of the stone Witch, so that presently Istood alone in front of the cave. Now, having conquered the wolf ghostsand no blow struck, my heart swelled within me, and I walked to themouth of the cave proudly, as a cock walks upon a roof, and looked inthrough the opening. As it chanced, the sinking sun shone at this hourfull 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 theend of the 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 thefloor. It is a narrow hole and a high, is it not?--as though one had cutit with iron, and a man might sit in it, his legs hanging towards thefloor of the cave. Ay, Umslopogaas, a man might sit in it, might he not?And there a man sat, or that which had been a man. There sat the bonesof a man, and the black skin had withered on his bones, holding themtogether, and making him awful to see. His hands were open beside him, he leaned upon them, and in the right hand was a piece of hide from hismoocha. It was half eaten, Umslopogaas; he had eaten it before he died. His eyes also were bound round with a band of leather, as though to hidesomething from their gaze, one foot was gone, one hung over the edge ofthe niche towards the floor, and beneath it on the floor, red with rust, lay the blade of a broken spear. 

"Now come hither, Umslopogaas, place your hand upon the wall of thecave, just here; it is smooth, is it not?--smooth as the stones on whichwomen grind 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 amile; she was great and fierce. Near to her was another wolf--he wasa dog--old and black, bigger than any I have seen, a very father ofwolves, and all his head and flanks were streaked with grey. But thiswolf was on his feet. As I watched he drew back nearly to the mouth ofthe cave, then of a sudden he ran forward and bounded high into the airtowards the withered foot of that which hung from the cleft of the rock. His pads struck upon the rock here where it is smooth, and there for asecond he seemed to cling, while his great jaws closed with a clash buta spear's breadth beneath the dead man's foot. Then he fell back witha howl of rage, and drew slowly down the cave. Again he ran and leaped, again the great jaws closed, again he fell down howling. Then theshe-wolf rose, and they sprang together, striving to pull down him whosat above. But it was all in vain; they could never come nearer thanwithin a spear's breadth of the dead man's foot. And now, Umslopogaas, you know why the rock is smooth and shines. From month to month and yearto year the wolves had ravened there, seeking to devour the bones of himwho sat above. Night upon night they had leaped thus against the wall ofthe cave, but never might their clashing jaws close upon his foot. Onefoot they had, indeed, but the 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 reachedthe hanging foot, and yet not quite. She fell back, and then I saw thatthe leap was her last for that time, for she had oversprung herself, andlay there howling, the black blood flowing from her mouth. The wolf sawalso: he drew near, sniffed at her, then, knowing that she was hurt, seized her by the throat and worried her. Now all the place was filledwith groans and choking howls, as the wolves rolled over and overbeneath him who sat above, and in the blood-red light of the dying sunthe sight and sounds were so horrid that I trembled like a 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 hadkilled her he should kill me also. So I lifted the Watcher and spranginto the cave, having it in my mind to slay the wolf before he lifted uphis head. But he heard my footsteps, or perhaps my shadow fell upon him. Loosing his grip, he looked up, this father of wolves; then, making nosound, he sprang straight at my throat. 

"I saw him, and whirling the Watcher aloft, I smote with all mystrength. The blow met him in mid-air; it fell full on his chest andstruck him backwards to the earth. But there he would not say, for, rising before I could smite again, once more he sprang at me. This timeI leaped aside and struck downwards, and the blow fell upon his rightleg and broke it, so that he could spring no more. Yet he ran at me onthree feet, and, though the club fell on his side, he seized me with histeeth, biting through that leather bag, which was wound about my middle, into the flesh behind. Then I yelled with pain and rage, and lifting theWatcher endways, drove it down with both hands, as a man drives a stakeinto the earth, and that with so great a stroke that the skull of thewolf 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 gripof his teeth. Then I looked at my wounds; they were not deep, for theleather bag had saved me, yet I feel them to this hour, for there ispoison in the mouth of a wolf. Presently I glanced up, and saw that theshe-wolf had found her feet again, and stood as though unhurt; for thisis the nature of these ghosts, Umslopogaas, that, though they fightcontinually, they cannot destroy each other. They may be killed by manalone, and that hardly. There she stood, and yet she did not look at meor on her dead mate, but at him who sat above. I saw, and crept softlybehind her, then, lifting the Watcher, I dashed him down with all mystrength. The blow fell on her neck and broke it, so that she rolledover and at once was dead. 

"Now I rested awhile, then went to the mouth of the cave and lookedout. The sun was sinking: all the depth of the forest was black, but thelight still shone on the face of the stone woman who sits forever on themountain. Here, then, I must bide this night, for, though the moon shonewhite and full in the sky, I dared not wend towards the plains alonewith the wolves and the ghosts. And if I dared not go alone, how muchless should I dare to go bearing with me him who sat in the cleft ofthe rock! Nay, here I must bide, so I went out of the cave to the springwhich flows from the rock on the right yonder and washed my wounds anddrank. Then I came back and sat in the mouth of the cave, and watchedthe 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 upand tossed it till the green of its boughs waved like troubled water onwhich the moon shines faintly. From the heart of it, too, came howlingsof ghosts and wolves, that were answered by howls from the rocksabove--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 toclose it, leaving myself alone with the dead wolves and him whomthe wolves had struggled to tear down? I walked out yonder on to theplatform and looked up. The moon shone full upon the face of the stoneWitch who sits aloft forever. She seemed to grin at me, and, oh! I grewafraid, for now I knew that this was a place of dead men, a place wherespirits perch like vultures in a tree, as they sweep round and roundthe world. I went back to the cave, and feeling that I must do somethinglest I should go mad, I drew to me the carcase of the great dog-wolfwhich I had killed, and, taking my knife of iron, I began to skin it bythe light of the moon. For an hour or more I skinned, singing to myselfas I worked, and striving to forget him who sat in the cleft above andthe howlings which ran about the mountains. But ever the moonlight shonemore clearly into the cave: now by it I could see his shape of bone andskin, ay, and even the bandage about his eyes. Why had he tied it there?I wondered--perhaps to hide the faces of the fierce wolves as theysprang upwards to grip him. And always the howlings drew nearer; nowI could see grey forms creeping to and fro in the shadows of the rockyplace before me. Ah! there before me glared two red eyes: a sharpsnout sniffed at the carcase which I skinned. With a yell, I lifted theWatcher and smote. There came a scream of pain, and something gallopedaway 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 ofhowlings drew near again, and I saw the grey shapes creep up one by one. Now they gathered round the carcase, now they fell upon it and rent it, fighting horribly till all was finished. Then, licking their red chops, they slunk back to the forest. 

"Did I sleep or did I wake? Nay, I cannot tell. But I know this, thatof a 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 sataloft at the end of the cave. It was a red light, and he glowed in itas glows a thing that is rotten. I looked, or seemed to look, and thenI thought that the hanging jaw moved, and from it came a voice that washarsh and hollow as of one who speaks from an empty belly, through awithered throat. 

"'Hail, Galazi, child of Siguyana!' said the voice, 'Galazi the Wolf!Say, what dost thou here in the Ghost Mountain, where the stone Witchsits 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 this on theGhost Mountain. I come to seek thy bones and bear them to thy mother forburial. '

"'Many and many a year have I sat aloft, Galazi, ' answered the voice, 'watching the ghost-wolves leap and leap to drag me down, till the rockgrew smooth beneath the wearing of their feet. So I sat seven days andnights, being yet alive, the hungry wolves below, and hunger gnawing atmy heart. So I have sat many and many a year, being dead in the heartof the old stone Witch, watching the moon and the sun and the stars, hearkening to the howls of the ghost-wolves as they ravened beneath me, and learning the wisdom of the old witch who sits above in everlastingstone. Yet my mother was young and fair when I trod the haunted forestand climbed the knees of stone. How seems she now, Galazi?'

"'She is white and wrinkled and very aged, ' I answered. 'They callher mad, yet at her bidding I came to seek thee, Dead One, bearing theWatcher that was thy father's and shall be mine. '

"'It shall be thine, Galazi, ' said the voice, 'for thou alone hast daredthe ghosts to give me sleep and burial. Hearken, thine also shall be thewisdom of the old witch who sits aloft forever, frozen into everlastingstone--thine and one other's. These are not wolves that thou hast seen, that is no wolf which thou hast slain; nay, they are ghosts--evil ghostsof men who lived in ages gone, and who must now live till they be slainby men. And knowest thou how they lived, Galazi, and what was the foodthey ate? When the light comes again, Galazi, climb to the breasts ofthe stone Witch, and look in the cleft which is between her breasts. There shalt thou see how these men lived. And now this doom is on them:they must wander gaunt and hungry in the shape of wolves, haunting thatGhost Mountain where they once fed, till they are led forth to die atthe hands of men. Because of their devouring hunger they have leapt fromyear to year, striving to reach my bones; and he whom thou hast slainwas the king of them, and she at his side was their queen. 

"'Now, Galazi the Wolf, this is the wisdom that I give thee: thou shaltbe king of the ghost-wolves, thou and another, whom a lion shall bringthee. Gird the black skin upon thy shoulders, and the wolves shallfollow thee; all the three hundred and sixty and three of them that areleft, and let him who shall be brought to thee gird on the skin of grey. Where ye twain lead them, there shall they raven, bringing you victorytill all are dead. But know this, that there only may they raven wherein life they ravened, seeking for their food. Yet, that was an ill giftthou tookest from my mother--the gift of the Watcher, for though withoutthe Watcher thou hadst never slain the king of the ghost-wolves, yet, bearing the Watcher, thou shalt thyself be slain. Now, on the morrowcarry me back to my mother, so that I may sleep where the ghost-wolvesleap no more. I have spoken, Galazi. '

"Now the Dead One's voice seemed to grow ever fainter and more hollowas 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 me overthe 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 of theZulu. "

Now Umslopogaas started up from his place by the fire. 

"I am named Umslopogaas, " he said, "but the Slaughterer I am not named, and I am the son of Mopo, and not the son of Chaka, Lion of the Zulu;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. "PerhapsI dreamed, of perhaps the Dead One lied; nevertheless, if he lied inthis 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, Islept indeed, and when I woke the forest beneath was like the clouds ofmist, but the grey light glinted upon the face of her who sits in stoneabove. Now I remembered the dream that I had dreamed, and I would seeif it were all a dream. So I rose, and leaving the cave, found a placewhere I might climb up to the breasts and head of the stone Witch. Iclimbed, and as I went the rays of the sun lit upon her face, and Irejoiced to see them. But, when I drew near, the likeness to the faceof a woman faded away, and I saw nothing before me but rugged heaps ofpiled-up rock. For this, Umslopogaas, is the way of witches, be they ofstone or flesh--when you draw near to them they change their shape. 

"Now I was on the breast of the mountain, and wandered to and for awhilebetween the great heaps of stone. At length I found, as it were, a crackin the stone thrice as wide as a man can jump, and in length half aspear's throw, and near this crack stood great stones blackened by fire, and beneath them broken pots and a knife of flint. I looked down intothe crack--it was very deep, and green with moss, and tall ferns grewabout in it, for the damp gathered there. There was nothing else. Ihad dreamed a lying dream. I turned to go, then found another mind, andclimbed down into the cleft, pushing aside the ferns. Beneath the fernswas moss; I scraped it away with the Watcher. Presently the iron of theclub struck on something that was yellow and round like a stone, andfrom the yellow thing came a hollow sound. I lifted it, Umslopogaas; itwas 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 are those that hyenas and wolves have worried, yet on some of themI could see the marks of teeth. Then, Umslopogaas, I went back to thecave, never looking behind me. 

"Now when I was come to the cave I did this: I skinned the she-wolfalso. When I had finished the sun was up, and I knew that it was time togo. But I could not go alone--he who sat aloft in the cleft of the cavemust go with me. I greatly feared to touch him--this Dead One, who hadspoken to me in a dream; yet I must do it. So I brought stones and piledthem up till I could reach him; then I lifted him down, for he was verylight, being but skin and bones. When he was down, I bound the hides ofthe wolves about me, then leaving the leather bag, into which he couldnot enter, I took the Dead One and placed him on my shoulders as a manmight carry a child, for his legs were fixed somewhat apart, and holdinghim by the foot which was left on him, I set out for the kraal. Down theslope I went as swiftly as I could, for now I knew the way, seeing andhearing nothing, except once, when there came a rush of wings, and agreat 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 Imust walk softly, lest the head of him I carried should strike againstthe boughs and 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 answeringhowls, and these, again, were answered by others in front of and behindme. I walked on boldly, for I dared not stay, guiding myself by the sun, which from time to time shone down on me redly through the boughs of thegreat trees. Now I could see forms grey and black slinking near my path, sniffing at the air as they went, and now I came to a little open place, and, behold! all the wolves in the world were gathered together there. My heart melted, my legs trembled beneath me. On every side were thebrutes, great and hungry. And I stood still, with club aloft, and slowlythey crept up, muttering and growling as they came, till they formed adeep circle round me. Yet they did not spring on me, only drew nearerand ever nearer. Presently one sprang, indeed, but not at me; he sprangat that which sat upon my shoulders. I moved aside, and he missed hisaim, and, coming to the ground again, stood there growling and whininglike a beast afraid. Then I remembered the words of my dream, if dreamit were, how that the Dead One had given me wisdom that I should be kingof the ghost-wolves--I and another whom a lion should bear to me. Was itnot so? If it was not so, how came it that the wolves did not devour me?

"For a moment I stood thinking, then I lifted up my voice and howledlike a wolf, and lo! Umslopogaas, all the wolves howled in answer with amighty howling. I stretched out my hand and called to them. They ran tome, gathering round me as though to devour me. But they did not harm me;they licked my legs with their red tongues, and fighting to come nearme, pressed themselves against me as does a cat. One, indeed, snatchedat him who sat on my shoulder, but I struck him with the Watcher and heslunk back like a whipped hound; moreover, the others bit him so thathe yelled. Now I knew that I had no more to fear, for I was king of theghost-wolves, so I walked on, and with me came all the great pack ofthem. I walked on and on, and they trotted beside me silently, and thefallen leaves crackled beneath their feet, and the dust rose up aboutthem, 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 forestI halted and made signs to the wolves to go back. At this they howledpiteously, as though in grief, but I called to them that I would comeagain and be their king, and it seemed as though their brute heartsunderstood my words. Then they all went, still howling, till presently Iwas alone. 

"And now, Umslopogaas, it is time to sleep; to-morrow night I will endmy tale. "

CHAPTER XIV. THE WOLF-BRETHREN

Now, my father, on the morrow night, once again Umslopogaas and Galazithe wolf sat by the fire in the mouth of their cave, as we sit to-night, my father, and Galazi 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 intothe river, using the Watcher as a staff, and the stream reached to myelbows, but no higher. Now one on the farther bank of the river saw thatwhich sat upon my shoulders, and saw also the wolf's skin on my head, and ran to the kraal crying, 'Here comes one who walks the waters on theback of a wolf. '

"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, whocould not walk so far. But when they saw me coming up the slope of thehill, and when they knew what it was that sat upon my shoulders, theywere smitten with fear. Yet they did not run, because of their greatwonder, only they walked backward before me, clinging each to each andsaying nothing. I too came on silently, till at length I reached thekraal, and before its gates sat the old woman basking in the sun of theafternoon. Presently she looked up and cried:--

"'What ails you, people of my house, that you walk backwards like menbewitched, and who is that tall and deathly man who comes toward you?'

"But still they drew on backward, saying no word, the little childrenclinging to the women, the women clinging to the men, till they hadpassed the old wife and ranged themselves behind her like a regiment ofsoldiers. Then they halted against the fence of the kraal. But I came onto the old woman, and lifted him who sat upon my shoulders, and placedhim on the ground before her, saying, 'Woman, here is your son; I havesnatched him with much toil from the jaws of the ghosts--and they aremany up yonder--all save one foot, which I could not find. Take him nowand bury him, for I weary of his fellowship. '

"She looked upon that which sat before her. She put out her witheredhand and drew the bandage from his sunken eyes. Then she screamed alouda shrill scream, 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 tenyears and half a ten I have not looked upon. Greeting, my son, greeting!Now shalt thou find burial, and I with three--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 fellforward upon the body of her son, and was dead. 

"Now silence came upon the place again, for all were fearful. At lastone cried: 'How is this man named who has won the body from the ghosts?'

"'I am named Galazi, ' I answered. 

"'Nay, ' said he. 'The Wolf you are named. Look at the wolf's red hideupon his head!'

"'I am named Galazi, and the Wolf you have named me, ' I said again. 'Sobe it: I am named Galazi the Wolf. '

"'Methinks he is a wolf, ' said he. 'Look, now, at his teeth, how theygrin! This is no man, my brothers, but a wolf. '

"'No wolf and no man, ' said another, 'but a wizard. None but a wizardcould have passed the forest and won the lap of her who sits in stoneforever. '

"'Yes, yes! he is a wolf--he is a wizard!' they screamed. 'Kill him!Kill the wolf-wizard before he brings the ghosts upon us!' And they rantowards me with uplifted spears. 

"'I am a wolf indeed, ' I cried, 'and I am a wizard indeed, and I willbring wolves and ghosts upon you ere all is done. ' And I turned andfled so swiftly that soon they were left behind me. Now as I ran I meta girl; a basket of mealies was on her head, and she bore a dead kidin her hand. I rushed at her howling like a wolf, and I snatched themealies from her head and the kid from her hand. Then I fled on, andcoming to the river, I crossed it, and for that night I hid myself inthe rocks beyond, eating the mealies 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, the ghost-wolves, and howled in answer from far and near. Then I heardthe pattering of their feet, and they came round me by tens and bytwenties, and fawned upon me. I counted their number; they numberedthree hundred and sixty and 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 with the wolves I hunt and raven, and they know me, and what I bidthem that they do. Stay, Umslopogaas, now you are strong again, and, ifyour courage does not fail 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 ussee this impi of yours--this impi black and grey, that runs on four legswith fangs for spears!"

"You must first bind on the she-wolf's hide, Umslopogaas, " quoth Galazi, "else, before a man could count his fingers twice there would be littleenough left of you. Bind it about the neck and beneath the arms, and seethat the fastenings do not burst, lest it be the worse for you. "

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 hishand. Galazi also bound on the hide of the king of the wolves, and theywent out on to the space before the cave. Galazi stood there awhile, andthe moonlight fell upon him, and Umslopogaas saw that his face grew wildand beastlike, that his eyes shone, and his teeth grinned beneath hiscurling lips. He lifted up his head and howled out upon the night. Thrice Galazi lifted his head and thrice he howled loudly, and yet moreloud. But before ever the echoes had died in the air, from the heightsof the rocks above and the depths of the forest beneath, there camehowlings in answer. Nearer they grew and nearer; now there was a soundof feet, and a wolf, great and grey, bounded towards them, and after himmany another. They came to Galazi, they sprang upon him, fawning roundhim, but he beat them down with the Watcher. Then of a sudden they sawUmslopogaas, and rushed at him open-mouthed. 

"Stand and do not move!" cried Galazi. "Be not afraid!"

"I have always fondled dogs, " answered Umslopogaas, "shall I learn tofear them now?"

Yet though he spoke boldly, in his heart he was afraid, for this was themost terrible of all sights. The wolves rushed on him open-mouthed, frombefore and from behind, so that in a breath he was well-nigh hidden bytheir forms. Yet no fang pierced him, for as they leapt they smelt thesmell of the skin upon him. Then Umslopogaas saw that the wolves leaptat him no more, but the she-wolves gathered round him who wore theshe-wolf's skin. They were great and gaunt and hungry, all werefull-grown, there were no little ones, and their number was so manythat he could not count them in the moonlight. Umslopogaas, looking intotheir red eyes, felt his heart become as the heart of a wolf, and he, too, lifted up his head and howled, and the she-wolves howled in answer. 

"The pack is gathered; now for the hunt!" cried Galazi. "Make your feetswift, 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 afterhim streamed the ghost-wolves. They fled down the mountain sides, leaping from boulder to boulder like bucks. Presently they stood by akloof that was thick with trees. Galazi stopped, holding up the Watcher, and the wolves stopped with him. 

"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 asound of breaking boughs, and lo! before them stood a buffalo, a bullwho lowed fiercely and 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 sawthe buffalo; then, giving tongue, they sprang towards it. The bullsaw also, and dashed down the hill, and after him came Galazi andUmslopogaas, and with them all their company, and the rocks shook withthe music of their hunting. They rushed down the mountain side, andit came into the heart of Umslopogaas, that he, too, was a wolf. Theyrushed madly, yet his feet were swift as the swiftest; no wolf couldoutstrip him, and in him was but one desire--the desire of prey. Nowthey neared the borders of the forest, and Galazi shouted. He shoutedto Greysnout and to Blackfang, to Blood and to Deathgrip, and thesefour leaped forward from the pack, running so swiftly that their belliesseemed to touch the ground. They passed about the bull, turning him fromthe forest and setting his head up the slope of the mountain. Then thechase wheeled, the bull leaped and bounded up the mountain side, andon one flank lay Greysnout and Deathgrip and on the other lay Bloodand Blackfang, while behind came the Wolf-Brethren, and after them thewolves with lolling tongues. Up the hill they sped, but the feet ofUmslopogaas never wearied, his breath did not fail him. Once more theydrew near the lap of the Grey Witch where the cave was. On rushed thebull, mad with fear. He ran so swiftly that the wolves were left behind, 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 andgrinned back at Galazi. "Good!" he cried, "away!"

They sped forward with a bound, and for awhile it seemed to Umslopogaasas though they stood side by side, only the bull grew nearer and nearer. Then he put out his strength and the swiftness of his feet, and lo! whenhe looked again he was alone, and the bull was very near. Never werefeet so swift as those of Umslopogaas. Now he reached the bull as helaboured on. Umslopogaas placed his hands upon the back of the bull andleaped; he was on him, he sat him as you white men sit a horse. Then helifted the spear in his hand, and drove it down between the shouldersto the spine, and of a sudden the great buffalo staggered, stopped, andfell dead. 

Galazi came up. "Who now is the swiftest, Galazi?" cried Umslopogaas, "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 Galazibeat them back, and they rested awhile. Then Galazi said, "Let us cutmeat from the bull with a spear. "

So they cut meat from the bull, and when they had finished Galazimotioned to the wolves, and they fell upon the carcase, fightingfuriously. In a little while nothing was left except the larger bones, and yet each wolf had but a little. 

Then they went back to the cave and slept. 

Afterwards Umslopogaas told Galazi all his tale, and Galazi asked him ifhe would abide with him and be his brother, and rule with him over thewolf-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 he was weary of the kraal of Chaka, but he thought of Nada day andnight. 

"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 are men indeed. Then we will seek this sister of yours and snatch her from the caves ofthe Halakazi. "

Now the desire of this wolf-life had entered into the heart ofUmslopogaas, and he said that it should be so, and on the morrow theymade them blood-brethren, to be one till death, before all the companyof ghost-wolves, and the wolves howled when they smelt the blood of men. In all things thenceforth these two were equal, and the ghost-wolveshearkened to the voice of both of them. And on many a moonlight nightthey and the wolves hunted together, winning their food. At times theycrossed the river, hunting in the plains, for game was scarce on themountain, and the people of the kraal would come out, hearing the mightyhowling, and watch the pack sweep across the veldt, and with them a manor men. Then they would say that the ghosts were abroad and creep intotheir huts shivering with fear. But as yet the Wolf-Brethren and theirpack killed no men, but game only, or, at times, elephants and lions. 

Now when Umslopogaas had abode some moons in the Witch Mountain, on anight he dreamed of Nada, and awakening soft at heart, bethought himselfthat he would learn tidings concerning me, his father, Mopo, and whathad befallen me and her whom he deemed his mother, and Nada, his sister, and his other brethren. So he clothed himself, hiding his nakedness, and, leaving Galazi, descended to that kraal where the old woman haddwelt, and there gave it out that he was a young man, a chief's son froma far place, who sought a wife. The people of the kraal listened to him, though they held that his look was fierce and wild, and one asked ifthis were Galazi the Wolf, Galazi the Wizard. But another answered thatthis was not Galazi, for their eyes had seen him. Umslopogaas said thathe knew nothing of Galazi, and little of wolves, and lo! while he spokethere came an impi of fifty men and entered the kraal. Umslopogaaslooked at the leaders of the impi and knew them for captains of Chaka. At first he would have spoken to them, but his Ehlose bade him hold hispeace. So he sat in a corner of the big hut and listened. Presently theheadman of the kraal, who trembled with fear, for he believed thatthe impi had been sent to destroy him and all that were his, asked thecaptain what was his will. 

"A little matter, and a vain, " said the captain. "We are sent by theking 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 what would yewith 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, and child, "answered the captain. 

CHAPTER XV. THE DEATH OF THE KING'S SLAYERS

When Umslopogaas heard these words his heart was heavy, and a greatanger burned in his breast, for he thought that I, Mopo, was dead withthe rest of his house, and he loved me. But he said nothing; only, watching till none were looking, he slipped past the backs of thecaptains and won the door of the hut. Soon he was clear of the kraal, and, running swiftly, crossed the river and came to the Ghost Mountain. Meanwhile, the captain asked the headman of the kraal if he knewanything of such a youth as him for whom they sought. The headman toldthe captain of Galazi the Wolf, but the captain said that this could notbe the lad, for Galazi had dwelt many moons upon the Ghost Mountain. 

"There is another youth, " said the headman; "a stranger, fierce, strongand tall, with eyes that shine like spears. He is in the hut now; hesits 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 saw him fly!Perhaps he also is a wizard! Indeed, I have heard that now there are twoof them upon the Ghost Mountain, and that they hunt there at night withthe ghost-wolves, but I do not know if it is true. "

"Now I am minded to kill you, " said the captain in wrath, "because youhave suffered this youth to escape me. Without doubt it is Umslopogaas, son of Mopo. "

"It is no fault of mine, " said the headmen. "These young men arewizards, 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 gothere alone with your soldiers, for none in these parts dare to treadupon that mountain. "

"Yet I shall dare to-morrow, " said the captain. "We grow brave at thekraal of Chaka. There men do not fear spears or ghosts or wild beasts ormagic, but they fear the king's word alone. The sun sets--give us food. To-morrow we will search the mountain. "

Thus, my father, did this captain speak in his folly, --he who shouldnever see another sun. 

Now Umslopogaas reached the mountain, and when he had passed theforest--of which he had learned every secret way--the darkness gathered, and the wolves awoke in the darkness and drew near howling. Umslopogaashowled in answer, and presently that great wolf Deathgrip came to him. Umslopogaas saw him and called him by his name; but, behold! the brutedid not know him, and flew at him, growling. Then Umslopogaas rememberedthat the she-wolf's skin was not bound about his shoulders, andtherefore it was that the wolf Deathgrip knew him not. For though inthe daytime, when the wolves slept, he might pass to and fro without theskin, at night it was not so. He had not brought the skin, because hedared not wear it in the sight of the men of the kraal, lest they shouldknow him for one of the Wolf-Brethren, and it had not been his planto seek the mountain again that night, but rather on the morrow. Now Umslopogaas knew that his danger was great indeed. He beat backDeathgrip with his kerrie, but others were behind him, for the wolvesgathered fast. Then he bounded away towards the cave, for he was soswift of foot that the wolves could not catch him, though they pressedhim hard, and once the teeth of one of them tore his moocha. Neverbefore did he run so fast, and in the end he reached the cave and rolledthe rock to, and as he did so the wolves dashed themselves against it. Then he clad himself in the hide of the she-wolf, and, pushing aside thestone, came out. And, lo! the eyes of the wolves were opened, and theyknew him for one of the brethren who ruled over them, and slunk away athis bidding. 

Now Umslopogaas sat himself down at the mouth of the cave waitingfor Galazi, and he thought. Presently Galazi came, and in few wordsUmslopogaas told him all his tale. 

"You have run a great risk, my brother, " said Galazi. "What now?"

"This, " said Umslopogaas: "these people of ours are hungry for the fleshof men; let us feed them full on the soldiers of Chaka, who sit yonderat the kraal seeking my life. I would take vengeance for Mopo, myfather, and all my brethren who are dead, and for my mothers, the wivesof Mopo. What say you?"

Galazi laughed aloud. "That will be merry, my brother, " he said. "Iweary of hunting beasts, let us hunt men to-night. "

"Ay, to-night, " said Umslopogaas, nodding. "I long to look upon thatcaptain as a maid longs for her lover's kiss. But first let us rest andeat, for the night is young; then, Galazi, summon our impi. "

So they rested and ate, and afterwards went out armed, and Galazi howledto the wolves, and they came in tens and twenties till all were gatheredtogether. Galazi moved among them, shaking the Watcher, as they sat upontheir haunches, and followed him with their fiery eyes. 

"We do not hunt game to-night, little people, " he cried, "but men, andyou love the flesh of men. "

Now all the wolves howled as though they understood. Then the packdivided itself as was its custom, the she-wolves following Umslopogaas, the dog-wolves following Galazi, and in silence they moved swiftly downtowards the plain. They came to the river and swam it, and there, eightspear throws away, on the farther side of the river stood the kraal. Now the Wolf-Brethren took counsel together, and Galazi, with thedog-wolves, went to the north gate, and Umslopogaas with the she-wolvesto the south gate. They reached them safely and in silence, for at thebidding of the brethren the wolves ceased from their howlings. The gateswere stopped with thorns, but the brethren pulled out the thorns andmade a passage. As they did this it chanced that certain dogs in thekraal heard the sound of the stirred boughs, and awakening, caught thesmell of the wolves that were with Umslopogaas, for the wind blew fromthat quarter. These dogs ran out barking, and presently they came to thesouth gate of the kraal, and flew at Umslopogaas, who pulled away thethorns. Now when the wolves saw the dogs they could be restrained nolonger, but sprang on them and tore them to fragments, and the soundof their worrying came to the ears of the soldiers of Chaka and of thedwellers in the kraal, so that they sprang from sleep, snatching theirarms. And as they came out of the huts they saw in the moonlight a manwearing a wolf's hide rushing across the empty cattle kraal, for thegrass was long and the cattle were out at graze, and with him countlesswolves, black and grey. Then they cried aloud in terror, saying that theghosts 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 somestrove to run away, but the greater part of the soldiers, and with themmany of the men of the kraal, came together in knots, being minded todie like men at teeth of the ghosts, and that though they shook withfear. Then Umslopogaas howled aloud, and howled Galazi, and they flungthemselves upon the soldiers and the people of the kraal, and with themcame the wolves. Then a crying and a baying rose up to heaven as thegrey wolves leaped and bit and tore. Little they heeded the spears andkerries of the soldiers. Some were killed, but the rest did not stay. Presently the knots of men broke up, and to each man wolves hung by twosand threes, dragging him to earth. Some few fled, indeed, but the wolveshunted 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, andmany bowed beneath him, and often the spear of Umslopogaas flashed inthe moonlight. It was finished; none were left living in that kraal, andthe wolves growled sullenly as they took their fill, they who had beenhungry for many days. Now the brethren met, and laughed in their wolfjoy, because they had slaughtered those who were sent out to slaughter. They called to the wolves, bidding them search the huts, and the wolvesentered the huts as dogs enter a thicket, and killed those who lurkedthere, or drove them forth to be slain without. Presently a man, greatand tall, sprang from the last of the huts, where he had hidden himself, and the wolves outside rushed on him to drag him down. But Umslopogaasbeat them back, for he had seen the face of the man: it was that captainwhom Chaka had sent out to kill him. He beat them back, and stalked upto the captain, saying: "Greeting to you, captain of the king! Nowtell us what is your errand here, beneath the shadow of her who sitsin stone?" 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, and answered 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 you not seek acertain youth, the son of Mopo?"

"That is so, " answered the captain. "I sought one youth, and I havefound many evil spirits. " And he looked at the wolves tearing theirprey, and shuddered. 

"Say, captain, " quoth Umslopogaas, drawing back his hood of wolf's hideso that the moonlight fell upon his face, "is this the face of thatyouth whom you sought?"

"It is the face, " answered the captain, astonished. 

"Ay, " laughed Umslopogaas, "it is the face. Fool! I knew your errand andheard your words, and thus have I answered them. " And he pointed to thedead. "Now choose, and swiftly. Will you run for your life against mywolves? Will you do battle for your life against these four?" And hepointed to Greysnout and to Blackfang, to Blood and to Deathgrip, whowatched him with slavering lips; "or will you stand face to face withme, and if I am slain, with him who bears the club, and with whom I rulethis people 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 thespear of Umslopogaas was broken in the shield of the captain and he wasleft weaponless. Now Umslopogaas turned and fled swiftly, bounding overthe dead and the wolves who preyed upon them, and the captain followedwith uplifted spear, and mocked him as he came. Galazi also wonderedthat Umslopogaas should fly from a single man. Hither and thither fledUmslopogaas, and always his eyes were on the earth. Of a sudden, Galazi, who watched, saw him sweep forward like a bird and stoop to the ground. Then he wheeled round, and lo! there was an axe in his hand. The captainrushed at him, and Umslopogaas smote as he rushed, and the blade of thegreat spear that was lifted to pierce him fell to the ground hewn fromits haft. Again Umslopogaas smote: the moon-shaped axe sank through thestout shield deep into the breast beyond. Then the captain threw up hisarms and fell to the earth. 

"Ah!" cried Umslopogaas, "you sought a youth to slay him, and have foundan 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 thatI ran to and fro like a coward. But this is a poor thing! See, thehaft is split because of the greatness of my stroke! Now this is mydesire--to win that great axe of Jikiza, which is called Groan-Maker, ofwhich we have heard tell, so that axe and club may stand together in thefray. "

"That must be for another night, " said Galazi. "We have not done soill 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, andthis was but the first of many deaths that they wrought with the helpof the wolves. For ever they ravened through the land at night, and, falling on those they hated, they ate them up, till their name and thename of the ghost-wolves became terrible in the ears of men, and theland was swept clean. But they found that the wolves would not go abroadto worry everywhere. Thus, on a certain night, they set out to fall uponthe kraals of the People of the Axe, where dwelt the chief Jikiza, whowas named the Unconquered, and owned the axe Groan-Maker, but when theyneared the kraal the wolves turned back and fled. Then Galazi rememberedthe dream that he had dreamed, in which the Dead One in the cave hadseemed to speak, telling him that there only where the men-eaters hadhunted in the past might the wolves hunt to-day. So they returned home, but Umslopogaas 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 thewolves, and he was a man full grown, a man fierce and tall and keen; aslayer of men, fleet of foot and of valour unequalled, seeing by nightas well as by day. But he was not yet named the Slaughterer, and notyet did he hold that iron chieftainess, the axe Groan-Maker. Still, thedesire to win the axe was foremost in his mind, for no woman had enteredthere, who when she enters drives out all other desire--ay, my father, even that of good weapons. At times, indeed, Umslopogaas would lurk inthe reeds by the river looking at the kraal of Jikiza the Unconquered, and would watch the gates of his kraal, and once as he lurked he saw aman 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 axeentered into Umslopogaas more and more, till at length he scarcelycould sleep for thinking of it, and to Galazi he spoke of little else, wearying him much with his talk, for Galazi loved silence. But for allhis longing he could find no means to win it. 

Now it befell that as Umslopogaas hid one evening in the reeds, watchingthe kraal of Jikiza, he saw a maiden straight and fair, whose skin shonelike the copper anklets on her limbs. She walked slowly towards thereeds where he lay hidden. Nor did she top at the brink of the reeds;she entered them and sat herself down within a spear's length of whereUmslopogaas was seated, and at once began to weep, speaking to herselfas she wept. 

"Would that the ghost-wolves might fall on him and all that is his, " shesobbed, "ay, and on Masilo also! I would hound them on, even if I myselfmust next know their fangs. Better to die by the teeth of the wolvesthan 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 ofthe ghost-wolves, there should be a picking of bones in the kraal ofJikiza before the moon grows young again. "

Umslopogaas heard, and of a sudden reared himself up before the maid, and he was great and wild to look on, and the she-wolf's fangs shoneupon his brow. 

"The ghost-wolves are at hand, damsel, " he said. "They are ever at handfor those who need them. "

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

"Who are you?" she asked. "I fear you not, whoever you are. "

"There you are wrong, damsel, for all men fear me, and they have causeto fear. I am one of the Wolf-Brethren, whose names have been told of;I am a wizard of the Ghost Mountain. Take heed, now, lest I kill you. It will be of little avail to call upon your people, for my feet arefleeter than theirs. "

"I have no wish to call upon my people, Wolf-Man, " she answered. "Andfor the rest, I am too young to kill. "

"That is so, maiden, " answered Umslopogaas, looking at her beauty. "Whatwere the words upon your lips as to Jikiza and a certain Masilo? Werethey not fierce words, such as my heart likes well?"

"It seems that you heard them, " answered the girl. "What need to wastebreath 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 tale and acommon. 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. Nowhe would give 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?" asked Umslopogaas. 

"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 shall escape;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 thatwolf-people of yours, are they not hungry, Wolf-Man?"

"I cannot bring them here, " answered Umslopogaas. "Is there no otherway?"

"There is another way, " said Zinita, "if one can be found to try it. "And again she looked at him strangely, causing the blood to beat withinhim. "Hearken! do you not know how our people are governed? They aregoverned by him who holds the axe Groan-Maker. He that can win the axein war from the hand of him who holds it, shall be our chief. But ifhe who holds the axe dies unconquered, then his son takes his place andwith it the axe. It has been thus, indeed, for four generations, sincehe who held Groan-Maker has always been unconquerable. But I have heardthat the great-grandfather of Jikiza won the axe from him who held itin his day; he won it by fraud. For when the axe had fallen on himbut lightly, he fell over, feigning death. Then the owner of the axelaughed, and turned to walk away. But the forefather of Jikiza sprangup behind him and pierced him through with a spear, and thus he becamechief 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 stand againsthim--no, not with all to win. For, holding the axe Groan-Maker, he isunconquerable, and to fight with him is sure death. Fifty-and-one havetried in all, and before the hut of Jikiza there are piled fifty-and-onewhite skulls. And know this, the axe must be won in fight; if it isstolen or found, it has no virtue--nay, it brings shame and death to himwho holds it. "

"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 thesummer season, Jikiza holds a meeting of the headmen. Then he must riseand challenge all or any to come forward and do battle with him to winthe axe and become chief in his place. Now if one comes forward, they gointo the cattle kraal, and there the matter is ended. Afterwards, whenthe head is hewn from his foe, Jikiza goes back to the meeting of theheadmen, and they talk as before. All are free to come to the meeting, and Jikiza must fight with them if they wish it, 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 he will bechief, and can give me in marriage to whom he will. "

Now Umslopogaas understood her meaning, and knew that he had foundfavour in her sight; and the thought moved him a little, for women werestrange to him as yet. 

"If perchance I should be there, " he said, "and if perchance I shouldwin 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 heleaped into the torrent of the river, and swam it with great strokes. 

Now the maid Zinita watched him till he was gone, and love of himentered into her heart--a love that was fierce and jealous and strong. But as he wended to the Ghost Mountain Umslopogaas thought rather of axeGroan-Maker than of Maid Zinita; for ever, at the bottom, Umslopogaasloved war more than women, though this has been his fate, that womenhave brought sorrow on his head. 

Fifteen days must pass before the day of the new moon, and during thistime Umslopogaas thought much and said little. Still, he told Galazisomething of the tale, and that he was determined to do battle withJikiza the Unconquered for the axe Groan-Maker. Galazi said that hewould do well to let it be, and that it was better to stay with thewolves than to go out seeking strange weapons. He said also that evenif he won the axe, the matter might not stay there, for he must take thegirl also, and his heart boded no good of women. It had been a girlwho poisoned his father in the kraals of the Halakazi. To all of whichUmslopogaas answered nothing, for his heart was set both on the axe andthe 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 thedawn of that day Umslopogaas arose and clad himself in a moocha, bindingthe she-wolf's skin round his middle beneath the moocha. In his handhe took a stout fighting-shield, which he had made of buffalo hide, andthat same light moon-shaped axe with which he had slain the captain ofChaka. 

"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 themountain and crossed the river by a ford, for he wished to save hisstrength. On the farther side of the river Galazi hid himself in thereeds, because his face was known, and there Umslopogaas bade himfarewell, not knowing if he should look upon him again. Afterwards hewalked up to the Great Place of Jikiza. Now when he reached the gatesof the kraal, he saw that many people were streaming through them, andmingled with the people. Presently they came to the open space in frontof 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 werepiled up against his door-posts, sat Jikiza, a huge man, a hairy and aproud, who glared about him rolling his eyes. Fastened to his arm by athong of leather was the great axe Groan-Maker, and each man as he cameup saluted the axe, calling it "Inkosikaas, " or chieftainess, but he didnot salute Jikiza. Umslopogaas sat down with the people in front of thecouncillors, and few took any notice of him, except Zinita, who movedsullenly to and fro bearing gourds of beer to the councillors. Near toJikiza, on his right hand, sat a fat man with small and twinkling eyes, who watched the maid Zinita greedily. 

"Yon man, " thought Umslopogaas, "is Masilo. The better for blood-lettingwill you be, Masilo. "

Presently Jikiza spoke, rolling his eyes: "This is the matter beforeyou, councillors. I have settled it in my mind to give my step-daughterZinita in marriage to Masilo, but the marriage gift is not yet agreedon. I demand a hundred head of cattle from Masilo, for the maid is fairand straight, a proper maid, and, moreover, my daughter, though notof my blood. But Masilo offers fifty head only, therefore I ask you tosettle it. "

"We hear you, Lord of the Axe, " answered one of the councillors, "butfirst, 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 never have done init? Fifty-and-three have I slain in my youth without a wound, and nowfor many years I have challenged, like a cock on a dunghill, and nonecrow in 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 shallbe, and with it the chieftainship of the People of the Axe. "

Thus he spoke very fast, as a man gabbles a prayer to a spirit in whomhe has little faith, then turned once more to talk of the cattle ofMasilo and of the maid Zinita. But suddenly Umslopogaas stood up, looking at him over the top of his war shield, and crying, "Here is one, O Jikiza, who will do battle with you for the axe Groan-Maker and forthe chieftainship that is to him who holds the axe. "

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

"Come forth from behind that big shield of yours, " he said. "Come outand tell me your name and lineage--you who would do battle with theUnconquered for the ancient axe. "

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

"What is my name and lineage to you, Jikiza?" he said. "Let it be, andhasten 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 ofthe cattle of Masilo the Pig. When I have killed you I will take a namewho now have none. "

Now once more the people laughed, but Jikiza grew mad with wrath, andsprang up gasping. 

"What!" he said, "you dare to speak thus to me, you babe unweaned, tome the Unconquered, the holder of the axe! Never did I think to live tohear 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 headfrom his shoulders. He would stand in my place, would he?--the placethat I and my fathers have held for four generations by virtue of theaxe. I tell you all, that presently I will stand upon his head, and thenwe will settle the matter of Masilo. "

"Babble not so fast, man, " quoth Umslopogaas, "or if you must babble, speak those words which you would say ere you bid the sun farewell. "

Now, Jikiza choked with rage, and foam came from his lips so that hecould not speak, but the people found this sport--all except Masilo, wholooked askance at the stranger, tall and fierce, and Zinita, who lookedat Masilo, and with no love. So they moved down to the cattle kraal, andGalazi, seeing it from afar, could keep away no longer, but drew nearand 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 cattlekraal, they were set in its centre and there were ten paces betweenthem. Umslopogaas was armed with the great shield and the lightmoon-shaped axe, Jikiza carried the Groan-Maker and a small dancingshield, and, looking at the weapons of the two, people thought that thestranger would furnish no sport to the holder of the axe. 

"He is ill-armed, " said an old man, "it should be otherwise--large axe, small shield. Jikiza is unconquerable, and the big shield will not helpthis long-legged stranger when Groan-Maker rattles on the buffalo hide. "The old man spoke thus in the hearing of Galazi the Wolf, and Galazithought that he spoke wisely, and sorrowed for the fate of his brother. 

Now, the word was given, and Jikiza rushed on Umslopogaas, roaring, forhis rage was great. But Umslopogaas did not stir till his foe was aboutto strike, then suddenly he leaped aside, and as Jikiza passed he smotehim hard upon the back with the flat of his axe, making a great sound, for it was not his plan to try and kill Jikiza with this axe. Now, a shout of laughter went up from the hundreds of the people, and thelaughter went up from the hundreds of the people, and the heart ofJikiza nearly burst with rage because of the shame of that blow. Roundhe came like a bull that is mad, and once more rushed at Umslopogaas, who lifted his shield to meet him. Then, of a sudden, just when thegreat 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 rushedJikiza, blind with fury. Round and about the kraal sped Umslopogaas, scarcely a spear's length ahead of Jikiza, and he ran keeping hisback to the sun as much as might be, that he might watch the shadow ofJikiza. A second time he sped round, while the people cheered thechase as hunters cheer a dog which pursues a buck. So cunningly didUmslopogaas run, that, though he seemed to reel with weakness in suchfashion that men thought his breath was gone, yet he went ever fasterand faster, drawing Jikiza after him. 

Now, when Umslopogaas knew by the breathing of his foe and by thestaggering of his shadow that his strength was spent, suddenly he madeas though he were about to fall himself, and stumbled out of the pathfar to the right, and as he stumbled he let drop his great shield fullin the way of Jikiza's feet. Then it came about that Jikiza, rushingon blindly, caught his feet in the shield and fell headlong to earth. Umslopogaas saw, and swooped on him like an eagle to a dove. Before mencould so much as think, he had seized the axe Groan-Maker, and with ablow of the steel he held had severed the thong of leather which boundit to the wrist of Jikiza, and sprung back, holding the great axe aloft, and casting down his own weapon upon the ground. Now, the watchers sawall the cunning of his fight, and those of them who hated Jikiza shoutedaloud. But others were silent. 

Slowly Jikiza gathered himself from the ground, wondering if he werestill alive, and as he rose he grasped the little axe of Umslopogaas, and, looking at it, he wept. But Umslopogaas held up the greatGroan-Maker, the iron chieftainess, and examined its curved points ofblue steel, the gouge that stands behind it, and the beauty of its haft, bound about with wire of brass, and ending in a knob like the knob ofa stick, as a lover looks upon the beauty of his bride. Then before allmen he kissed the broad blade and cried aloud:--

"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 togetherwill we die, thou and I, for I am not minded that others should handlethee when I am gone. "

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

"Where now is your pride, O Unconquered?" laughed Umslopogaas. "Fighton. You are as well armed as I was a while ago, when I did not fear tostand before you. "

Jikiza looked at him for a moment, then with a curse he hurled thelittle axe at him, and, turning, fled swiftly towards the gates of thecattle kraal. 

Umslopogaas stooped, and the little axe sped over him. Then he stood fora while watching, and the people thought that he meant to let Jikiza go. But that was not his desire; he waited, indeed, until Jikiza had coverednearly half the space between him and the gate, then with a roar heleaped forward, as light leaps from a cloud, and so fast did his feetfly that the watchers could scarce see them move. Jikiza fled fast also, yet he seemed but as one who stands still. Now he reached the gate ofthe kraal, now there was rush, a light of downward falling steel, andsomething swept past him. Then, behold! Jikiza fell in the gateway ofthe cattle kraal, and all saw that he was dead, smitten to death bythat mighty axe Groan-Maker, which he and his fathers had held for manyyears. 

A great shout went up from the crowd of watchers when they knew thatJikiza the Unconquered was killed at last, and there were many whohailed Umslopogaas, naming him Chief and Lord of the People of the Axe. But the sons of Jikiza to the number of ten, great men and brave, rushedon Umslopogaas to kill him. Umslopogaas ran backwards, lifting up theGroan-Maker, when certain councillors of the people flung themselves inbetween them, crying, "Hold!"

"Is not this your law, ye councillors, " said Umslopogaas, "that, havingconquered the chief of the People of the Axe, I myself am chief?"

"That is our law indeed, stranger, " answered an aged councillor, "butthis 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 beagain to-day. "

"I have nothing to say against the rule, " said Umslopogaas. "Now who isthere who will come up against me to do battle for the axe Groan-Makerand the chieftainship of the People of the Axe?"

Then all the ten sons of Jikiza stepped forward as one man, for theirhearts were made with wrath because of the death of their father andbecause the chieftainship had gone from their race, so that in truththey cared little if they lived or died. But there were none besidesthese, for all men feared to stand before Umslopogaas and theGroan-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 leftto me 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 otherto stand beside me in the fray, and all of you come on at once againstus twain, ten against two, to slay us or be slain, will that be to yourminds?"

The brethren consulted together, and held that so they should be inbetter case than 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 ofGalazi, his brother, in the throng, and knew that he hungered to sharethe fight. So he called aloud that he whom he should choose, and whowould stand back to back with him in the fray, if victory were theirs, should be the first after him among the People of the Axe, and as hecalled, he walked slowly down the line scanning the faces of all, tillhe came to where Galazi stood leaning on the Watcher. 

"Here is a great fellow who bears a great club, " said Umslopogaas. "Howare 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 meamongst this people. "

"Better I love the wild woods and the mountain's breast than the kraalsof men and the kiss of wives, Axebearer, " answered Galazi. "Yet, becauseyou have shown yourself a warrior of might, and to taste again of thejoy of battle, I will stand back to back with you, Axebearer, and seethis matter ended. "

"A bargain, Wolf!" cried Umslopogaas. And they walked side by side--amighty pair!--till they came to the centre of the cattle kraal. Allthere looked on them wondering, and it came into the thoughts of someof 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, " saidUmslopogaas as they walked, "and I think that few can stand beforethem. "

"Some shall find it so, " answered Galazi. "At the least, the fray willbe merry, and what matter how frays end?"

"Ah, " said Umslopogaas, "victory is good, but death ends all and is bestof all. "

Then they spoke of the fashion in which they would fight, andUmslopogaas looked curiously at the axe he carried, and at the point onits hammer, balancing it in his hand. When he had looked long, the pairtook their stand back to back in the centre of the kraal, and people sawthat Umslopogaas held the axe in a new fashion, its curved blade beinginwards towards his breast, and the hollow point turned towards the foe. The ten brethren gathered themselves together, shaking their assegais;five of them stood before Umslopogaas and five before Galazi the Wolf. They were all great men, made fierce with rage and shame. 

"Now nothing except witchcraft can save these two, " said a councillor toone who stood by him. 

"Yet there is virtue in the axe, " answered the other, "and for the club, it seems that I know it: I think it is named Watcher of the Fords, andwoe to those who stand before the Watcher. I myself have seen him aloftwhen I was young; moreover, these are no cravens who hold the axe andthe club. 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 thatsame man who had set out the law to Umslopogaas. He must give the signalby throwing up a spear, and when it struck the ground, then the fightwould begin. The old man took the spear and threw it, but his hand wasweak, and he cast so clumsily that it fell among the sons of Jikiza, whostood before Umslopogaas, causing them to open up to let it pass betweenthem, and drawing the eyes of all ten of them to it, but Umslopogaaswatched for the touching of the spear only, being careless where ittouched. 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, as menhad thought they must, sprang forward, each at the line of foes who werebefore him. While the ten still stood confused, for it had been theirplan to attack, the Wolf-Brethren were upon them. Groan-Maker was up, but as for no great stroke. He did but peck, as a bird pecks with hisbill, and yet a man dropped dead. The Watcher also was up, but he felllike a falling tree, and was the death of one. Through the lines of theten passed the Wolf-Brethren in the gaps that each had made. Then theyturned swiftly and charged towards each other again; again Groan-Makerpecked, again the Watcher thundered, and lo! once more Umslopogaas stoodback to back unhurt, but before them lay four men dead. 

The onslaught and the return were so swift, that men scarcely understoodwhat had been done; even those of the sons of Jikiza who were leftstared at each other wondering. Then they knew that they were but six, for four of them were dead. With a shout of rage they rushed upon thepair from both sides, but in either case one was the most eager, andoutstepped the other two, and thus it came about that time was giventhe Wolf-Brethren to strike at him alone, before his fellows were at hisside. He who came at Umslopogaas drove at him with his spear, but hewas not to be caught this, for he bent his middle sideways, so that thespear only cut his skin, and as he bent tapped with the point of the axeat the head of the smiter, dealing death on him. 

"Yonder Woodpecker has a bill of steel, and he can use it well, " saidthe councillor to him who stood by him. 

"This is a Slaughterer indeed, " the man answered, and the people heardthe 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 Galaziwas cunning in war. He took one step forward to meet him, then, swingingthe Watcher backward, he let him fall at the full length of arms andclub. The child of Jikiza lifted his shield to catch the blow, but theshield was to the Watcher what a leaf is to the wind. Full on its hidethe huge club fell, making a loud sound; the war-shield doubled up likea raw skin, and he who bore it fell crushed to the earth. 

Now for a moment, the four who were left of the sons of Jikiza hoveredround the pair, feinting at them from afar, but never coming withinreach of axe or club. One threw a spear indeed, and though Umslopogaasleaped aside, and as it sped towards him smote the haft in two withthe blade of Groan-Maker, yet its head flew on, wounding Galazi in theflank. Then he who had thrown the spear turned to fly, for his handswere empty, and the others followed swiftly, for the heart was out ofthem, and they dared to do battle with these two no more. 

Thus the fight was ended, and from its beginning till the finish was notlonger than the time in which men might count a hundred slowly. 

"It seems that none are left for us to kill, Galazi, " said Umslopogaas, laughing aloud. "Ah, that was a cunning fight! Ho! you sons of theUnconquered, 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 womenof my kraal. Now, councillors, the fighting is done, so let us to thechief's hut, where Masilo waits us, " and he turned and went with Galazi, and after him followed all the people, wondering and in silence. 

When he reached the hut Umslopogaas sat himself down in the place whereJikiza had sat that morning, and the maid Zinita came to him with a wetcloth and washed the wound that the spear had made. He thanked her;then she would have washed Galazi's wound also, and this was deeper, but Galazi bade her to let him be roughly, as he would have no womanmeddling with his wounds. For neither then nor at any other time didGalazi turn to women, but he hated Zinita most of them all. 

Then Umslopogaas spoke to Masilo the Pig, who sat before him with afrightened face, saying, "It seems, O Masilo, that you have sought thismaid Zinita in marriage, and against her will, persecuting her. Now Ihad intended to kill you as an offering to her anger, but there has beenenough blood-letting to-day. Yet you shall have a marriage gift to thisgirl, whom I myself will take in marriage: you shall give a hundred headof cattle. Then get you gone from among the People of the Axe, lest aworse thing befall you, Masilo the Pig. "

So Masilo rose up and went, and his face was green with fear, but hepaid the hundred head of cattle and fled towards the kraal of Chaka. Zinita watched him go, and she was glad of it, and because theSlaughterer had named her for his wife. 

"I am well rid of Masilo, " she said aloud, in the hearing of Galazi, "but I had been better pleased to see him dead before me. "

"This woman has a fierce heart, " thought Galazi, "and she will bring nogood to Umslopogaas, my brother. "

Now the councillors and the captains of the People of the Axe konzaedto him whom they named the Slaughterer, doing homage to him as chiefand holder of the axe, and also they did homage to the axe itself. SoUmslopogaas became chief over this people, and their number was many, and he grew great and fat in cattle and wives, and none dared to gainsayhim. From time to time, indeed, a man ventured to stand up before him infight, but none could conquer him, and in a little while no one soughtto face Groan-Maker when he lifted himself to peck. 

Galazi also was great among the people, but dwelt with them little, forbest he loved the wild woods and the mountain's breast, and often, as ofold, he swept at night across the forest and the plains, and the howlingof the ghost-wolves went with him. 

But henceforth Umslopogaas the Slaughterer hunted very rarely with thewolves at night; he slept at the side of Zinita, and she loved him muchand bore him children. 

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 kraalof Gibamaxegu, which you white people name Gibbeclack, the kraal that iscalled "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 wivesand fat cattle and a kraal to dwell in, the bones of Unandi, the GreatMother Elephant, Mother of the Heavens, were gathered together from theashes of my huts, and because all could not be found, some of the bonesof my wives were collected also to make up the number. But Chaka neverknew this. When all were brought together, a great pit was dug and thebones were set out in order in the pit and buried; but not alone, forround them were placed twelve maidens of the servants of Unandi, andthese maidens were covered over with the earth, and left to die in thepit by the bones of Unandi, their mistress. Moreover, all those who werepresent at the burial were made into a regiment and commanded that theyshould 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 cropsshould be sown that year, that the milk of the cows should be spilledupon the ground, and that no woman should give birth to a child for afull year, and that if any should dare to bear children, then that theyshould be slain and their husbands with them. And for a space of somemonths these things were done, my father, and great sorrow came upon theland. 

Then for a little while there was quiet, and Chaka went about heavily, and he wept often, and we who waited on him wept also as we walked, tillat length it came about by use that we could weep without ceasing formany hours. No angry woman can weep as we wept in those days; it was anart, my father, for the teaching of which I received many cattle, forwoe to him who had no tears in those days. Then it was also that Chakasent out the captain and fifty soldiers to search for Umslopogaas, for, though he said nothing more to me of this matter, he did not believe allthe tale that I had told him of the death of Umslopogaas in the jaws ofa lion and the tale of those who were with me. How that company fared atthe hands of Umslopogaas and of Galazi the Wolf, and at the fangs ofthe people black and grey, I have told you, my father. None of them evercame back again. In after days it was reported to the king that thesesoldiers were missing, never having returned, but he only laughed, saying that the lion which ate Umslopogaas, son of Mopo, was a fierceone, and had eaten them also. 

At last came the night of the new moon, that dreadful night to befollowed by a more dreadful morrow. I sat in the kraal of Chaka, and heput his arm about my neck and groaned and wept for his mother, whom hehad murdered, and I groaned also, but I did not weep, because it wasdark, and on the morrow I must weep much in the sight of king and men. Therefore, I spared my tears, lest they should fail me in my need. 

All night long the people drew on from every side towards the kraal, and, as they came in thousands and tens of thousands, they filled thenight with their cries, till it seemed as though the whole world weremourning, and loudly. None might cease their crying, and none daredto 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 withus. " So we went out, and after us came men armed with clubs to do thebidding of the king. 

Outside the kraal the people were gathered, and their number wascountless as the leaves upon the trees. On every side the land was blackwith them, as at times the veldt is black with game. When they saw theking they ceased from their howling and sang the war-song, then onceagain they howled, and Chaka walked among them weeping. Now, my father, the sight became dreadful, for, as the sun rose higher the day grew hot, and utter weariness came upon the people, who were packed together likeherds of cattle, and, though oxen slain in sacrifice lay around, theymight neither eat nor drink. Some fell to the ground, and were trampledto death, others took too much snuff to make them weep, others stainedtheir eyes with saliva, others walked to and fro, their tongues hangingfrom 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-hearted men. "

As we spoke we cam upon a man, a chief of renown. He was namedZwaumbana, chief of the Amabovus, and with him were his wives andfollowers. This man could 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 my mother whois dead! Oh, the monster without a heart! Shall such as he live to lookupon 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 biddingof the king, and the slayers also must weep as they slew. Presentlywe came upon another man, who, seeing the king, took snuff secretly tobring tears to his eyes. But the glance of Chaka was quick, and he notedit. 

"Look at him, Mopo, " he said, "look at the wizard who has no tears, though my mother is dead by witchcraft. See, he takes snuff to bringtears to his eyes that are dry with wickedness. Take him away, theheartless brute! Oh, take him away!"

So this one also was killed, and these were but the first of thousands, for presently Chaka grew mad with wickedness, with fury, and with thelust of blood. He walked to and fro, weeping, going now and again intohis hut to drink beer, and I with him, for he said that we who sorrowedmust have food. And ever as he walked he would wave his arm or hisassegai, saying, "Take them away, the heartless brutes, who do not weepbecause my mother is dead, " and those who chanced to stand before hisarm were killed, till at length the slayers could slay no more, andthemselves were slain, because their strength had failed them, and theyhad no more tears. And I also, I must slay, lest if I slew not I shouldmyself be slain. 

And now, at length, the people also went mad with their thirst and thefury of their fear. They fell upon each other, killing each other; everyman who had a foe sought him out and killed him. None were spared, theplace was but a shambles; there on that day died full seven thousandmen, and still Chaka walked weeping among them, saying, "Take them away, the heartless brutes, take them away!" Yet, my father, there was cunningin his cruelty, for though he destroyed many for sport alone, also heslew on this day all those whom he hated or whom he feared. 

At length the night came down, the sun sank red that day, all the skywas like blood, and blood was all the earth beneath. Then the killingceased, because none had now the strength to kill, and the people laypanting in heaps upon the ground, the living and the dead together. Ilooked at them, and saw that if they were not allowed to eat and drink, before day dawned again the most of them would be dead, and I spoke tothe king, for I cared little in that hour if I lived or died; even myhope of vengeance was forgotten in the sickness of my heart. 

"A mourning indeed, O King, " I said, "a merry mourning for true-heartedmen, but for wizards a mourning such as they do not love. I think thatthy sorrows are avenged, O King, thy sorrows and mine also. "

"Not so, Mopo, " answered the king, "this is but the beginning; ourmourning was merry to-day, it shall be merrier to-morrow. "

"To-morrow, O King, few will be left to mourn; for the land will beswept of men. "

"Why, Mopo, son of Makedama? But a few have perished of all thethousands who are gathered together. Number the people and they will notbe missed. "

"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 theyhave wailed and moaned. Look without, Black One, there they lie in heapswith the dead. 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, leaving him but a small people over whom to rule. 

"It is hard, Mopo, " he said, "that thou and I must mourn alone overour woes while these dogs feast and make merry. Yet, because of thegentleness of my heart, I will deal gently with them. Go out, son ofMakedama, and bid my children eat and drink if they have the heart, forthis mourning is ended. Scarcely will Unandi, my mother, sleep well, seeing that so little blood has been shed on her grave--surely herspirit will haunt my dreams. Yet, because of the gentleness of myheart, I declare this mourning ended. Let my children eat and drink, if, indeed, they have the heart. "

"Happy are the people over whom such a king is set, " I said in answer. 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 ofthe king. But the most gave over sucking the dew from their sticks, and rushed to the water like cattle that have wandered five days in thedesert, and drank their fill. Some of them were trampled to death in thewater. 

Afterwards I slept as I might best; it was not well, my father, for Iknew that Chaka was not yet gutted with slaughter. 

On the morrow many of the people went back to their homes, having soughtleave from the king, others drew away the dead to the place of bones, and yet others were sent out in impis to kill such as had not come tothe mourning of the king. When midday was past, Chaka said that he wouldwalk, and ordered me and other of his indunas and servants to walk withhim. We went on in silence, the king leaning on my shoulder as on astick. "What of thy people, Mopo, " he said at length, "what of theLangeni tribe? Were they at my mourning? I did not see them. "

Then I answered that I did not know, they had been summoned, but the waywas long and the time short for so many to march so far. 

"Dogs should run swiftly when their master calls, Mopo, my servant, "said Chaka, and the dreadful light came into his eyes that never shonein the eyes of any other man. Then I grew sick at heart, my father--ay, though I loved my people little, and they had driven me away, I grewsick at heart. Now we had come to a spot where there is a great riftof black rock, and the name of that rift is U'Donga-lu-ka-Tatiyana. Oneither side of this donga the ground slopes steeply down towards itsyawning lips, and from its end a man may see the open country. HereChaka sat down at the end of the rift, pondering. Presently he looked upand saw a vast multitude of men, women, and children, who wound like asnake across the plain beneath towards the kraal Gibamaxegu. 

"I think, Mopo, " said the king, "that by the colour of their shields, 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 theLangeni people to him where he sat. Other messengers he sent also to thekraal, 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 windingtowards him across the plain till the messengers met them and the snakebegan to climb the slope 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 them for manyyears. Perhaps they number three full regiments. "

"Nay, more, " said the king; "what thinkest thou, Mopo, would this peopleof thine fill the rift behind us?" and he nodded at the gulf of stone. 

Now, my father, I trembled in all my flesh, seeing the purpose of Chaka;but I could find no words to say, for my tongue clave to the roof of mymouth. 

"The people are many, " said Chaka, "yet, Mopo, I bet thee fifty head ofcattle 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 the peopleof 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 hecame within earshot of the king, he gave him the royal salute of Bayete, and fell upon his hands and knees, crawling towards him, and konzaed tothe king, praising him as he came. All the thousands of the people alsofell on their hands and knees, and praised the king aloud, and the soundof their praising was like the sound of a great thunder. 

At length Makedama, my father, writhing on his breast like a snake, laybefore the majesty of the king. Chaka bade him rise, and greeted himkindly; but all the thousands of the people yet lay upon their breastsbeating the dust with their heads. 

"Rise, Makedama, my child, father of the people of the Langeni, " saidChaka, "and tell me why art thou late in coming to my mourning?"

"The way was far, O King, " answered Makedama, my father, who did notknow 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. "Surely thy heartmourned 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, thecattle wander untended on the hills, birds pick at the unguarded crops. "

"It is well, Makedama, thou faithful servant! Yet thou wouldst mournwith me an hour--is it not so? Now, hearken! Bid thy people pass to theright and to the left of me, and stand in all their numbers upon theslopes of the grass that run down to the lips of the rift. "

So Makedama, my father, bade the people do the bidding of the king, forneither he nor the indunas saw his purpose, but I, who knew his wickedheart, I saw it. Then the people filed past to the right and to theleft by hundreds and by thousands, and presently the grass of the slopescould be seen no more, because of their number. When all had passed, Chaka spoke again to Makedama, my father, bidding him climb down to thebottom of the donga, and thence lift up his voice in mourning. The oldman obeyed the king. Slowly, and with much pain, he clambered to thebottom of the rift and stood there. It was so deep and narrow that thelight 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 andsmall, yet it came to them faintly like the voice of one speaking from amountain-top in 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 is nomore. 

"Mourn, children of Makedama, because the Spirit of Fruitfulness is nomore. 

"Mourn, O ye people, because the Lion of the Zulu is left so desolate. 

"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 and broughtforth 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 thecleft. He sang it in a still, small voice, but, line after line, hissong was caught up by the thousands who stood on the slopes above, and thundered to the heavens till the mountains shook with its sound. Moreover, the noise of their crying opened the bosom of a heavyrain-cloud that had gathered as they mourned, and the rain fell ingreat slow drops, as though the sky also wept, and with the rain camelightning and the roll of thunder. 

Chaka listened, and large tears coursed down his cheeks, whose heartwas easily stirred by the sound of song. Now the rain hissed fiercely, making as it were a curtain about the thousands of the people; but stilltheir cry went up through the rain, and the roll of the thunder was lostin it. Presently there came a hush, and I looked to the right. There, above the heads of the people, coming over the brow of the hill, werethe plumes of warriors, and in their hands gleamed a hedge of spears. I looked to the left; there also I saw the plumes of warriors dimlythrough the falling rain, and in their hands a hedge of spears. I lookedbefore me, towards the end of the cleft; there also loomed the plumes ofwarriors, and in their hands was a hedge of spears. 

Then, from all the people there arose another cry, a cry of terror andof agony. 

"Ah! now they mourn indeed, Mopo, " said Chaka in my ear; "now thy peoplemourn from the heart and not with the lips alone. "

As he spoke the multitude of the people on either side of the riftsurged forward like a wave, surged back again, once more surged forward, then, with a dreadful crying, driven on by the merciless spears of thesoldiers, they began to fall in a torrent of men, women, and children, far into the black depths below. 

* * * * *

My father, forgive me the tears that fall from these blind eyes of mine;I am very aged, I am but as a little child, and as a little child Iweep. I cannot tell it. At last it was done, and all grew still. 

* * * * *

Thus was Makedama buried beneath the bodies of his people; thus wasended the tribe of the Langeni; as my mother had dreamed, so it cameabout; and thus did Chaka take vengeance for that cup of milk which wasrefused to him many a year before. 

"Thou hast not won thy bet, Mopo, " said the king presently. "See thereis a little space where one more may find room to sleep. Full to thebrim 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 tofill it? Are all the tribe of the Langeni dead indeed?"

"There is one, O King!" I answered. "I am of the tribe of the Langeni, let my carcase fill the place. "

"Nay, Mopo, nay! Who then should take the bet? Moreover, I slay theenot, for it is against my oath. Also, do we not mourn together, thou andI?"

"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 a sister to theeand 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, andbehind her were two soldiers. She walked proudly, holding her head high, and her step was like the step of a queen. Now she saw the sight ofdeath, for the dead lay before her like black water in a sunless pool. Amoment she stood shivering, having guessed all, then walked on and stoodbefore Chaka. 

"What is thy will with me, O King?" she said. 

"Thou art come in a good hour, sister, " said Chaka, turning his eyesfrom 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--asto whether the people of the Langeni tribe--thine own tribe, Baleka, mysister--would fill yonder place, U'Donga-lu-ka-Tatiyana. When they heardof the bet, my sister, the people of the Langeni hurled themselves intothe rift by thousands, being eager to put the matter to the proof. Andnow it seems that thy brother has lost the bet, for there is yet placefor one yonder ere the donga is full. Then, my sister, thy brother Mopobrought it to my mind that there was still one of the Langeni tribe leftupon the earth, who, should she sleep in that place, would turn the betin his favour, and prayed me to send for her. So, my sister, as I wouldnot take that which I have not won, I have done so, and now do thou goapart and talk with Mopo, thy brother, alone upon this matter, as oncebefore thou didst talk when a child was born to thee, my sister!"

Now Baleka took no heed of the words of Chaka which he spoke of me, forshe knew his meaning well. Only she looked him in the eyes and said:--

"Ill shalt thou sleep from this night forth, Chaka, till thou comest toa land where no sleep is. I have spoken. "

Chaka saw and heard, and of a sudden he quailed, growing afraid in hisheart, and turned his head away. 

"Mopo, my brother, " said Baleka, "let us speak together for the lasttime; it is the king's word. "

So I drew apart with Baleka, my sister, and a spear was in my hand. We stood together alone by the people of the dead and Baleka threwthe corner of the kaross about her brows and spoke to me swiftly frombeneath 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 takenvengeance for 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 playingabout the kraals of the Langeni. So may we play again in another land!Now, Mopo"--and she looked at me steadily, and with great eyes--"I amweary. I would join the spirits of my people. I hear them calling in myears. 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. Soill did he sleep that he summoned me to him, bidding me walk abroad withhim. I went, and we walked alone and in silence, Chaka leading the wayand I following after him. Now I saw that his feet led him towards theU'Donga-lu-ka-Tatiyana, that place where all my people lay dead, andwith them Baleka, my sister. We climbed the slope of the hill slowly, and came to the mouth of the cleft, to that same spot where Chaka hadstood when the people fell over the lips of the rock like water. Thenthere had been noise and crying, now there was silence, for the nightwas very still. The moon was full also, and lighted up the dead who laynear to us, so that I could see them all; yes, I could see even the faceof 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 Igrew afraid. Only the far end of the donga was hid in shadow. 

"Thou wouldst not have won thy bet now, Mopo, my servant, " said Chaka. "See, they have sunk together! The donga is not full by the length of astabbing-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 torest. Ah, people of the Langeni tribe, you forgot, but I remembered! Youforgot how a woman and a boy came to you seeking food and shelter, andyou would give them none--no, not a gourd of milk. What did I promiseyou on that day, people of the Langeni tribe? Did I not promise you thatfor every drop the gourd I craved would hold I would take the life of aman? And have I not kept my promise? Do not men lie here more in numberthan the drops of water in a gourd, and with them woman and childrencountless as the leaves? O people of the Langeni tribe, who refusedme milk when I was little, having grown great, I am avenged upon you!Having grown great! Ah! who is there so great as I? The earth shakesbeneath my feet; when I speak the people tremble, when I frown theydie--they die in thousands. I have grown great, and great I shallremain! The land is mine, far as the feet of man can travel the landis mine, and mine are those who dwell in it. And I shall grow greateryet--greater, ever greater. Is it thy face, Baleka, that stares uponme from among the faces of the thousands whom I have slain? Thou didstpromise me that I should sleep ill henceforth. Baleka, I fear theenot--at the least, thou sleepest sound. Tell me, Baleka--rise from thysleep and tell me whom there is that I should fear!"--and suddenly heceased the ravings of his pride. 

Now, my father, while Chaka the king spoke thus, it came into my mind tomake an end of things and kill him, for my heart was made with rage andthe thirst of vengeance. Already I stood behind him, already the stickin my hand was lifted to strike out his brains, when I stopped also, forI saw something. There, in the midst of the dead, I saw an arm stir. Itstirred, it lifted itself, it beckoned towards the shadow which hid thehead of the cleft and the piled-up corpses that lay there, and it seemedto 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 lived among the thousandsof the dead, say you, my father! At the least, the arm rose at her side, and was ringed with such bracelets as Baleka wore, and it beckoned fromher 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, as though it summoned something from the depths of the shadow, and fromthe multitudes of the dead. Then it fell down, and in the utter silenceI heard its fall and a clank of brazen bracelets. And as it fell thererose from the shadow a sound of singing, of singing wild and sweet, suchas I had never heard. The words of that song came to me then, my father;but afterwards they passed from me, and I remember them no more. OnlyI know this, that the song was of the making of Things, and of thebeginning and the end of Peoples. It told of how the black folk grew, and of how the white folk should eat them up, and wherefore they wereand wherefore they should cease to be. It told of Evil and of Good, ofWoman and of Man, and of how these war against each other, and why itis that they war, and what are the ends of the struggle. It told also ofthe people of the Zulu, and it spoke of a place of a Little Hand wherethey should conquer, and of a place where a White Hand should prevailagainst them, and how they shall melt away beneath the shadow of theWhite Hand and be forgotten, passing to a land where things do not die, but live on forever, the Good with the Good, the Evil with the Evil. Ittold of Life and of Death, of Joy and of Sorrow, of Time and of that seain which Time is but a floating leaf, and of why all these things are. Many names also came into the song, and I knew but a few of them, yet myown was there, and the name of Baleka and the name of Umslopogaas, andthe name of Chaka the Lion. But a little while did the voice sing, yetall this was in the song--ay, and much more; but the meaning of the songis gone from me, though I knew it once, and shall know it again when allis done. The voice in the shadow sang on till the whole place was fullof the sound of its singing, and even the dead seemed to listen. Chakaheard it and shook with fear, but his ears were deaf to its burden, though mine were open. 

The voice came nearer, and now in the shadow there was a faint glow oflight, like the glow that gathers on the six-days' dead. Slowly it drewnearer, through the shadow, and as it came I saw that the shape of thelight was the shape of a woman. Now I could see it well, and I knew theface of glory. My father, it was the face of the Inkosazana-y-Zulu, theQueen of Heaven! She came towards us very slowly, gliding down the gulfthat was full of dead, and the path she trod was paved with the dead;and as she came it seemed to me that shadows rose from the dead, following her, the Queen of the Dead--thousands upon thousands of them. And, ah! her glory, my father--the glory of her hair of molten gold--ofher eyes, that were as the noonday sky--the flash of her arms andbreast, that were like the driven snow, when it glows in the sunset. Herbeauty was awful to look on, but I am glad to have lived to see it as itshone and changed in the shifting robe of light which was her garment. 

Now she drew near to us, and Chaka sank upon the earth, huddled upin fear, hiding his face in his hands; but I was not afraid, myfather--only the wicked need fear to look on the Queen of Heaven. Nay, I was not afraid: I stood upright and gazed upon her glory face to face. In her hand she held a little spear hafted with the royal wood: it wasthe shadow of the spear that Chaka held in his hand, the same with whichhe had slain his mother and wherewith he should himself be slain. Nowshe ceased her singing, and stood before the crouching king and beforeme, who was behind the king, so that the light of her glory shone uponus. She lifted the little spear, and with it touched Chaka, son ofSenzangacona, 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 myears alone. 

"Mopo, son of Makedama, " said the low voice, "stay thy hand, the cup ofChaka is not full. When, for the third time, thou seest me riding downthe storm, then SMITE, Mopo, my child. "

Thus she spoke, and a cloud swept over the face of the moon. When itpassed she was gone, and once more I was alone with Chaka, with thenight 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 eregreat things shall befall. "

"I have heard speak of this queen, " said Chaka. "Wherefore came she now, what was the song she sang, and why did she touch me with a spear?"

"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 shetouched thee on the forehead with the spear I do not know, O King!Perchance it was to crown 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 the silentmultitude before us and the cold shape of Baleka. 

Again Chaka shuddered. "Come, let us be going, Mopo, " he said; "now Ihave 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 mightsleep no more in peace, but woke ever crying out with fear, andmuttering the name of Baleka. Therefore, in the end he moved his kraalfar away, and built the great town 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, stoodthe 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 theplace where the white man gives out justice; that is the place of thegate of the kraal, through which Justice never walked. Behind is anotherhouse, where the white men who have sinned against Him pray to the Kingof Heaven for forgiveness; there on that spot have I seen many a one whohad done no wrong pray to a king of men for mercy, but I have never seenbut one who found it. Ou! the words of Chaka have come true: I will tellthem to you presently, my father. The white man holds the land, he goesto and fro about his business of peace where impis ran forth to kill;his children laugh and gather flowers where men died in blood byhundreds; they bathe in the waters of the Imbozamo, where once thecrocodiles were fed daily with human flesh; his young men woo themaidens where other maids have kissed the assegai. It is changed, 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, then the old thirst of blood came on him, and he sent his impis againstthe people of the Pondos, and they destroyed that people, and broughtback their cattle. But the warriors might not rest; again theywere doctored for war, and sent out by tens of thousands to conquerSotyangana, chief of the people who live north of the Limpopo. Theywent singing, after the king had looked upon them and bidden them returnvictorious or not at all. Their number was so great that from the hourof dawn till the sun was high in the heavens they passed the gates ofthe kraal like countless herds of cattle--they the unconquered. Littledid they know that victory smiled on them no more; that they must dieby thousands of hunger and fever in the marshes of the Limpopo, andthat those of them who returned should come with their shields in theirbellies, having devoured their shields because of their ravenous hunger!But what of them? They were nothing. "Dust" was the name of one ofthe great regiments that went out against Sotyangana, and dust theywere--dust to be driven to death by the breath of Chaka, Lion of theZulu. 

Now few men remained in the kraal Duguza, for nearly all had gonewith the impi, and only women and aged people were left. Dingaan andUmhlangana, brothers of the king, were there, for Chaka would not sufferthem to depart, fearing lest they should plot against him, and he lookedon them always with an angry eye, so that they trembled for their lives, though they dared not show their fear lest fate should follow fear. ButI guessed it, and like a snake I wound myself into their secrets, and wetalked together darkly and in hints. But of that presently, my father, for I must tell of the coming of Masilo, he who would have wed Zinita, and whom Umslopogaas the Slaughterer had driven out from the kraals ofthe People of the Axe. 

It was on the day after the impi had left that Masilo came to the kraalDuguza, craving leave to speak with the king. Chaka sat before his hut, and with him were Dingaan and Umhlangana, his royal brothers. I wasthere also, and certain of the indunas, councillors of the king. Chakawas weary that morning, for he had slept badly, as now he always did. Therefore, when one told him that a certain wanderer named Masilo wouldspeak with him, he did not command that the man should be killed, butbade them bring him before him. Presently there was a sound of praising, and I saw a fat man, much worn with travel, who crawled through the dusttowards us giving the sibonga, that is, naming the king by his royalnames. Chaka bade him cease from praising and tell his business. Thenthe man sat up and told all that tale which you have heard, my father, of how a young man, great and strong, came to the place of the People ofthe Axe and conquered Jikiza, the holder of the axe, and become chief ofthat people, and of how he had taken the cattle of Masilo and driven himaway. Now Chaka knew nothing of this People of the Axe, for the land wasgreat in those days, my father, and there were many little tribes in it, living far away, of whom the king had not even heard; so he questionedMasilo about them, and of the number of their fighting-men, of theirwealth in cattle, of the name of the young man who ruled them, andespecially as to the tribute which they paid to the king. 

Masilo answered, saying that the number of their fighting-men wasperhaps the half of a full regiment, that their cattle were many, forthey were rich, that they paid no tribute, and that the name of theyoung man was Bulalio the Slaughterer--at the least, he was known bythat name, and he had heard no other. 

Then the king grew wroth. "Arise, Masilo, " he said, "and run to thispeople, 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 to thee, thou who holdest the axe. Rise up with all the people, andwith all the cattle of your people, and come before him who sits in thekraal Duguza, and lay in his hands the great axe Groan-Maker. Rise upswiftly and do this bidding, lest ye sit down shortly and for the lasttime of all. '" (1)

 (1) The Zulu are buried sitting. 

Masilo heard, and said that it should be so, though the way was far, andhe feared greatly to appear before him who was called the Slaughterer, and who sat twenty days' journey to the north, beneath the shadow of theWitch Mountain. 

"Begone, " said the king, "and stand before me on the thirtieth day fromnow with the answer of this boy with an axe! If thou standest not beforeme, then some shall come to seek thee and the boy with an axe also. "

So Masilo turned and fled swiftly to do the bidding of the king, andChaka spoke no more of that matter. But I wondered in my heart who thisyoung man with an axe might be; for I thought that he had dealt withJikiza and with the sons of Jikiza as Umslopogaas would have dealt withthem had he come to the years of his manhood. But I also said nothing ofthe matter. 

Now on this day also there came to me news that my wife Macropha andmy daughter Nada were dead among their people in Swaziland. It was saidthat the men of the chief of the Halakazi tribe had fallen on theirkraal and put all in it to the assegai, and among them Macropha andNada. I heard the news, but I wept no tear, for, my father, I was solost in sorrows that nothing could move me any more. 

CHAPTER XX. MOPO BARGAINS WITH THE PRINCES

Eight-and-twenty days went by, my father, and on the nine-and-twentiethit befell that Chaka, having dreamed a dream in his troubled sleep, summoned before him certain women of the kraal, to the number ofa hundred or more. Some of these were his women, whom he named his"sisters, " and some were maidens not yet given in marriage; but allwere young and fair. Now what this dream of Chaka may have been I do notknow, or have forgotten, for in those days he dreamed many dreams, andall his dreams led to one end, the death of men. He sat in front of hishut scowling, and I was with him. To the left of him were gathered thegirls and women, and their knees were weak with fear. One by one theywere 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 theend would ask them this question: "Hast thou, my sister, a cat in thyhut?"

Now, some would say that they had a cat, and some would say that theyhad none, and some would stand still and make no answer, being dumb withfear. But, whatever they said, the end was the same, for the king wouldsigh gently and say: "Fare thee well, my sister; it is unfortunate forthee that there is a cat in thy hut, " or "that there is no cat in thyhut, " or "that thou canst not tell me whether there be a cat in thy hutor no. "

Then the woman would be taken by the slayers, dragged without the kraal, and their end was swift. So it went on for the most part of that day, till sixty-and-two women and girls had been slaughtered. But at last amaiden was brought before the king, and to this one her snake had givena ready wit; for when Chaka asked her whether or no there was a cat inher hut, she answered, saying that she did not know, "but that there wasa half a cat upon her, " and she pointed to a cat's-skin which was boundabout her loins. 

Then the king laughed, and clapped his hands, saying that at length hisdream was answered; and he killed no more that day nor ever again--saveonce only. 

That evening my heart was heavy within me, and I cried in my heart, "How long?"--nor might I rest. So I wandered out from the kraal that wasnamed Duguza to the great cleft in the mountains yonder, and sat downupon a rock high up in the cleft, so that I could see the wide landsrolling to the north and the south, to my right and to my left. Now, theday was drawing towards the night, and the air was very still, for theheat was great and a tempest was gathering, as I, who am a Heaven-Herd, knew well. The sun sank redly, flooding the land with blood; it was asthough all the blood that Chaka had shed flowed about the land whichChaka ruled. Then from the womb of the night great shapes of cloud roseup and stood before the sun, and he crowned them with his glory, and intheir hearts the lightning quivered like a blood of fire. The shadowof their wings fell upon the mountain and the plains, and beneath theirwings was silence. Slowly the sun sank, and the shapes of cloud gatheredtogether like a host at the word of its captain, and the flicker of thelightning was as the flash of the spears of a host. I looked, and myheart grew afraid. The lightning died away, the silence deepened anddeepened till I could hear it, no leaf moved, no bird called, the worldseemed dead--I alone lived in the dead world. 

Now, of a sudden, my father, a bright star fell from the height ofheaven and lit upon the crest of the storm, and as it lit the stormburst. The grey air shivered, a moan ran about the rocks and died away, then an icy breath burst from the lips of the tempest and rushed acrossthe earth. It caught the falling star and drove it on towards me, arushing globe of fire, and as it came the star grew and took shape, andthe shape it took was the shape of a woman. I knew her now, my father;while she was yet far off I knew her--the Inkosazana who came as shehad promised, riding down the storm. On she swept, borne forward bythe blast, and oh! she was terrible to see, for her garment was thelightning, lightnings shone from her wide eyes and lightnings were inher streaming hair, while in her hand was a spear of fire, and she shookit as she came. Now she was at the mouth of the pass; before her wasstillness, behind her beat the wings of the storm, the thunder roared, the rain hissed like snakes; she rushed on past me, and as she passedshe turned her awful eyes upon me, withering me. She was there! she wasgone! but she spoke no word, only shook her flaming spear. Yet it seemedto me that the storm spoke, that the rocks cried aloud, that the rainhissed out a word in my ear, and the word was:--

"Smite, Mopo!"

I heard it in my heart, or with my ears, what does it matter? Then Iturned to look; through the rush of the tempest and the reek of therain, still I could see her sweeping forward high in air. Now the kraalDuguza was beneath her feet, and the flaming spear fell from her handupon the kraal and fire leaped up in answer. 

Then she passed on over the edge of the world, seeking her own place. Thus, my father, for the third and last time did my eyes see theInkosazana-y-Zulu, or mayhap my heart dreamed that I saw her. Soon Ishall see her again, but it will not be here. 

For a while I sat there in the cleft, then I rose and fought my waythrough the fury of the storm back to the kraal Duguza. As I drew nearthe kraal I heard cries of fear coming through the roaring of the windand the hiss of the rain. I entered and asked one of the matter, and itwas told me that fire from above had fallen on the hut of the king as helay sleeping, and all the roof of the hut was burned away, but that therain had put out the fire. 

Then I went on till I came to the front of the great hut, and I saw bythe light of the moon, which now shone out in the heavens, that therebefore it stood Chaka, shaking with fear, and the water of the rain wasrunning down him, while he stared at the great hut, of which all thethatch was burned. 

I saluted the king, asking him what evil thing had happened. Seeing me, he seized me by the arm, and clung to me as, when the slayers are athand, a child clings to his father, drawing me after him into a smallhut that was near. 

"What evil thing has befallen, O King?" I said again, when light hadbeen made. 

"Little have I known of fear, Mopo, " said Chaka, "yet I am afraid 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 and laid me down to sleep while it was yet light, for I canscarcely sleep at all when darkness has swallowed up the world. My sleephas gone from me--that sister of thine, Baleka, took my sleep with herto the place of death. I laid me down and I slept, but a dream arose andsat by me with a hooded face, and showed me a picture. It seemed to methat the wall of my hut fell down, and I saw an open place, and in thecentre of the place I lay dead, covered with many wounds, while round mycorpse my brothers Dingaan and Umhlangana stalked in pride like lions. On the shoulders of Umhlangana was my royal kaross, and there was bloodon the kaross; and in the hand of Dingaan was my royal spear, and therewas blood upon the spear. Then, in the vision of my dream, Mopo, thoudidst draw near, and, lifting thy hand, didst give the royal saluteof Bayete to these brothers of mine, and with thy foot didst spurn thecarcase of me, thy king. Then the hooded Dream pointed upwards and wasgone, and I awoke, and lo! fire burned in the roof of my hut. Thus Idreamed, Mopo, and now, my servant, say thou, wherefore should I notslay thee, thou who wouldst serve other kings than I, thou who wouldstgive my royal salute to the princes, my brothers?" and he glared upon mefiercely. 

"As thou wilt, O King!" I answered gently. "Doubtless thy dream wasevil, and yet more evil was the omen of the fire that fell upon thy hut. 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 headmay 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 donethis night?"

"There are but few men in the kraal, O King. All are gone out to war;and of those few many are the servants of the princes, and perhaps theymight give blow 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 mightbe here, 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, thoughfirst he would use me to destroy the princes. But I feared nothing, forI knew this also, that the hour of Chaka was come at last. 

For a while I sat in my hut pondering, then when all men slept I aroseand crept like a snake by many paths to the hut of Dingaan the prince, who awaited me on that night. Following the shadow of the hut, I came tothe door and scratched upon it after a certain fashion. Presently it wasopened, and I crawled in, and the door was shut again. Now there was alittle light in the hut, and by its flame I saw the two princes sittingside by side, wrapped about with 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 they also drew the blankets from their brows. I spoke, saying:"Hail to you, Princes, who to-morrow shall be dust! Hail to you, sonsof Senzangacona, who to-morrow shall be spirits!" and I pointed towardsthem with my withered hand. 

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 ye must strikeor die, and has not your heart failed you? Now hearken! Chaka hasdreamed another dream; now it is Chaka who strikes, and ye are alreadydead, ye children of Senzangacona. "

"If the slayers of the king be without the gates, at least thou shaltdie first, thou who hast betrayed us!" quoth the Prince Dingaan, anddrew an assegai 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 lay dead, andthat one of you, the princes, wore his royal kaross. "

"Who wore the royal kaross?" asked Dingaan, eagerly; and both looked up, waiting on my words. 

"The Prince Umhlangana wore it--in the dream of Chaka--O Dingaan, shootof a royal stock!" I answered slowly, taking snuff as I spoke, andwatching the two of them over the edge of my snuff-spoon. 

Now Dingaan scowled heavily at Umhlangana; but the face of Umhlanganawas as the morning sky. 

"Chaka dreamed this also, " I went on: "that one of you, the princes, held his royal spear. "

"Who held the royal spear?" asked Umhlangana. 

"The Prince Dingaan held it--in the dream of Chaka--O Umhlangana, sprungfrom the root of kings!--and it dripped blood. "

Now the face of Umhlangana grew dark as night, but that of Dingaanbrightened like the dawn. 

"Chaka dreamed this also: that I, Mopo, your dog, who am not worthy tobe mentioned with such names, came up and gave the royal salute, eventhe Bayete. "

"To whom didst thou give the Bayete, O Mopo, son of Makedama?" askedboth of the princes as with one breath, waiting on my words. 

"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 knowingwhat to say, for these princes hated each other, though adversity andfear had brought them 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 thebest? Chaka the king is now a Doctor of Dreams, and to clear away such adream as this he has a purging medicine. "

Now the brows of these brothers grew black indeed, for they saw thattheir fate was on them. 

"These are the words of Chaka the king, O ye bulls who lead the herd!All are doomed, ye twain and I, and many another man who loves us. In the great kraal beyond the river there sits a regiment: it issummoned--and then--good-night! Have ye any words to say to those yetleft upon the earth? Perhaps it will be given to me to live a littlewhile 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 thou hast aplan 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 morethan the other, as two young men who are rivals promise to the fatherof a girl whom both would wed. I listened, saying always that it was notenough, till in the end both of them swore by their heads, and by thebones of Senzangacona, their father, and by many other things, that Ishould be the first man in the land, after them, its kings, and shouldcommand the impis of the land, if I would but show them a way to killChaka and become kings. Then, when they had done swearing, 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, whohas done well by them, giving them cattle and wives. The other is namedthe Bees, and that regiment is hungry and longs for cattle and girls;moreover, of that regiment the Prince Umhlangana is the general, andit loves him. Now this is my plan--to summon the Bees in the nameof Umhlangana, not the Slayers in the name of Chaka. Bend forward, OPrinces, that I may whisper in your ears. "

So they bent forward, and I whispered awhile of the death of a king, andthe sons of Senzangacona nodded their heads as one man in answer. Then Irose up, and crept from the hut as I had entered it, and rousing certaintrusty messengers, 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 thehut where he had sat through the night, and moved to a little kraalsurrounded by a fence that was some fifty paces distant from the hut. For it was my duty, day by day, to choose that place where the kingshould sit to hear the counsel of his indunas, and give judgment onthose whom he would kill, and to-day I had chosen this place. Chaka wentalone from his hut to the kraal, and, for my own reasons, I accompaniedhim, walking after him. As we went the king glanced back at me over hisshoulder, and said in a low voice:--

"Is all prepared, Mopo?"

"All is prepared, Black One, " I answered. "The regiment of the Slayerswill 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, O King, "I answered; "they drink beer and sleep in the laps of their wives. "

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, upon an ox-hide that was brayed soft. Near to him stood a girl holding agourd of beer; there were also present the old chief Inguazonca, brotherof Unandi, Mother of the Heavens, and the chief Umxamama, whom Chakaloved. When we had sat a little while in the kraal, certain men camein bearing cranes' feathers, which the king had sent them to gather amonth's journey from the kraal Duguza, and they were admitted beforethe king. These men had been away long upon their errand, and Chakawas angry with them. Now the leader of the men was an old captain ofChaka's, who had fought under him in many battles, but whose service wasdone, because his right hand had been shorn away by 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 he answered that the birds had flown from that part of the countrywhither he was sent, and he must wait there till they returned, that hemight snare them. 

"Thou shouldst have followed the cranes, yes, if they flew through thesunset, thou disobedient dog!" said the king. "Let him be taken away, and all those who were with him. "

Now some of the men prayed a little for mercy, but the captain did butsalute the king, calling him "Father, " and craving a boon before hedied. 

"What wouldst thou?" asked Chaka. 

"My father, " said the man, "I would ask thee two things. I have foughtmany times at thy side in battle while we both were young; nor did Iever turn my back upon the foe. The blow that shore the hand from offthis arm was aimed at thy head, O King; I stayed it with my naked arm. It is nothing; at thy will I live, and at thy will I die. Who am I thatI should question the word of the king? Yet I would ask this, that thouwilt withdraw the kaross from about thee, O King, that for the last timemy eyes may feast themselves upon the body of him whom, above all men, Ilove. "

"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 kaross from hisshoulders and showing the great breast beneath. "For the second it shallbe granted also, for I will not willingly divide the father and the son. Bring the boy here; thou shalt bid him farewell, then thou shalt slayhim with thine own hand ere thou thyself art slain; it will be goodsport to see. "

Now the man turned grey beneath the blackness of his skin, and trembleda little 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, and that he only spoke thus to try the captain who loved him to thelast. 

"Let the man go, " said the king, "him and those with him. "

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, because then, and then only, did I ever see Chaka show mercy to one whomhe had doomed to die. 

As the captain and his people left the gate of the kraal, it was spokenin the ear of the king that a man sought audience with him. He wasadmitted crawling on his knees. I looked and saw that this was thatMasilo whom Chaka had charged with a message to him who was namedBulalio, or the Slaughterer, and who ruled over the People of the Axe. It was Masilo indeed, but he was no longer fat, for much travel had madehim thin; moreover, on his back were the marks of rods, as yet scarcelyhealed 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 returnon the thirtieth day. Behold, O King, I have returned, though in a sorryplight!"

"It seems so!" said the king, laughing aloud. "I remember now: speak on, Masilo the Thin, who wast Masilo the Fat; what of this Slaughterer? Doeshe come with his people to lay the axe Groan-Maker in my hands?"

"Nay, O King, he comes not. He met me with scorn, and with scornhe drove me from his kraal. Moreover, as I went I was seized by theservants of Zinita, she whom I wooed, but who is now the wife of theSlaughterer, and laid on my face upon the ground and beaten cruellywhile Zinita numbered the strokes. "

"Hah!" said the king. "And what were the words of this puppy?"

"These were his words, O King: 'Bulalio the Slaughterer, who sitsbeneath the shadow of the Witch Mountain, to Bulalio the Slaughterer whosits in the kraal Duguza--To thee I pay no tribute; if thou wouldsthave the axe Groan-Maker, come to the Ghost Mountain and take it. ThisI promise thee: thou shalt look on a face thou knowest, for there is onethere who would be avenged 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 slopeopposite to the kraal in obedience to the summons I had sent them inthe name of Umhlangana. The stick told me that the princes were hiddenbehind the fence waiting the signal, and the coming of the regiment thatit was time to do the deed. 

When Masilo had spoken Chaka sprang up in fury. His eyes rolled, hisface worked, foam flew from his lips, for such words as these had neveroffended his ears since he was king, and Masilo knew him little, else hehad not dared to utter them. 

For a while he gasped, shaking his small spear, for at first he couldnot speak. At length he found words:--

"The dog, " he hissed, "the dog who dares thus to spit in my face!Hearken all! As with my last breath I command that this Slaughtererbe torn limb from limb, he and all his tribe! And thou, thou darest tobring me this talk from a skunk of the mountains. And thou, too, Mopo, thy name is named in it. Well, of thee presently. Ho! Umxamama, myservant, slay me this slave of a messenger, beat out his brains with thystick. 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 withfear, killed Umxamama, not Umxamama Masilo. Then Inguazonca, brother ofUnandi, Mother of the Heavens, fell upon Masilo and ended him, but washurt himself in so doing. Now I looked at Chaka, who stood shaking thelittle red spear, and thought 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 theprinces Umhlangana 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 ashort stabbing spear, and plunged it into the body of Chaka the king. Umhlangana smote him on the left shoulder, Dingaan struck him in theright side. Chaka dropped the little spear handled with the red wood andlooked round, and so royally that the princes, his brothers, grew afraidand shrank away from him. 

Twice he looked on each; then he spoke, saying: "What! do you slay me, my brothers--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 notbe for long. I hear a sound of running feet--the feet of a great whitepeople. They shall stamp you flat, children of my father! They shallrule the land that I have won, and you and your people shall be theirslaves!"

Thus Chaka spoke while the blood ran down him to the ground, and againhe looked on them royally, like a buck at gaze. 

"Make an end, O ye who would be kings!" I cried; but their hearts hadturned to water and they could not. Then I, Mopo, sprang forward andpicked from the ground that little assegai handled with the royalwood--the same assegai with which Chaka had murdered Unandi, his mother, and Moosa, my son, and lifted it on high, and while I lifted it, myfather, once more, as when I was young, a red veil seemed to wave beforemy 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 onceonly, saying: "Would now that I had hearkened to the voice of Nobela, who warned me against thee, thou dog!"

Then he was silent for ever. But I knelt over him and called in his earthe names of all those of my blood who had died at his hands--the namesof Makedama, my father, of my mother, of Anadi my wife, of Moosa my son, and all my other wives and children, and of Baleka my sister. His eyesand ears were open, and I think, my father, that he saw and understood;I think also that the hate upon my face as I shook my withered handbefore him was more fearful to him that the pain of death. At the least, he turned his head aside, shut his eyes, and groaned. Presently theyopened again, and he was dead. 

Thus then, my father, did Chaka the King, the greatest man who has everlived in Zululand, and the most evil, pass by my hand to those kraalsof the Inkosazana where no sleep is. In blood he died as he had lived inblood, for the climber at last falls with the tree, and in the end theswimmer is borne away by the stream. Now he trod that path which hadbeen beaten flat for him by the feet of people whom he had slaughtered, many as the blades of grass upon a mountain-side; but it is a lie tosay, as some do, that he died a coward, praying for mercy. Chaka died, as he had lived, a brave man. Ou! my father, I know it, for these eyessaw it and this hand let out his life. 

Now he was dead and the regiment of the Bees drew near, nor could I knowhow they would take this matter, for, though the Prince Umhlangana wastheir general, yet all the soldiers loved the king, because he had noequal in battle, and when he gave he gave with an open hand. I lookedround; the princes stood like men amazed; the girl had fled; thechief Umxamama was dead at the hands of dead Masilo; and the old chiefInguazonca, who had killed Masilo, stood by, hurt and wondering; therewere no others in the kraal. 

"Awake, ye kings, " I cried to the brothers, "the impi is at the gates!Swift, now stab that man!"--and I pointed to the old chief--"and leavethe matter to my wit. "

Then Dingaan roused himself, and springing upon Inguazonca, the brotherof Unandi, smote him a great blow with his spear, so that he sank downdead without a word. Then again the princes stood silent and amazed. 

"This one will tell no tales, " I cried, pointing at the fallen chief. 

Now a rumour of the slaying had got abroad among the women, who hadheard cries and seen the flashing of spears above the fence, and fromthe women it had come to the regiment of the Bees, who advanced to thegates of the kraal singing. Then of a sudden they ceased their singingand rushed towards the hut in front of which we stood. 

Then I ran to meet them, uttering cries of woe, holding in my hand thelittle assegai of the king red with the king's blood, and spoke with thecaptain's in the gate, saying:--

"Lament, ye captains and ye soldiers, weep and lament, for your fatheris no more! He who nursed you is no more! The king is dead! now earthand heaven will come together, for the king is dead!"

"How so, Mopo?" cried the leader of the Bees. "How is our father dead?"

"He is dead by the hand of a wicked wanderer named Masilo, who, whenhe was doomed to die by the king, snatched this assegai from the king'shand and stabbed him; and afterwards, before he could be cut downhimself by us three, the princes and myself, he killed the chiefsInguazonca and Umxamama also. Draw near and look on him who was theking; it is the command of Dingaan and Umhlangana, the kings, that youdraw near and look on him who was the king, that his death at the handof 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 tolook on the Great One who was dead, and some, together with most ofthe soldiers, ran this way and that, crying in their fear that now theheaven and earth would come together, and the race of man would cease tobe, because Chaka, the king, was dead. 

Now, my father, how shall I, whose days are few, tell you of all thematters that happened after the dead of Chaka? Were I to speak of themall they would fill many books of the white men, and, perhaps, some ofthem are written down there. For this reason it is, that I may be brief, I have only spoken of a few of those events which befell in the reign ofChaka; for my tale is not of the reign of Chaka, but of the lives of ahandful of people who lived in those days, and of whom I and Umslopogaasalone are left alive--if, indeed, Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka, isstill living on the earth. Therefore, in a few words I will pass overall that came about after the fall of Chaka and till I was sent down byDingaan, the king, to summon him to surrender to the king who was calledthe Slaughterer and who ruled the People of the Axe. Ah! would that Ihad known for certain that this was none other than Umslopogaas, forthen had Dingaan gone the way that Chaka went and which Umhlanganafollowed, and Umslopogaas ruled the people of the Zulus as their king. But, alas! my wisdom failed me. I paid no heed to the voice of my heartwhich told me that this was Umslopogaas who sent the message to Chakathreatening vengeance for one Mopo, and I knew nothing till too late;surely, I thought, the man spoke of some other Mopo. For thus, myfather, does destiny make fools of us men. We think that we can shapeour fate, but it is fate that shapes us, and nothing befalls except fatewill it. All things are a great pattern, my father, drawn by the hand ofthe Umkulunkulu upon the cup whence he drinks the water of his wisdom;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 isabove, the Umkulunkulu, can see it all. Even Chaka, the slayer of men, and all those he slew, are but as a tiny grain of dust in the greatnessof that pattern. How, then, can we be wise, my father, who are but thetools of wisdom? how can be build who are but pebbles in a wall? how canwe give life who are babes in the womb of fate? or how can we slay whoare but spears in the hands of the slayer?

This came about, my father. Matters were made straight in the land afterthe death of Chaka. At first people said that Masilo, the stranger, hadstabbed the king; then it was known that Mopo, the wise man, the doctorand the body-servant of the king, had slain the king, and that thetwo great bulls, his brothers Umhlangana and Dingaan, children ofSenzangacona, had also lifted spears against him. But he was dead, andearth and heaven had not come together, so what did it matter? Moreover, the two new kings promised to deal gently with the people, and tolighten the heavy yoke of Chaka, and men in a bad case are always readyto home for a better. So it came about that the only enemies theprinces found were each other and Engwade, the son of Unandi, Chaka'shalf-brother. But I, Mopo, who was now the first man in the land afterthe kings, ceasing to be a doctor and becoming a general, went upagainst Engwade with the regiment of the Bees and the regiment of theSlayers and smote him in his kraals. It was a hard fight, but in the endI destroyed him and all his people: Engwade killed eight men with hisown hand before I slew him. Then I came back to the kraal with the fewthat were left alive of the two regiments. 

After that the two kings quarrelled more and more, and I weighed themboth in my balance, for I would know which was the most favourable tome. In the end I found that both feared me, but that Umhlangana wouldcertainly put me to death if he gained the upper hand, whereas thiswas not yet in the mind of Dingaan. So I pressed down the balance ofUmhlangana and raised that of Dingaan, sending the fears of Umhlanganato sleep till I could cause his hut to be surrounded. Then Umhlanganafollowed upon the road of Chaka his brother, the road of the assegai;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 lotis humble at the last, yet I have brought about the death of three ofthem, and of these two died by my hand. 

It was fourteen days after the passing away of the Prince Umhlanganathat the great army came back in a sorry plight from the marshes of theLimpopo, for half of them were left dead of fever and the might of thefoe, and the rest were starving. It was well for them who yet lived thatChaka was no more, else they had joined their brethren who were deadon the way; since never before for many years had a Zulu impi returnedunvictorious and without a single head of cattle. Thus it came aboutthat they were glad enough to welcome a king who spared their lives, andthenceforth, till his fate found him, Dingaan reigned unquestioned. 

Now, Dingaan wa a prince of the blood of Chaka indeed; for, like Chaka, he was great in presence and cruel at heart, but he had not the mightand the mind of Chaka. Moreover, he was treacherous and a liar, andthese Chaka was not. Also, he loved women much, and spent with them thetime that he should have given to matters of the State. Yet he reignedawhile in the land. I must tell this also; that Dingaan would havekilled Panda, his half-brother, so that the house of Senzangacona, hisfather, might be swept out clean. Now Panda was a man of gentleheart, who did not love war, and therefore it was thought that hewas half-witted; and, because I loved Panda, when the question of hisslaying came on, I and the chief Mapita spoke against it, and pleadedfor him, saying that there was nothing to be feared at his hands whowas a fool. So in the end Dingaan gave way, saying, "Well, you ask me tospare this dog, and I will spare him, but one day he will bite me. "

So Panda was made governor of the king's cattle. Yet in the end thewords of Dingaan came true, for it was the grip of Panda's teeth thatpulled him from the throne; only, if Panda was the dog that bit, I, Mopo, was the man who 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 a great kraal by the Mahlabatine, which he named"Umgugundhlovu"--that is, "the rumbling of the elephant. " Also, hecaused all the fairest girls in the land to be sought out as his wives, and though many were found yet he craved for more. And at this timea 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 was named the Lily, and whose skin was whiter than are the skins ofour people, and he desired greatly to have this girl to wife. So Dingaansent an embassy to the chief of the Halakazi, demanding that the girlshould be given to him. At the end of a month the embassy returnedagain, and told the king that they had found nothing but hard words atthe kraal of the Halakazi, and had been driven thence with scorn andblows. 

This was the message of the chief of the Halakazi to Dingaan, king ofthe Zulus: That the maid who was named the Lily, was, indeed, the wonderof the earth, and as yet unwed; for she had found no man upon whom shelooked with favour, and she was held in such love by this people that itwas not their wish to force any husband on her. Moreover, the chief saidthat he and his people defied Dingaan and the Zulus, as their fathershad defied Chaka before him, and spat upon his name, and that no maid oftheirs should go to be the wife of a Zulu dog. 

Then the chief of the Halakazi caused the maid who was named the Lily tobe led before the messengers of Dingaan, and they found her wonderfullyfair, for so they said: she was tall as a reed, and her grace was thegrace of a reed that is shaken in the wind. Moreover, her hair curled, and hung upon her shoulders, her eyes were large and brown, and soft asa buck's, her colour was the colour of rich cream, her smile was like aripple on the waters, and when she spoke her voice was low and sweeterthan the sound of an instrument of music. They said also that the girlwished to speak with them, but the chief forbade it, and caused her tobe led thence with all honour. 

Now, when Dingaan heard this message he grew mad as a lion in a net, for he desired this maid above everything, and yet he who had all thingscould not win the maid. This was his command, that a great impi shouldbe gathered and sent to Swaziland against the Halakazi tribe, to destroythem and seize the maid. But when the matter came on to be discussedwith the indunas in the presence of the king, at the Amapakati orcouncil, I, as chief of the indunas, spoke against it, saying that thetribe of the Halakazi were great and strong, and that war with themwould mean war with the Swazis also; moreover, they had their dwellingin caves which were had to win. Also, I said, that this was no time tosend 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 hadwaxed few with slaughter, half of them having perished in the marshes ofthe Limpopo. Now, time must be given them to grow up again, for to-daythey were as a little child, or like a man wasted with hunger. Maidswere many, let the king take them and satisfy his heart, but let himmake no war for this one. 

Thus I spoke boldly in the face of the king, as none had dared to speakbefore Chaka; and courage passed from me to the hearts of the otherindunas and generals, and they echoed my words, for they knew that, of all follies, to begin a new war with the Swazi people would be thegreatest. 

Dingaan listened, and his brow grew dark, yet he was not so firmlyseated on the throne that he dared put away our words, for still therewere many in the land who loved the memory of Chaka, and remembered thatDingaan had murdered him and Umhlangana also. For now that Chaka wasdead, people forgot how evilly he had dealt with them, and rememberedonly that he was a great man, who had made the Zulu people out ofnothing, as a smith fashions a bright spear from a lump of iron. Also, though they had changed masters, yet their burden was not lessened, for, as Chaka slew, so Dingaan slew also, and as Chaka oppressed, so didDingaan oppress. Therefore Dingaan yielded to the voice of his indunasand no impi was sent against the Halakazi to seek the maid that wasnamed the Lily. But still he hankered for her in his heart, and fromthat hour he hated me because I had crossed his will and robbed him ofhis desire. 

Now, my father, there is this to be told: though I did not know it then, the maid who was named the Lily was no other than my daughter Nada. Thethought, indeed, came into my mind, that none but Nada could be so fair. Yet I knew for certain that Nada and her mother Macropha were dead, forhe who brought me the news of their death had seen their bodies lockedin each other's arms, killed, as it were, by the same spear. Yet, asit chanced, he was wrong; for though Macropha indeed was killed, it wasanother maid who lay in blood beside her; for the people whither I hadsent Macropha and Nada were tributary to the Halakazi tribe, and thatchief of the Halakazi who sat in the place of Galazi the Wolf hadquarrelled with them, and fallen on them by night and eaten them up. 

As I learned afterwards, the cause of their destruction, as in laterdays it was the cause of the slaying of the Halakazi, was the beauty ofNada and nothing else, for the fame of her loveliness had gone aboutthe land, and the old chief of the Halakazi had commanded that the girlshould be sent to his kraal to live there, that her beauty might shineupon his place like the sun, and that, if so she willed, she shouldchoose a husband from the great men of the Halakazi. But the headmenof the kraal refused, for none who had looked on her would suffer theireyes to lose sight of Nada the Lily, though there was this fate aboutthe 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 it wasenough. 

For it was the saying among men, that it was better that she shouldremain unmarried, and all should look on her, than that she should passfrom their sight into the house of a husband; since they held that herbeauty was given to be a joy to all, like the beauty of the dawn andof the evening. Yet this beauty of Nada's was a dreadful thing, and themother of much death, as shall be told; and because of her beauty andthe great love she bore, she, the Lily herself, must wither, and thecup of my sorrows must be filled to overflowing, and the heart ofUmslopogaas the Slaughterer, son of Chaka the king, must become desolateas the black plain when fire has swept it. So it was ordained, myfather, and so it befell, seeing that thus all men, white and black, 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 andgreat beauty are winged, nor will they sojourn long upon the earth. Theycome down like eagles out of the sky, and into the sky they return againswiftly. 

Thus then it came about, my father, that I, Mopo, believing my daughterNada to be dead, little guessed that it was she who was named the Lilyin the kraals of the Halakazi, and whom Dingaan the king desired for awife. 

Now after I had thwarted him in this matter of the sending of an impi topluck the Lily from the gardens of the Halakazi, Dingaan learned to hateme. Also I was in his secrets, and with me he had killed his brotherChaka and his brother Umhlangana, and it was I who held him back fromthe slaying of his brother Panda also; and, therefore, he hated me, asis the fashion of small-hearted men with those who have lifted them up. Yet he did not dare to do away with me, for my voice was loud in theland, and when I spoke the people listened. Therefore, in the end, hecast about for some way to be rid of me for a while, till he should growstrong enough to kill me. 

"Mopo, " said the king to me one day as I sat before him in council withothers 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 blonipain 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 were ominous words, for this was their burden: that you and your house should not sit longin the throne of kings, but that the white men should take away yourroyalty and divide your territories. Such was the prophecy of the Lionof the Zulu, why speak of it? Once before I heard him prophecy, and hiswords were fulfilled. May the omen be an egg without meat; may it neverbecome fledged; may that bird never perch upon your roof, O King!"

Now Dingaan trembled with fear, for the words of Chaka were in his mindby night 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 waitsto pick their eyes? Such criers of ill to come may well find ill athand, Mopo. " He ceased, looked on me threateningly awhile, and went on:"I did not speak of those words rolling by chance from a tongue halfloosed by death, but of others that told of a certain Bulalio, of aSlaughterer who rules the People of the Axe and dwells beneath theshadow of the Ghost Mountain far away to the north yonder. Surely Iheard them all as I sat beneath the shade of the reed-fence before everI came to save him who was my brother from the spear of Masilo, themurderer, whose spear stole away the life of a king?"

"I remember those words also, O King!" I said. "Is it the will of theking that an impi should be gathered to eat up this upstart? Such wasthe 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, thensurely none can be found to eat up this Slaughterer and his people. Moreover, Bulalio, chief of the People of the Axe, has not offendedagainst me, but against an elephant whose trumpetings are done. Now thisis my will, Mopo, my servant: that thou shouldst take with thee a fewmen only and go gently to this Bulalio, and say to him: 'A greaterElephant stalks through the land than he who has gone to sleep, and ithas come to his ears--that thou, Chief of the People of the Axe, dostpay no tribute, and hast said that, because of the death of a certainMopo, thou wilt have nothing to do with him whose shadow lies upon theland. Now one Mopo is sent to thee, Slaughterer, to know if this tale istrue, 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, and weigh thy words before thou dost answer, Slaughterer. '"

Now I, Mopo, heard the commands of the king and pondered them in mymind, for I knew well that it was the design of Dingaan to be rid of mefor a space that he might find time to plot my overthrow, and that hecared little for this matter of a petty chief, who, living far away, haddared to defy Chaka. Yet I wished to go, for there had arisen in me agreat desire to see this Bulalio, who spoke of vengeance to be taken forone Mopo, and whose deeds were such as the deeds of Umslopogaas wouldhave been, had Umslopogaas lived to look upon the light. Therefore Ianswered:--

"I hear the king. The king's word shall be done, though, O King, thousendest a big man upon a little errand. "

"Not so, Mopo, " answered Dingaan. "My heart tells me that this chickenof 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 tenchosen men, I, Mopo, started on my journey towards the Ghost Mountain, and as I journeyed I thought much of how I had trod that path in bygonedays. 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 were dead and I walked alone; doubtless I also shouldsoon be dead. Well, people lived few days and evil in those times, andwhat did it matter? At the least I had wreaked vengeance on Chaka andsatisfied my heart. 

At length I came one night to that lonely spot where we had camped inthe evil hour when Umslopogaas was borne away by the lioness, and oncemore I looked upon the cave whence he had dragged the cub, and upon theawful face of the stone Witch who sits aloft upon the Ghost Mountainforever and forever. I could sleep little that night, because of thesorrow at my heart, but sat awake looking, in the brightness of themoon, upon the grey face of the stone Witch, and on the depths of theforest that grew about her knees, wondering the while if the bones ofUmslopogaas lay broken in that forest. Now as I journeyed, many taleshad 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 brought backagain 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 onemay hear 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, if men have spirits, where do the spirits go when the body is dead?They must go somewhere, and would it be strange that they should returnto look upon the lands where they were born? Yet I never thought muchof such matters, though I am a doctor, and know something of the waysof the Amatongo, the people of the ghosts. To speak truth, my father, I have had so much to do with the loosing of the spirits of men that Inever troubled myself overmuch with them after they were loosed; therewill be time to do this when I myself am of their number. 

So I sat and gazed on the mountain and the forest that grew over it likehair on the head of a woman, and as I gazed I heard a sound that camefrom far away, out of the heart of the forest as it seemed. At firstit was faint and far off, a distant thing like the cry of children ina kraal across a valley; then it grew louder, but still I could not saywhat it might be; now it swelled and swelled, and I knew it--it was thesound of wild beats at chase. Nearer came the music, the rocks rang withit, and its voice set the blood beating but to hearken to it. That packwas great which ran a-hunting through the silent night; and now it wasnight, on the other side of the slope only, and the sound swelled soloud that those who were with me awoke also and looked forth. Now of asudden a great koodoo bull appeared for an instant standing out againstthe sky on the crest of the ridge, then vanished in the shadow. He wasrunning towards us; presently we saw him again speeding on his path withgreat bounds. We saw this also--forms grey and gaunt and galloping, innumber countless, that leaped along his path, appearing on the crest ofthe rise, disappearing into the shadow, seen again on the slope, lost inthe valley; and with them two other 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 thewolves went up that awful music. And who were these two that came withthe wolves, shapes of men great and strong? They ran silently and swift, wolves' teeth gleamed upon their heads, wolves' hides hung about theirshoulders. In the hands of one was an axe--the moonlight shone uponit--in the hand of the other a heavy club. Neck and neck they ran; neverbefore had we seen men travel so fast. See! they sped down the slopetowards us; the wolves were left behind, all except four of them; weheard 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 the night was still again!

"Now, my brethren, " I asked of those who were with me, "what is thisthat 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 arekings of the Ghosts. "

CHAPTER XXIII. MOPO REVEALS HIMSELF TO THE SLAUGHTERER

All that night we watched, but we neither saw nor heard any more of thewolves, nor of the men who hunted with them. On the morrow, at dawn, Isent a runner to Bulalio, chief of the People of the Axe, saying that amessenger came to him from Dingaan, the king, who desired to speak withhim in peace within the gates of his kraal. I charged the messenger, however, that he should not tell my name, but should say only that itwas "Mouth of Dingaan. " Then I and those with me followed slowly on thepath of the man whom I sent forward, for the way was still far, and Ihad bidden him return and meet me bearing the words of the Slaughterer, Holder of the Axe. 

All that day till the sun grew low we talked round the base of the greatGhost Mountain, following the line of the river. We met no one, but oncewe came to the ruins of a kraal, and in it lay the broken bones ofmany men, and with the bones rusty assegais and the remains of ox-hideshields, black and white in colour. Now I examined the shields, andknew from their colour that they had been carried in the hands of thosesoldiers who, years ago, were sent out by Chaka to seek for Umslopogaas, but who had returned no more. 

"Now, " I said, "it has fared ill with those soldiers of the Black Onewho 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 they wore, "answered one. "See, Mopo, son of Makedama, this is no man's work thathas brought them to their death. Men do not break the bones of theirfoes in pieces as these bones are broken. Wow! men do not break them, but wolves do, and last night we saw wolves a-hunting; nor did they huntalone, Mopo. Wow! this is a haunted land!"

Then we went on in silence, and all the way the stone face of the Witchwho sits aloft forever stared down on us from the mountain top. Atlength, an hour before sundown, we came to the open lands, and there, onthe crest of a rise beyond the river, we saw the kraal of the Peopleof the Axe. It was a great kraal and well built, and their cattle werespread about the plains like to herds of game for number. We went tothe river and passed it by the ford, then sat down and waited, tillpresently I saw the man whom I had sent forward returning towards us. Hecame and saluted me, and I asked him for news. 

"This is my news, Mopo, " he said: "I have seen him who is named Bulalio, and he is a great man--long and lean, with a fierce face, and carryinga mighty axe, such an axe as he bore last night who hunted with thewolves. 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, then laughed aloud, and said: 'Tell him who sent you that the mouth ofDingaan shall be welcome, and shall speak the words of Dingaan in peace;yet I would that it were the head of Dingaan that came and not his mouthonly, for then Axe Groan-Maker would join in our talk--ay, because ofone Mopo, whom his brother Chaka murdered, it would also speak withDingaan. Still, the mouth is not the head, so the mouth may come inpeace. '"

Now I started when for the second time I heard talk of one Mopo, whosename had been on the lips of Bulalio the Slaughterer. Who was therethat would thus have loved Mopo except one who was long dead? And yet, perhaps the chief spoke of some other Mopo, for the name was not myown only--in truth, Chaka had killed a chief of that name at the greatmourning, because he said that two Mopos in the land were one too many, and that though this Mopo wept sorely when the tears of others were dry. So I said only that this Bulalio had a high stomach, and we went on tothe gates of the kraal. 

There were none to meet us at the gates, and none stood by the doors ofthe huts within them, but beyond, from the cattle kraal that was in thecentre of the huts, rose a dust and a din as of men gathering for war. Now some of those were with me were afraid, and would have turned back, fearing treachery, and they were yet more afraid when, on coming to theinner entrance of the cattle kraal, we saw some five hundred soldiersbeing mustered there company by company, by two great men, who ran upand 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 noneed for him to call up so many of his warriors. He is a proud chief, and would show his might, not knowing that the king we serve can mustera company for every man he has. Let us go on boldly. "

So we walked forward towards the impi that was gathered on the furtherside of the kraal. Now the two great men who were marshalling thesoldiers saw us, and came to meet us, one following the other. He whocame first bore the axe upon his shoulder, and he who followed swunga huge club. I looked upon the foremost of them, and ah! my father, my heart grew faint with joy, for I knew him across the years. It wasUmslopogaas! my fosterling, Umslopogaas! and none other, now growninto manhood--ay, into such a man as was not to be found beside him inZululand. He was great and fierce, somewhat spare in frame, but wideshouldered and shallow flanked. His arms were long and not over big, butthe muscles stood out on them like knots in a rope; his legs were longalso, and very thick beneath the knee. His eye was like an eagle's, hisnose somewhat hooked, and he held his head a little forward, as a manwho searches continually for a hidden foe. He seemed to walk slowly, andyet he came swiftly, but with a gliding movement like that of a wolf ora lion, and always his fingers played round the horn handle of the axeGroan-Maker. As for him who followed, he was great also, shorter thanUmslopogaas by the half of a head, but of a sturdier build. His eyeswere small, and twinkled unceasingly like little stars, and his look wasvery wild, for now and again he grinned, showing his white teeth. 

When I saw Umslopogaas, my father, my bowels melted within me, and Ilonged to run to him and throw myself upon his neck. Yet I took councilwith myself and did not--nay, I dropped the corner of the kaross I wroteover my eyes, hiding my face lest he should know me. Presently he stoodbefore me, searching me out with his keen eyes, for I drew forward togreet him. 

"Greeting, Mouth of Dingaan!" he said in a loud voice. "You are a littleman 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 areupon the Ghost Mountain, who aforetime was named Umslopogaas, son ofMopo, son of Makedama. "

Now when Umslopogaas heard these words he started like a child at arustling in the 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 the earshave 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 runningat speed, and after him countless wolves making their music, and withthe wolves two men clad in wolves' skins, such men as you, Bulalio, andhe with the club who follows you. "

Now Umslopogaas lifted the axe Groan-Maker as though he would cut medown, then let it fall again, while Galazi the Wolf glared at me withwide-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 that when thebrains 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, littleMouth. "

"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 withpride, but death came first upon the Black One, and his hand was stayed. Now Dingaan, whose shadow lies upon the land, the king whom I serve, andwho sits in the place of the Black One who is gone, speaks to you by me, his mouth. He would know this: if it is true that you refuse to own hissovereignty, to pay tribute to him in men and maids and cattle, and toserve him in his wars? Answer, you little headman!--answer in few wordsand short!"

Now Umslopogaas gasped for breath in his rage, and again he fingered thegreat axe. "It is well for you, O Mouth, " he said, "that I swore safeconduct 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 outone Umslopogaas. Yet I answer you in few words and short. Look on thosespears--they are but a fourth part of the number I can muster: thatis my answer. Look now on yonder mountain, the mountain of ghostsand wolves--unknown, impassable, save to me and one other: that is myanswer. Spears and mountains shall come together--the mountain shallbe alive with spears and with the fangs of beasts. Let Dingaan seek histribute there! I have spoken!"

Now I laughed shrilly, desiring to try the heart of Umslopogaas, myfosterling, yet further. 

"Fool!" I said. "Boy with the brain of a monkey, for every spear youhave Dingaan, whom I serve, can send a hundred, and your mountain shallbe 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 heshook. He turned to the captain who was behind him, and said: "Say, Galazi the Wolf, shall we kill this man and those with him?"

"Nay, " answered the Wolf, grinning, "do not kill them; you have giventhem safe conduct. Moreover, let them go back to their dog of a king, that he may send out his puppies to do battle with our wolves. It willbe a pretty fight. "

"Get you gone, O Mouth, " said Umslopogaas; "get you gone swiftly, lestmischief befall you! Without my gates you shall find food to satisfyyour 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 spokeonce 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, andstared at me. 

"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 One who is gonekilled a certain Mopo. How came it, O Bulalio, that you were his son?"

"Mopo is dead, " quoth Umslopogaas again; "he is dead with all his house, his kraal is stamped flat, and that is why I hated the Black One, andtherefore 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, myfather, but now 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 Mopothat you defy the king. "

Umslopogaas heard the voice, and trembled no more with anger, but ratherwith fear 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 wouldlearn your message word by word that I may deliver it without fault. Fear not, Slaughterer, to sit alone with me in an empty hut! I amunarmed and old, and there is that in your hand which I should fear, "and I pointed to the axe. 

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. Hepointed to the doorway, and I crept through it and he followed afterme. Now for a while it seemed dark in the hut, for the sun was sinkingwithout and the place was full of shadow; so I waited while a man mightcount fifty, till our eyes could search the darkness. Then of a sudden Ithrew the blanket from my face and looked into the yes 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 and hisjaw 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 been long inknowing 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 weptalso. 

"Oh! my father, " he said, "I thought that you were dead with the others, and now you have come back to me, and I, I would have lifted the axeagainst 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, but which yet lives, though it be sorely changed, as though by grief andyears. "

"Peace, Umslopogaas, my son, " I said. "I also deemed you dead in thelion's mouth, though in truth it seemed strange to me that any other manthan Umslopogaas could have wrought the deeds which I have heard of asdone by Bulalio, Chief of the People of the Axe--ay, and thrown defiancein 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 slayme. "

"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 so has Galazithe Wolf, yonder. He has a hate to satisfy against them--they murderedhis 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 hewas no son of mine, but rather of that Chaka whom my hand had finished. And yet I did not, though now I would that I had done so. For I saw wellhow great was the pride and how high was the heart of Umslopogaas, andI saw also that if once he should learn that the throne of Zululand washis by right, nothing could hold him back, for he would swiftly breakinto open rebellion against Dingaan the king, and in my judgment thetime was not ripe for that. Had I known, indeed, but one short yearbefore that Umslopogaas still lived, he had sat where Dingaan sat thisday; but I did not know it, and the chance had gone by for a while. NowDingaan was king and mustered many regiments about him, for I had heldhim back from war, as in the case of the raid that he wished to makeupon the Swazis. The chance had gone by, but it would come again, andtill it came I must say nothing. I would do this rather, I would bringDingaan and Umslopogaas together, that Umslopogaas might become known inthe land as a great chief and the first of warriors. Then I would causehim to be advanced to be an induna, and a general ready to lead theimpis of the king, for he who leads the impis is already half a king. 

So I held my peace upon this matter, but till the dawn was greyUmslopogaas and I sat together and talked, each telling the tale ofthose years that had gone since he was borne from me in the lion'smouth. I told him how all my wives and children had been killed, how Ihad been put to the torment, and showed him my white and withered hand. I told him also of the death of Baleka, my sister, and of all my peopleof the Langeni, and of how I had revenged my wrongs upon Chaka, and madeDingaan to be king in his place, and was now the first man in the landunder the king, though the king feared me much and loved me little. ButI 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 rescuedhim from the lioness; how he became one of the Wolf-Brethren; how he hadconquered Jikiza and the sons of Jikiza, and become chief of the Peopleof the Axe, and taken Zinita to wife, and grown great in the land. 

I asked him how it came about that he still hunted with the wolves ashe had done last night. He answered that now he was great and there wasnothing more to win, and at times a weariness of life came upon him, and then he must up, and together with Galazi hunt and harry with thewolves, for thus only could he find rest. 

I said that I would show him better game to hunt before all was done, and asked him further if he loved his wife, Zinita. Umslopogaas answeredthat he would love her better if she loved him not so much, for she wasjealous and quick to anger, and that was a sorrow to him. Then, whenhe had slept awhile, he led me from the hut, and I and my people werefeasted with the best, and I spoke with Zinita and with Galazi the Wolf. For the last, I liked him well. This was a good man to have at one'sback in battle; but my heart spoke to me against Zinita. Shewas handsome and tall, but with fierce eyes which always watchedUmslopogaas, my fosterling; and I noted that he who was fearless of allother things yet seemed to fear Zinita. Neither did she love me, forwhen she saw how the Slaughterer clung to me, as it wee, instantly shegrew jealous--as already she was jealous of Galazi--and would have beenrid of me if she might. Thus it came about that my heart spoke againstZinita; nor did it tell me worse things of her than those which she wasto do. 

CHAPTER XXIV. THE SLAYING OF THE BOERS

On the morrow I led Umslopogaas apart, and spoke to him thus:--

"My son, yesterday, when you did not know me except as the Mouth ofDingaan, you charged me with a certain message for Dingaan the king, that, had it been delivered into the ears of the king, had surelybrought death upon you and all your people. The tree that stands byitself on a plain, Umslopogaas, thinks itself tall and that there is noshade to equal its shade. Yet are there other and bigger trees. You aresuch a solitary tree, Umslopogaas, but the topmost branches of him whomI serve are thicker than your trunk, and beneath his shadow live manywoodcutters, who go out to lop those that would grow too high. You areno 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 ofthe words which in bygone years you sent by Masilo the fool to the BlackOne who is dead, for he heard those words, and it is his will to eat youup. He has sent me hither for one reason only, to be rid of me awhile, and, whatever the words I bring back to him, the end will be thesame--that night shall come when you will find an 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 do. "

"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 thestream. It is my desire, Umslopogaas, that instead of hate Dingaanshould give you love; instead of death, advancement; and that you shallgrow great in his shadow. Listen! Dingaan is not what Chaka was, though, like Chaka, he is cruel. This Dingaan is a fool, and it may well comeabout that a man can be found who, growing up in his shadow, in the endshall overshadow him. I might do it--I myself; but I am old, and, being worn with sorrow, have no longing to rule. But you are young, Umslopogaas, and there is no man like you in the land. Moreover, thereare other matters of which it is not well to speak, that shall serve youas a raft whereon to swim to power. "

Now Umslopogaas glanced up sharply, for in those days he was ambitious, and desired to be first among the people. Indeed, having the blood ofChaka in his veins, how could it be otherwise?

"What is your plan, my father?" he asked. "Say how can this be broughtabout?"

"This and thus, Umslopogaas. Among the tribe of the Halakazi inSwaziland there dwells a maid who is named the Lily. She is a girl ofthe most wonderful beauty, and Dingaan is afire with longing to have herto wife. Now, awhile since Dingaan dispatched an embassy to the chief ofthe Halakazi asking the Lily in marriage, and the chief of the Halakazisent back insolent words, saying that the Beauty of the Earth shouldbe given to no Zulu dog as a wife. Then Dingaan was angry, and he wouldhave gathered his impis and sent them against the Halakazi to destroythem, and bring him the maid, but I held him back from it, sayingthat now was no time to begin a new war; and it is for this cause thatDingaan hates me, he is so set upon the plucking of the Swazi Lily. Doyou understand now, Umslopogaas?"

"Something, " he answered. "But speak clearly. "

"Wow, Umslopogaas! Half words are better than whole ones in this landof ours. Listen, then! This is my plan: that you should fall upon theHalakazi tribe, destroy it, and bring back the maid as a peace-offeringto Dingaan. "

"That is a good plan, my father, " he answered. "At the least, maid orno 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 tohim thus: that Umslopogaas would fall upon the Halakazi and bring toDingaan the maid he longed for as a peace-offering, but that I wishedto hold him back from the venture because the Halakazi people were greatand strong. I spoke in this sense so that I might have a door to creepout should Galazi betray the plot; and Umslopogaas read my purpose, though my craft was needless, for Galazi was a true man. 

Galazi the Wolf listened in silence till I had finished, then heanswered quietly, but it seemed to me that a fire shone in his eyes ashe 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 underarms, whereas Bulalio here can muster but one regiment, and that asmall one. Moreover, they have watchmen out by night and day, andspies scattered through the land, so that it will be hard to take themunawares; also their stronghold is a vast cave open to the sky in themiddle, and none have won that stronghold yet, nor could it be foundexcept 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 ofDingaan, you will know that this is no easy task which Bulalio would sethimself and us--to conquer the Halakazi. That is the face of the matterso far as it concerns Bulalio, but for me, O Mouth, it has another face. Know that, long years ago, I swore to my father as he lay dying bythe 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 theirmen, and brought their women to the houses of strangers, and theirchildren to bonds! Year by year and month by month, and night by night, as I have lain alone upon the Ghost Mountain yonder, I have wondered howI might bring my oath to pass, and found no way. Now it seems that thereis a way, and I am glad. Yet this is a great adventure, and perhapsbefore it is done with the People of the Axe will be no more. " And heceased and took snuff, watching our faces over the spoon. 

"Galazi the Wolf, " said Umslopogaas, "for me also the matter has anotherface. You have lost your father at the hands of these Halakazi dogs, 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 sister Nada, who loved me also. Both are dead and the Halakazi havekilled them. This man, the mouth of Dingaan, " and he pointed to me, Mopo, "this man says that if I can stamp out the Halakazi and makecaptive of the Lily maid, I shall win the heart of Dingaan. Little doI care for Dingaan, I who would go my way alone, and live while Imay live, and die when I must, by the hands of Dingaan as by those ofanother--what does it matter? Yet, for this reason, because of the deathof Macropha, my mother, and Nada, the sister who was dear to me, I willmake war upon these Halakazi and conquer them, or be conquered by them. Perhaps, O Mouth of Dingaan, you will see me soon at the king's kraalon 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 Iam dead, and the Warriors of the Axe are no more. "

So Umslopogaas spoke to me before Galazi the Wolf, but afterwards heembraced me and bade me farewell, for he had no great hope that weshould meet again. And I also doubted it; for, as Galazi said, theadventure was great; yet, as I had seen many times, it is the boldthrower who oftenest wins. So we parted--I to return to Dingaan and tellhim that Bulalio, Chief of the People of the Axe, had gone up againstthe Halakazi to win the Lily maid and bring her to him in atonement;while Umslopogaas remained to make ready his impi for war. 

I went swiftly from the Ghost Mountain back to the kraal Umgugundhlovu, and presented myself before Dingaan, who at first looked on me coldly. But when I told him my message, and how that the Chief Bulalio theSlaughterer had taken the war-path to win him the Lily, his mannerchanged. He took me by the hand and said that I had done well, and hehad been foolish to doubt me when I lifted up my voice to persuade himfrom sending an impi against the Halakazi. Now he saw that it was mypurpose to rake this Halakazi fire with another hand than his, and tosave his hand from the burning, and he thanked me. 

Moreover, he said, that if this Chief of the People of the Axe broughthim the maid his heart desired, not only would he forgive him the wordshe had spoken by the mouth of Masilo to the Black One who was dead, butalso all the cattle of the Halakazi should be his, and he would make himgreat in the land. I answered that all this was as the king willed. Ihad but done my duty by the king and worked so that, whatever befell, aproud chief should be weakened and a foe should be attacked at no costto the king, in such fashion also that perhaps it might come about thatthe king would shortly have the Lily at his side. 

Then I sat down to wait what might befall. 

Now it is, my father, that the white men come into my story, whom wenamed the Amaboona, but you call the Boers. Ou! I think ill of thoseAmaboona, though it was I who gave them the victory over Dingaan--I andUmslopogaas. 

Before this time, indeed, a few white men had come to and fro to thekraals of Chaka and Dingaan, but these came to pray and not to fight. Now the Boers both fight and pray, also they steal, or used to steal, which I do not understand, for the prayers of you white men say thatthese things should not be done. 

Well, when I had been back from the Ghost Mountain something less than amoon, the Boers came, sixty of them commanded by a captain namedRetief, a big man, and armed with roers--the long guns they had inthose days--or, perhaps they numbered a hundred in all, counting theirservants and after-riders. This was their purpose: to get a grant ofthe land in Natal that lies between the Tugela and the Umzimoubu rivers. But, by my council and that of other indunas, Dingaan, bargained withthe Boers that first they should attack a certain chief named Sigomyela, who had stolen some of the king's cattle, and who lived near theQuathlamba Mountains, and bring back those cattle. This the Boers agreedto, and went to attack the chief, and in a little while they came backagain, having destroyed the people of Sigomyela, and driving his cattlebefore them as well as those which had been stolen from the king. 

The face of Dingaan shone when he saw the cattle, and that night hecalled us, the council of the Amapakati, together, and asked us asto the granting of the country. I spoke the first, and said that itmattered little if he granted it, seeing that the Black One who was deadhad already given it to the English, the People of George, and the endof the matter would be that the Amaboona and the People of George wouldfight for the land. Yet the words of the Black One were coming to pass, for already it seemed we could hear the sound of the running of a whitefolk who should eat up the kingdom. 

Now when I had spoken thus the heart of Dingaan grew heavy and his facedark, for my words stuck in his breast like a barbed spear. Still, hemade no answer, but dismissed the council. 

On the morrow the king promised to sign the paper giving the lands theyasked for to the Boers, and all was smooth as water when there is nowind. Before the paper was signed the king gave a great dance, for therewere many regiments gathered at the kraal, and for three days this dancewent on, but on the third day he dismissed the regiments, all exceptone, an impi of lads, who were commanded to stay. Now all this whileI wondered what was in the mind of Dingaan and was afraid for theAmaboona. But he was secret, and told nothing except to the captains ofthe regiment alone--no, not even to one of his council. Yet I knew thathe planned evil, and was half inclined to warn the Captain Retief, butdid not, fearing to make myself foolish. Ah! my father, if I had spoken, how many would have lived who were soon dead! But what does it matter?In any case most of them would have been dead by now. 

On the fourth morning, early, Dingaan sent a messenger to the Boers, bidding them meet him in the cattle kraal, for there he would mark thepaper. So they came, stacking their guns at the gate of the kraal, for it was death for any man, white or black, to come armed before thepresence of the king. Now, my father, the kraal Umgugundhlovu was builtin a great circle, after the fashion of royal kraals. First came thehigh outer fence, then the thousands of huts that ran three parts roundbetween the great fence and the inner one. Within this inner fence wasthe large open space, big enough to hold five regiments, and at the topof it--opposite the entrance--stood the cattle kraal itself, that cutoff a piece of the open space by another fence bent like a bow. Behindthis again were the Emposeni, the place of the king's women, theguard-house, the labyrinth, and the Intunkulu, the house of the king. Dingaan came out on that day and sat on a stool in front of the cattlekraal, and by him stood a man holding a shield over his head to keepthe sun 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 Dingaanhad not sent away, the captain of the regiment being stationed near tothe king, on the right. 

Presently the Boers came in on foot and walked up to the king in abody, and Dingaan greeted them kindly and shook hands with Retief, theircaptain. Then Retief drew the paper from a leather pouch, which set outthe boundaries of the grant of land, and it was translated to the kingby an interpreter. Dingaan said that it was good, and put his mark uponit, and Retief and all the Boers were pleased, and smiled across theirfaces. Now they would have said farewell, but Dingaan forbade them, saying that they must not go yet: first they must eat and see thesoldiers dance a little, and he commanded dishes of boiled flesh whichhad been made ready and bowls of milk to be brought to them. The Boerssaid that they had already eaten; still, they drank the milk, passingthe bowls from 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 centreof the space to give the soldiers room to dance in. It was at thismoment that I heard Dingaan give an order to a messenger to run swiftlyto the white Doctor of Prayers, who was staying without the kraal, telling him not to be afraid, and I wondered what this might mean; forwhy should the Prayer Doctor fear a dance such as he had often seenbefore? Presently Dingaan rose, and, followed by all, walked through thepress to where the Captain Retief stood, and bade him good-bye, shakinghim by the hand and bidding him hambla gachle, to go in peace. Then heturned and walked back again towards the gateway which led to hisroyal 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 loudvoice, "Bulalani Abatakati!" (slay the wizards), and having cried it, hecovered his face with the corner of his blanket, and passed behind thefence. 

We, the councillors, stood astounded, like men who had become stone; butbefore we could speak or act the captain of the regiment had also criedaloud, "Bulalani Abatakati!" and the signal was caught up from everyside. 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. The Amaboona drew their knives and fought bravely, but before a mancould count a hundred twice it was done, and they were being dragged, some few dead, but the most yet living, towards the gates of thekraal and out on to the Hill of Slaughter, and there, on the Hill ofSlaughter, they were massacred, every one of them. How? Ah! I will nottell you--they were massacred and piled in a heap, and that was the endof their story, my father. 

Now I and the other councillors turned away and walked silently towardsthe house of the king. We found him standing before his great hut, and, lifting our hands, we saluted him silently, saying no word. Itwas Dingaan who spoke, laughing a little as he spoke, like a man who isuneasy in his mind. 

"Ah, my captains, " he said, "when the vultures plumed themselves thismorning, and shrieked to the sky for blood, they did not look for such afeast as I have given them. And you, my captains, you little guessed howgreat 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 Onecroaked as he gave up his life, or soon shall be, for this is but abeginning. Ho! Messengers!" and he turned to some men who stood behindhim, "away swiftly to the regiments that are gathered behind themountains, away to them, bearing the king's words to the captains. Thisis the king's word: that the impi shall run to the land of Natal andslay the Boers there, wiping them out, man, woman, and child. Away!"

Now the messengers cried out the royal salute of Bayete, and, leapingforward like spears from the hand of the thrower, were gone at once. Butwe, 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, andlo! I have blown upon them with my breath and they are gone. Say, Mopo, are the Amaboona wizards yonder all dead? If any be left alive, I desireto speak with one 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 thou shouldstmake thy meaning plain. "

"Let the king pardon me, " I answered; "this is my meaning. Thou canstnot 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. Destroy those that are here, and others shall come to avenge them, moreand more and more! Now thou hast smitten in thy hour; in theirs theyshall smite in turn. Now THEY lie low in blood at thy hand; in a day tocome, O King, THOU shalt lie low in blood at theirs. Madness has takenhold of thee, O King, that thou hast done this thing, and the fruitof thy madness shall be thy death. I have spoken, I, who am the king'sservant. Let the will of the king be done. "

Then I stood still waiting to be killed, for, my father, in the fury ofmy heart at the wickedness which had been worked I could not hold backmy words. Thrice Dingaan looked on me with a terrible face, and yetthere was fear in his face striving with its rage, and I waited calmlyto 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 yetliving, and with me the councillors, leaving the king alone. 

I went with a heavy heart, my father, for of all the evil sights that Ihave seen it seemed to me that this was the most evil--that the Amaboonashould be slaughtered thus treacherously, and that the impis should besent out treacherously to murder those who were left of them, togetherwith their women and children. Ay, and they slew--six hundred of themdid they slay--yonder in Weenen, the land of weeping. 

Say, my father, why does the Umkulunkulu who sits in the Heavens aboveallow such things to be done on the earth beneath? I have heard thepreaching of the white men, and they say that they know all aboutHim--that His names are Power and Mercy and Love. Why, then, does Hesuffer these things to be done--why does He suffer such men as Chaka andDingaan to torment the people of the earth, and in the end pay them butone death for all the thousands that they have given to others? Becauseof the wickedness of the peoples, you say; but no, no, that cannot be, for do not the guiltless go with the guilty--ay, do not the innocentchildren perish by the hundred? Perchance there is another answer, though who am I, my father, that I, in my folly, should strive to searchout the way of the Unsearchable? Perchance it is but a part of the greatplan, a little piece of that pattern of which I spoke--the pattern onthe cup that holds the waters of His wisdom. Wow! I do not understand, who am but a wild man, nor have I found more knowledge in the hearts ofyou tamed white people. You know many things, but of these you do notknow: you cannot tell us what we were an hour before birth, nor what weshall be an hour after death, nor why we were born, nor why we die. Youcan 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, the fire of my life sinks low--it burns in my brain alone; there it isstill bright, but soon that will go out also, and then perhaps I shallunderstand. 

CHAPTER XXV. THE WAR WITH THE HALAKAZI PEOPLE

Now, my father, I must tell of how Umslopogaas the Slaughterer andGalazi the Wolf fared in their war against the People of the Halakazi. When I had gone from the shadow of the Ghost Mountain, Umslopogaassummoned a gathering of all his headmen, and told them it was his desirethat the People of the Axe should no longer be a little people; thatthey should grow great and number their cattle by tens of thousands. 

The headmen asked how this might be brought about--would he then makewar on Dingaan the King? Umslopogaas answered no, he would win thefavour of the king thus: and he told them of the Lily maid and of theHalakazi tribe in Swaziland, and of how he would go up against thattribe. Now some of the headmen said yea to this and some said nay, andthe talk ran high and lasted till the evening. But when the evening wascome Umslopogaas rose and said that he was chief under the Axe, and noneother, and it was his will that they should go up against the Halakazi. If there was any man there who would gainsay his will, let him standforward and do battle with him, and he who conquered should order allthings. To this there was no answer, for there were few who cared toface 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, andUmslopogaas sent out messengers to summon every fighting-man to hisside. 

But when Zinita, his head wife, came to hear of the matter she wasangry, and upbraided Umslopogaas, and heaped curses on me, Mopo, whomshe knew only as the mouth of Dingaan, because, as she said truly, I hadput this scheme into the mind of the Slaughterer. "What!" she went on, "do you not live here in peace and plenty, and must you go to make waron those who have not harmed you; there, perhaps, to perish or to cometo other ill? You say you do this to win a girl for Dingaan and to findfavour in his sight. Has not Dingaan girls more than he can count? Itis more likely that, wearying of us, your wives, you go to get girls foryourself, Bulalio; and as for finding favour, rest quiet, so shall youfind most favour. If the king sends his impis against you, then it willbe 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. Sohe must bear her talk as best he might, for it is often thus, my father, that the greatest of men grow small enough in their own huts. Moreover, he knew that it was because Zinita loved him that she spoke so bitterly. 

Now on the third day all the fighting-men were gathered, and there mighthave been two thousand of them, good men and brave. Then Umslopogaaswent out and spoke to them, telling them of this adventure, and Galazithe Wolf was with him. They listened silently, and it was plain to seethat, as in the case of the headmen, some of them thought one thing andsome another. Then Galazi spoke to them briefly, telling them that heknew the roads and the caves and the number of the Halakazi cattle; butstill they doubted. Thereon Umslopogaas added 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, my brother. If but ten men follow us, yet we will go. Now, choose, yousoldiers! Let those come who will, and let those who will stop at homewith the women and the 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 ofthe People of the Axe. Only Zinita did not wail, but stood by in wrath, foreboding evil; nor would she bid her lord farewell, yet when he wasgone she wept also. 

Now Umslopogaas and his impi travelled fast and far, hungering andthirsting, till at length they came to the land of the Umswazi, andafter a while entered the territory of the Halakazi by a high and narrowpass. The fear of Galazi the Wolf was that they should find this passheld, for though they had harmed none in the kraals as they went, andtaken only enough cattle to feed themselves, yet he knew well thatmessengers had sped by day and night to warn the people of the Halakazi. But they found no man in the pass, and on the other side of it theyrested, for the night was far spent. At dawn Umslopogaas looked outover the wide plains beyond, and Galazi showed him a long low hill, twohours' march away. 

"There, my brother, " he said, "lies the head kraal of the Halakazi, 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 crestof a rise, and heard the sound of horns on its farther side. They stoodupon the rise, and looked, and lo! yet far off, but running towardsthem, was the whole impi of the Halakazi, and it was a great impi. 

"They have gathered their strength indeed, " said Galazi. "For every manof 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, werehunted by a pack of Swazi dogs? Shall our women and children sing THATsong in our ears, 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 ofyou, and leave Axe Groan-Maker and Club Watcher to see this matter outalone. "

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 allthe young men in the broken ground above the bottom of the slope, for these could best be spared to the spear, and Galazi the Wolf tookcommand of them; but the veterans stayed upon the hillside, and withthem Umslopogaas. 

Now the Halakazi came on, and there were four full regiments of them. The plain was black with them, the air was rent with their shoutings, and their spears flashed like lightnings. On the farther side of theslope they halted and sent a herald forward to demand what the People ofthe Axe would have from them. The Slaughterer answered that they wouldhave three things: First, the head of their chief, whose place Galazishould fill henceforth; secondly, that fair maid whom men named theLily; thirdly, a thousand head of cattle. If these demands were granted, then he would spare them, the Halakazi; if not, he would stamp them outand take all. 

So the herald returned, and when he reached the ranks of the Halakazi hecalled aloud his answer. Then a great roar of laughter went up from theHalakazi regiments, a roar that shook the earth. The brow of Umslopogaasthe Slaughterer burned red beneath the black when he heard it, and heshook Groan-Maker towards their 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, andlifting up their hearts with great words. 

Now the Halakazi raised a shout, and charged to come at the young menled by Galazi the Wolf; but beyond the foot of the slope was peatyground, and they came through it heavily, and as they came Galazi andthe young men fell upon them and slew them; still, they could not holdthem back for long, because of their great numbers, and presently thebattle ranged all along the slope. But so well did Galazi handle theyoung men, and so fiercely did they fight beneath his eye, that beforethey could be killed or driven back all the force of the Halakazi wasdoing battle with them. Ay, and twice Galazi charged with such as hecould gather, and twice he checked the Halakazi rush, throwing them intoconfusion, till at length company was mixed with company and regimentwith regiment. But it might not endure, for now more than half the youngmen were down, and the rest were being pushed back up the hill, fightingmadly. 

But all this while Umslopogaas and the veterans sat in their ranks uponthe brow of the slope and watched. "Those Swazi dogs have a fool fortheir general, " quoth Umslopogaas. "He has no men left to fall backon, and Galazi has broken his array and mixed his regiments as milk andcream are mixed in a bowl. They are no longer an impi, they are a mob. "

Now the veterans moved restlessly on their haunches, pushing their legsout and drawing them in again. They glanced at the fray, they lookedinto each other's eyes and spoke a word here, a word there, "Wellsmitten, Galazi! Wow! that one is down! A brave lad! Ho! a good club isthe Watcher! The fight draws near, my brother!" And ever as they spoketheir faces 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 wetto sit on, and our limbs grow cramped. "

"Wait awhile, " answered Umslopogaas. "Let them weary of their play. Letthem weary, I tell you. "

As he spoke the Halakazi huddled themselves together, and with a rushdrove back Galazi and those who were left of the young men. Yes, at lastthey were forced to flee, and after them came the Swazis, and in theforefront of the pursuit was their chief, ringed round with a circle ofhis bravest. 

Umslopogaas saw it and bounded to his feet, roaring like a bull. "Atthem now, wolves!" he shouted. 

Then the lines of warriors sprang up as a wave springs, and their crestswere like foam upon the wave. As a wave that swells to break they rosesuddenly, like a breaking wave they poured down the slope. In front ofthem was the Slaughterer, holding Groan-Maker aloft, and oh! his feetwere swift. So swift were his feet that, strive as they would, he outranthem by the quarter of a spear's throw. Galazi heard the thunder oftheir rush; he looked round, and as he looked, lo! the Slaughterer sweptpast him, running like a buck. Then Galazi, too, bounded forward, andthe Wolf-Brethren sped down the hill, the length of four spears betweenthem. 

The Halakazi also saw and heard, and strove to gather themselvestogether to meet the rush. In front of Umslopogaas was their chief, atall man hedged about with assegais. Straight at the shield-hedge droveUmslopogaas, and a score of spears were lifted to greet him, a scoreof shields heaved into the air--this was a fence that none might passalive. Yet would the Slaughterer pass it--not alone! See! he steadieshis pace, he gathers himself together, and now he leaps! High intothe air he leaps; his feet knock the heads of the warriors and rattleagainst the crowns of their shields. They smite upwards with the spear, but he has swept over them like a swooping bird. He has cleared them--hehas lit--and now the shield-hedge guards two chiefs. But not for long. Ou! Groan-Maker is aloft, he falls--and neither shield nor axe may stayhis stroke, both are cleft through, and the Halakazi lack a leader. 

The shield-ring wheels in upon itself. Fools! Galazi is upon you! Whatwas that? Look, now! see how many bones are left unbroken in himwhom the Watcher falls 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--listento the roaring of the shields! Stand, you men of the Halakazi--stand!Surely they are but a few. So! it is done! By the head of Chaka! theybreak--they are pushed back--now the wave of slaughter seethes along thesands--now the foe is swept like floating weed, and from all the linethere comes a hissing like the hissing of thin waters. "S'gee!" says thehiss. "S'gee! S'gee!"

There, my father, I am old. What have I do with the battle any more, with the battle and its joy? Yet it is better to die in such a fightas that than to live any other way. I have seen such--I have seen manysuch. Oh! we could fight when I was a man, my father, but none that Iknew could ever fight like Umslopogaas the Slaughterer, son of Chaka, and his blood-brother Galazi the Wolf! So, so! they swept them away, those Halakazi; they swept them as a maid sweeps the dust of a hut, asthe wind sweeps the withered leaves. It was soon done when once it wasbegun. Some were fled and some were dead, and this was the end of thatfight. No, no, not of all the war. The Halakazi were worsted in thefield, but many lived to win the great cave, and there the work must befinished. Thither, then, went the Slaughterer presently, with such ofhis impi as was left to him. Alas! many were killed; but how could theyhave died better than in that fight? Also those who were left were asgood as all, for now they knew that they should not be overcome easilywhile Axe and Club still led the way. 

Now they stood before a hill, measuring, perhaps, three thousand pacesround its base. It was of no great height, and yet unclimbable, for, after a man had gone up a little way, the sides of it were sheer, offering no foothold except to the rock-rabbits and the lizards. No onewas to be seen without this hill, nor in the great kraal of the Halakazithat lay to the east of it, and yet the ground about was trampled withthe hoofs of oxen and the feet of men, and from within the mountain camea sound of lowing cattle. 

"Here is the nest of Halakazi, " quoth Galazi the Wolf. 

"Here is the nest indeed, " said Umslopogaas; "but how shall we come atthe 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 soilwas trampled as it is at the entrance to a cattle kraal, and they sawthat there was a low cave which led into the cliff, like an archway suchas you white men build. But this archway was filled up with great blocksof stone placed upon each other in such a fashion that it could not beforced from without. After the cattle were driven in it had been filledup. 

"We cannot enter here, " said Galazi. "Follow me. "

So they followed him, and came to the north side of the mountain, andthere, two spear-casts away, a soldier was standing. But when he sawthem he vanished suddenly. 

"There is the place, " said Galazi, "and the fox has gone to earth init. "

Now they ran to the spot and saw a little hole in the rock, scarcelybigger than an ant-bear's burrow, and through the hole came sounds andsome light. 

"Now where is the hyena who will try a new burrow?" cried Umslopogaas. "A hundred head of cattle to the man who wins through and clears theway!"

Then two young men sprang forward who were flushed with victory anddesired nothing more than to make a great name and win cattle, crying:--

"Here are hyenas, Bulalio. "

"To earth, then!" said Umslopogaas, "and let him who wins through holdthe path awhile till others follow. "

The two young men sprang at the hole, and he who reached it first wentdown upon his hands and knees and crawled in, lying on his shield andholding his spear before him. For a little while the light in the burrowvanished, and they heard the sound of his crawling. Then came the noiseof blows, and once more light crept through the hole. The man was dead. 

"This one had a bad snake, " said the second soldier; "his snake desertedhim. Let me see if mine is better. "

So down he went on his hands and knees, and crawled as the first haddone, only he put his shield over his head. For awhile they heard himcrawling, then once more came the sound of blows echoing on the ox-hideshield, and after the blows groans. He was dead also, yet it seemed thatthey had left his body in the hole, for now no light came through. Thiswas the cause, my father: when they struck the man he had wriggled backa little way and died there, and none had entered from the farther sideto drag him out. 

Now the soldiers stared at the mouth of the passage and none seemed tolove the look of it, for this was but a poor way to die. Umslopogaas andGalazi also looked at it, thinking. 

"Now I am named Wolf, " said Galazi, "and a wolf should not fear thedark; 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, mychildren, shout loudly, so that none may hear us move; and, if we winthrough, follow swiftly, for we cannot hold the mouth of that place forlong. Hearken, also! this is my counsel to you: if I fall choose anotherchief--Galazi the Wolf, if he is still living. "

"Nay, Slaughterer, do not name me, " said the Wolf, "for together we liveor 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 downhere till those jackals bolt; then be ready. Farewell, my children!"

"Farewell, father, " they answered, "go warily, lest we be left likecattle without a herdsman, wandering and desolate. "

Then Umslopogaas crept into the hole, taking no shield, but holdingGroan-Maker before him, and at his heels crept Galazi. When he hadcovered the length of six spears he stretched out his hand, and, as hetrusted to do, he found the feet of that man who had gone before anddied in the place. Then Umslopogaas the way did this: he put his headbeneath the dead man's legs and thrust himself onward till all the bodywas on his back, and there he held it with one hand, gripping its twowrists in his hand. Then he crawled forward a little space and saw thathe was coming to the inner mouth of the burrow, but that the shadow wasdeep there because of a great mass of rock which lay before the burrowshutting out the light. "This is well for me, " thought Umslopogaas, "fornow they will not know the dead from the living. I may yet look upon thesun again. " Now he heard the Halakazi soldiers talking without. 

"The Zulu rats do not love this run, " said one, "they fear therat-catcher's stick. This is good sport, " and a man laughed. 

Then Umslopogaas pushed himself forward as swiftly as he could, holdingthe dead man on his back, and suddenly came out of the hole into theopen place in the dark shadow of the great rock. 

"By the Lily, " cried a soldier, "here's a third! Take this, Zulu rat!"And he struck the dead man heavily with a kerrie. "And that!" criedanother, driving his spear through him so that it pricked Umslopogaasbeneath. "And that! and this! and that!" said others, as they smote andstabbed. 

Now Umslopogaas groaned heavily in the deep shadow and lay still. "Noneed to waste more blows, " said the man who had struck first. "This onewill 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 theburrow, for now the sport is done. "

He turned as he spoke and so did the others, and this was what theSlaughter sought. With a swift movement, he freed himself from the deadman and sprang to his feet. They heard the sound and turned again, butas they turned Groan-Maker pecked softly, and that man who had swornby the Lily was no more a man. Then Umslopogaas leaped forwards, and, bounding on to the great rock, stood there like a buck against the sky. 

"A Zulu rat is not so easily slain, O ye weasels!" he cried, as theycame at him from all sides at once with a roar. He smote to the rightand the left, and so swiftly that men could scarcely see the blows fall, for he struck with Groan-Maker's beak. But though men scarcely saw theblows, yet, my father, men fell beneath them. Now foes were allaround, leaping up at the Slaughterer as rushing water leaps to hide arock--everywhere shone spears, thrusting at him from this side and fromthat. Those in front and to the side Groan-Maker served to stay, but onewounded Umslopogaas in the neck, and another was lifted to pierce hisback when the strength of its holder was bowed to the dust--to the dust, to become of the dust. 

For now the Wolf was through the hole also, and the Watcher grew verybusy; he was so busy that soon the back of the Slaughterer had nothingto fear--yet those had much to fear who stood behind his back. The pairfought bravely, making a great slaughter, and presently, one by one, plumed heads of the People of the Axe showed through the burrow andstrong arms mingled in the fray. Swiftly they came, leaping into battleas otters leap to the water--now there were ten of them, now there weretwenty--and now the Halakazi broke and fled, since they did not bargainfor this. Then the rest of the Men of the Axe came through in peace, andthe evening grew towards the dark before all had passed the hole. 

CHAPTER XXVI. THE FINDING OF NADA

Umslopogaas marshalled his companies. 

"There is little light left, " he said, "but it must serve us to startthese conies from their burrows. Come, my brother Galazi, you know wherethe conies hide, take my place and lead us. "

So Galazi led the impi. Turning a corner of the glen, he came with themto a large open space that had a fountain in its midst, and this placewas full of thousands of cattle. Then he turned again to the left, andbrought them to the inner side of the mountain, where the cliff hungover, and here was the mouth of a great cave. Now the cave was dark, butby its door was stacked a pile of resinous wood to serve as torches. 

"Here is that which will give us light, " said Galazi, and one man ofevery two took a torch and lit it at a fire that burned near the mouthof the cave. Then they rushed in, waving the flaring torches and withassegais aloft. Here for the last time the Halakazi stood against them, and the torches floated up and down upon the wave of war. But they didnot stand for very long, for all the heart was out of them. Wow! yes, many were killed--I do not know how many. I know this only, that theHalakazi are no more a tribe since Umslopogaas, who is named Bulalio, stamped them with his feet--they are nothing but a name now. The Peopleof the Axe drove them out into the open and finished the fight bystarlight 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 wentGalazi and others. But when Umslopogaas was through, by the light of historch he perceived a tall and slender man, who leaned against the wallof the cave and held a shield before his face. 

"You are a coward!" he cried, and smote with Groan-Maker. The great axepierced 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 childhoodhad come to him in a dream. His torch was burning low, but he thrust itforward to look at him who crouched against the rock. The dress was thedress of a man, but this was no man's form--nay, rather that of a lovelywoman, well-nigh white in colour. She dropped her hands from before herface, and now he could see her well. He saw eyes that shone like stars, hair that curled and fell upon the shoulders, and such beauty as was notknown among our people. And as the voice had spoken to him of somethingthat was lost, so did the eyes seem to shine across the blackness ofmany years, and the beauty to bring back he knew not what. 

He looked at the girl in all her loveliness, and she looked at him inhis fierceness and his might, red with war and wounds. They both lookedlong, while the torchlight flared on them, on the walls of the cave, andthe broad blade of Groan-Maker, and from around rose the sounds of thefray. 

"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. Kill me and make an end. I will shut my eyes, that I may not see thegreat axe flash. "

Now Umslopogaas gazed upon her again, and Groan-Maker fell from hishand. 

"Look on me, Nada, daughter of Mopo, " he said in a low voice; "look atme and say who am I. "

She looked once more and yet again. Now her face was thrust forward asone who gazes over the edge of the world; it grew fixed and strange. "Bymy heart, " 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 thedarkness and pressed her to him and kissed her, the sister whom he foundafter many years, and she kissed him. 

"You kiss me now, " she said, "yet not long ago that great axe shoremy locks, missing me but by a finger's-breadth--and still the sound offighting rings in my ears! Ah! a boon of you, my brother--a boon: letthere 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 thissame way, they killed those with whom I lived before. Yet they havetreated me well, not forcing me into wedlock, and protecting me fromDingaan; so spare them, my brother, if you may. "

Then Umslopogaas lifted up his voice, commanding that the killing shouldcease, and sent messengers running swiftly with these words: "This isthe command of Bulalio: that he should lifts hand against one more ofthe people of the Halakazi shall be killed himself"; and the soldiersobeyed him, though the order came somewhat late, and no more of theHalakazi were brought to doom. They were suffered to escape, exceptthose of the women and children who were kept to be led away ascaptives. And they ran far that night. Nor did they come together againto be a people, for they feared Galazi the Wolf, who would be chiefover them, but they were scattered wide in the world, to sojourn amongstrangers. 

Now when the soldiers had eaten abundantly of the store of the Halakazi, and guards had been sent to ward the cattle and watch against surprise, Umslopogaas spoke long with Nada the Lily, taking her apart, and he toldher all his story. She told him also the tale which you know, my father, of how she had lived with the little people that were subject to theHalakazi, she and her mother Macropha, and how the fame of her beautyhad spread about the land. Then she told him how the Halakazi hadclaimed her, and of how, in the end, they had taken her by force ofarms, killing the people of that kraal, and among them her own mother. Thereafter, she had dwelt among the Halakazi, who named her anew, 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, "youwho are far past the age of marriage?"

"I cannot tell you, " she answered, hanging her head; "but I have noheart 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 Halakaziare dead and scattered and their cattle the prize of my arm? I will tellyou: I am come here to win you, whom I knew only by report as the Lilymaid, the fairest of women, to be a wife to Dingaan. The reason that Ibegan this war was to win you and make my peace with Dingaan, and now Ihave carried it through to the end. "

Now when she heard these words, Nada the Lily trembled and wept, and, sinking to the earth, she clasped the knees of Umslopogaas insupplication: "Oh, do not this cruel thing by me, your sister, " sheprayed; "take rather that great axe and make an end of me, and of thebeauty which has wrought so much woe, and most of all to me who wear it!Would that I had not moved my head behind the shield, but had sufferedthe axe to fall upon it. To this end I was dressed as a man, that Imight meet the fate of a man. Ah! a curse be on my woman's weakness thatsnatched me from death to give me up to shame!"

Thus she prayed to Umslopogaas in her low sweet voice, and his heart wasshaken in him, though, indeed, he did not now purpose to give Nada toDingaan, as Baleka was given to Chaka, perhaps in the end to meet thefate of Baleka. 

"There are many, Nada, " he said, "who would think it no misfortune thatthey should be given as a wife to the first of chiefs. "

"Then I am not of their number, " she answered; "nay, I will die first, by my own hand if need be. "

Now Umslopogaas wondered how it came about that Nada looked uponmarriage thus, but he did not speak of the matter; he said only, "Tellme then, Nada, how I can deliver myself of this charge. I must go toDingaan as I promised our father Mopo, and what shall I say to Dingaanwhen he asks for the Lily whom I went out to pluck and whom his heartdesires? What shall I say to save myself alive from the wrath ofDingaan?"

Then Nada thought and answered, "You shall say this, my brother. Youshall tell him that the Lily, being clothed in the war-dress of awarrior, fell by chance in the fray. See, now, none of your people knowthat you have found me; they are thinking of other things than maids inthe hour of their victory. This, then, is my plan: we will search now bythe starlight till we find the body of a fair maid, for, doubtless, somewere killed by hazard in the fight, and on her we will set a warrior'sdress, and lay by her the corpse of one of your own men. To-morrow, atthe light, you shall take the captains of your soldiers and, having laidthe body of the girl in the dark of the cave, you shall show it to themhurriedly, and tell them that this was the Lily, slain by one of yourown people, whom in your wrath you slew also. They will not look long onso common a sight, and if by hazard they see the maid, and think her notso very fair, they will deem that it is death which has robbed her ofher 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 shall this bewhen 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 mustset me free to-night. I will wander hence disguised as a youth andcovered with a blanket, and if any meet me, who shall say that I am theLily?"

"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 shadeof a Ghost Mountain, that men may know by a shape of stone which isfashioned like an old woman frozen into stone, was it not? Tell me ofthe road thither. "

So Umslopogaas told her the road, and she listened silently. 

"Good, " she said. "I am strong and my feet are swift; perhaps theymay 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 theway is long and many dangers lie in the path of a maid journeying alone, without food or shelter, " and as he spoke Umslopogaas thought of Zinitahis wife, for he guessed that she would not love Nada, although she wasonly 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, for Galazi was the only man whom he could trust. The Wolf listened insilence, marvelling the while at the beauty of Nada, as the starlightshowed it. When everything was told, he said only that he no longerwondered that the people of the Halakazi had defied Dingaan and broughtdeath upon themselves for the sake of this maid. Still, to be plain, hisheart thought ill of the matter, for death was not done with yet: therebefore them shone the Star of Death, and he pointed to the Lily. 

Now Nada trembled at his words of evil omen, and the Slaughterer grewangry, but Galazi would neither add to them nor take away from them. "Ihave spoken that which my heart hears, " he answered. 

Then they rose and went to search among the dead for a girl who wouldsuit their purpose; soon they found one, a tall and fair maiden, andGalazi bore her in his arms to the great cave. Here in the cave werenone but the dead, and, tossed hither and thither in their last sleep, they looked awful in the glare of the torches. 

"They sleep sound, " said the Lily, gazing on them; "rest is sweet. "

"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 andspear by her, they laid down the body of the girl in a dark place in thecave, and, finding a dead warrior of the People of the Axe, placed himbeside her. Now they left the cave, and, pretending that they visitedthe sentries, Umslopogaas and Galazi passed from spot to spot, whilethe Lily walked after them like a guard, hiding her face with a shield, holding a spear in her hand, and having with her a bag of corn and driedflesh. 

So they passed on, till at length they came to the entrance in themountain side. The stones that had blocked it were pulled down so as toallow those of the Halakazi to fly who had been spared at the entreatyof Nada, but there were guards by the entrance to watch that none cameback. Umslopogaas challenged them, and they saluted him, but he saw thatthey were worn out with battle and journeying, and knew little of whatthey saw or said. Then he, Galazi, and Nada and passed through theopening 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 isheavy at heart, and caught sight of the Lily skimming across the plainlightly like a swallow. 

"I do not know when we two shall meet again, " said Umslopogaas so soonas she had melted into the shadows of the night. 

"May you never meet, " answered Galazi, "for I am sure that if you meetthat 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 shesets the 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 wentout, but only two return. "

"Fool!" answered Umslopogaas. "Are you drunk with Halakazi beer, orblind with sleep? Two went out, and two return. I sent him who was withus back to the camp. "

"So be it, father, " said the captain. "Two went out, and two return. Allis well!"

CHAPTER XXVII. THE STAMPING OF THE FIRE

On the morrow the impi awoke refreshed with sleep, and, after they hadeaten, Umslopogaas mustered them. Alas! nearly half of those who hadseen the sun of yesterday would wake no more forever. The Slaughterermustered them and thanked them for that which they had done, winningfame and cattle. They were merry, recking little of those who were dead, and sang his praises and the praises of Galazi in a loud song. When thesong was ended Umslopogaas spoke to them again, saying that the victorywas great, and the cattle they had won were countless. Yet something waslacking--she was lacking whom he came to seek to be a gift to Dingaanthe king, and for whose sake this war was made. Where now was the Lily?Yesterday she had been here, clad in a moocha like a man and bearing ashield; this he knew from the captives. Where, then, was she now?

Then all the soldiers said that they had seen nothing of her. Whenthey had done, Galazi spoke a word, as was agreed between him andUmslopogaas. He said that when they stormed the cave he had seen a manrun at a warrior in the cave to kill him. Then as he came, he who wasabout to be slain threw down the shield and cried for mercy, and Galaziknew that this was no warrior of the Halakazi, but a very beautifulgirl. So he called to the man to let her alone and not to touch her, for the order was that no women should be killed. But the soldier, beingmade with the lust of fight, shouted that maid or man she should die, and slew her. Thereon, he--Galazi--in his wrath ran up and smote the manwith the Watcher and killed him also, and he prayed that he had done nowrong. 

"You have done well, my brother, " said Umslopogaas. "Come now, some ofyou, and let us look at this dead girl. Perhaps it is the Lily, and ifso 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 spotwhere the girl had been laid, and by her the man of the People of theAxe. 

"All is as the Wolf, my brother, has told, " said Umslopogaas, wavingthe torch in his hand over the two who lay dead. "Here, without a doubt, 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 illsight to see, 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 thefairest of the fair is now none to lovely to look on. Let us away!" Andhe turned swiftly, then spoke 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 andanother passed through the archway. This man, indeed, said nothing, yethe was not without his thoughts. For it seemed to him that he had seenthree pass through the archway, and not two. It seemed to him, moreover, that the kaross which the third wore had slipped aside as she pressedpast him, and that beneath it he had seen the shape of a beautifulwoman, and above it had caught the glint of a woman's eye--an eye fulland dark, like a buck's. 

Also, this captain noted that Bulalio called none of the captives toswear to the body of the Lily maid, and that he shook the torch to andfro as he held it over her--he whose hand was of the steadiest. All ofthis he kept in his mind, forgetting nothing. 

Now it chanced afterwards, on the homeward march, my father, thatUmslopogaas had cause to speak angrily to this man, because he tried torob another of his share of the spoil of the Halakazi. He spoke sharplyto him, degrading him from his rank, and setting another over him. Alsohe took cattle from the man, and gave them to him whom he would haverobbed. 

And thereafter, though he was justly served, this man thought more andmore of the third who had passed through the arch of the cave and hadnot returned, and who seemed to him to have a fair woman's shape, andeyes which gleamed like those of a woman. 

On that day, then, Umslopogaas began his march to the kraalUmgugundhlovu, where Dingaan sat. But before he set his face homewards, in the presence of the soldiers, he asked Galazi the Wolf if hewould come back with him, or if he desired to stay to be chief of theHalakazi, as he was by right of birth and war. Then the Wolf laughed, and answered that he had come out to seek for vengeance, and not for theplace of a chief, also that there were few of the Halakazi people leftover whom he might rule if he wished. Moreover, he added this: that, like twin trees, they two blood-brethren had grown up side by side tilltheir roots were matted together, and that, were one of them dug up andplanted in Swazi soil, he feared lest both should wither, or, at thelast, that he, Galazi, would wither, who loved but one man and certainwolves. 

So Umslopogaas said no more of the chieftainship, but began his journey. With him he brought a great number of cattle, to be a gift for Dingaan, and a multitude of captives, young women and children, for he wouldappease the heart of Dingaan, because he did not bring her whom hesought--the Lily, flower of flowers. Yet, because he was cautious andput little faith in the kindness of kings, Umslopogaas, so soon as hereached the borders of Zululand, sent the best of the cattle and thefairest of the maids and children on to the kraal of the People of theAxe by the Ghost Mountain. And he who had been captain of the guard butnow 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, though he had spoken no word to me, good or bad, since the yesterday, when I foretold to him that in the blood of the white men whom he hadbetrayed grew the flower of his own death. For, my father, it was on themorrow of the slaying of the Amaboona that Umslopogaas came to the kraalUmgugundhlovu. 

Now the mind of Dingaan was heavy, and he sought something to lightenit. Presently he bethought himself of the white praying man, who hadcome to the kraal seeking to teach us people of the Zulu to worshipother gods than the assegai and the king. Now this was a good man, but no luck went with his teaching, which was hard to understand; and, moreover, the indunas did not like it, because it seemed to set a masterover the master, and a king over the king, and to preach of peace tothose whose trade was war. Still, Dingaan sent for the white man thathe might dispute with him, for Dingaan thought that he himself was thecleverest of all men. 

Now the white man came, but his face was pale, because of that which hehad seen befall the Boers, for he was gentle and hated such sights. Theking bade him 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 thywisdom, do my fathers lie in that place?"

"How can I know, King, " answered the prayer-doctor, "who may not judgeof the deeds of men? This I say only: that those who murder and rob andoppress 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 fathersat the last. Yet I think that I should find a way to escape if ever Icame there. "

"How, King?"

Now Dingaan had set this trap for the prayer-doctor. In the centre ofthat open space where he had caused the Boers to be fallen upon he hadbuilt up a great pyre of wood--brushwood beneath, and on top of thebrushwood logs, and even whole trees. Perhaps, my father, there weresixty full wagonloads of dry wood piled together there in the centre ofthe place. 

"Thou shalt see with thine eyes, White Man, " he answered, and biddingattendants set fire to the pile all round, he summoned that regiment ofyoung men which was left in the kraal. Maybe there were a thousand andhalf a thousand of them--not more--the same that had slain the Boers. 

Now the fire began to burn fiercely, and the regiment filed in andtook its place in ranks. By the time that all had come, the pyre waseverywhere a sheet of raging flame, and, though we sat a hundred pacesfrom it, its heat was great when the wind turned our way. 

"Now, Doctor of Prayers, is thy hot place hotter than yonder fire?" saidthe 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 liein such a fire--ay, though it be ten times as big and fierce. Ho! mychildren!" he cried to the soldiers, and, springing up, "You see yonderfire. 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 thisthing that should be the death of many, but the king bade him be silent. Then he turned his eyes upward and prayed to his gods. For a momentalso the soldiers looked on each other in doubt, for the fire ragedfuriously, and spouts of flame shot high toward the heaven, and aboveit and about it the hot air danced. But their captain called to themloudly: "Great is the king! Hear the words of the king, 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 washin the fire--we who are fiercer than the fire! Great is the king whohonours us!"

Thus he spoke and ran forward, and, with a roar, after him sprang thesoldiers, rank by rank. They were brave men indeed; moreover, they knewthat if death lay before them death also awaited him who lagged behind, and it is far better to die with honour than ashamed. On they went, asto the joy of battle, their captain leading them, and as they went theysang the Ingomo, the war-chant of the Zulu. Now the captain neared theraging fire; we saw him lift his shield to keep off its heat. Then hewas gone--he had sprung into the heart of the furnace, and but littleof him was ever found again. After him went the first company. In theywent, beating at the flames with their ox-hide shields, stamping themout with their naked feet, tearing down the burning logs and castingthem 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 thosein this fight who were last to grapple with the foe. Now a great smokewas mixed with the flame, now the flame grew less and less, and thesmoke more and more; and now blackened men, hairless, naked, andblistered, white with the scorching of the fire, staggered out on thefarther side of the flames, falling to earth here and there. After themcame others; now there was no flame, only a great smoke in which menmoved dimly; and presently, my father, it was done: they had conqueredthe fire, and that with but very little hurt to the last sevencompanies, though every man had trodden it. How many perished?--nay, I know not, they were never counted; but what between the dead and theinjured that regiment was at half strength till the king drafted moremen into it. 

"See, Doctor of Prayers, " said Dingaan, with a laugh, "thus shall Iescape 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 nomore among the Zulus, and afterwards he left the land. When he had gonethe burnt wood and the dead were cleared away, the injured were doctoredor killed according to their hurts, and those who had little harm camebefore the king and praised him. 

"New shields and headresses must be found for you, my children, " saidDingaan, 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 still lived:"shaving will be easy and cheap in that place of fire of which the whiteman speaks. "

Then he ordered beer to be brought to the men, for the heat had madethem thirsty. 

Now though you may not guess it, my father, I have told you this talebecause it has something to do with my story; for scarcely had thematter been ended when messengers came, saying that Bulalio, chief ofthe People of the Axe, and his impi were without, having returned withmuch spoil from the slaying of the Halakazi in Swaziland. Now when Iheard this my heart leapt for joy, seeing that I had feared greatly forthe fate of Umslopogaas, my fosterling. Dingaan also 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 fenceof the great place, there came a sound of singing, and through thegates of the kraal rushed two great men, wearing black plumes upon theirheads, having black shields in their left hands, and in their right, one an axe and one a club; while about their shoulders were boundwolf-skins. They ran low, neck and neck, with outstretched shields andheads held forward, as a buck runs when he is hard pressed by dogs, andno such running had been seen in the kraal Umgugundhlovu as the runningof the Wolf-Brethren. Half across the space they ran, and haltedsuddenly, and, as they halted, the dead ashes of the fire flew up beforetheir 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 and fierce, 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: sowas his head set on his shoulders and so he was wont to look round, likea lion. "

"I think that is Bulalio the Slaughterer, chief of the People of theAxe, O King, " I answered. 

"And who is the other with him? He is a great man also. Never have Iseen such 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, armedwith short sticks alone. Four by four they came, all holding their headslow, and with black shields outstretched, and formed themselves intocompanies behind the Wolf-Brethren, till all were there. Then, afterthem, the crowd of the Halakazi slaves were driven in, --women, boys, andmaids, a great number--and they stood behind the ranks huddled togetherlike frightened calves. 

"A gallant sight, truly!" said Dingaan, as he looked upon the companiesof black-plumed and shielded warriors. "I have no better soldiers in myimpis, and yet my eyes behold these for the first time, " and again hefrowned. 

Now suddenly Umslopogaas lifted his axe and started forward at fullspeed, and after him thundered the companies. On they rushed, and theirplumes lay back upon the wind, till it seemed as though they must stampus flat. But when he was within ten paces of the king Umslopogaas liftedGroan-Maker again, and Galazi held the Watcher on high, and every manhalted where he was, while once more the dust flew up in clouds. Theyhalted in long, unbroken lines, with outstretched shields and heads heldlow; no man's head rose more than the length of a dance kerrie from theearth. So they stood one minute, then, for the third time, Umslopogaaslifted Groan-Maker, and in an instant every man straightened himself, each shield was tossed on high, and from every throat was roared theroyal salute, "Bayete!"

"A pretty sight forsooth, " quoth Dingaan; "but these soldiers are toowell drilled who have never done me service nor the Black One who wasbefore me, and this Slaughterer is too good a captain, I say. Comehither, ye twain!" he cried aloud. 

Then the Wolf-Brethren strode forward and stood before the king, and forawhile they 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 had an evil heart. "

Now Dingaan winced, for he knew well that he himself and one Mopo hadstabbed the Black One, but he thought that this outland chief had notheard 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, thereis this to be told: my virtue of the axe I bear I rule alone. If I amseen without the axe, then any man may take my place who can, for theaxe is chieftainess of the People of the Axe, and he who holds it is itsservant. "

"A strange custom, " said Dingaan, "but let it pass. And thou, Wolf, whathast thou to say of that great club of thine?"

"There is this to be told of the club, O King, " answered Galazi: "byvirtue of the club I guard my life. If I am seen without the club, thenmay 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 been now, andwhat is your business at the Place of the Elephant?"

"We have been in a far country, O King!" answered Umslopogaas. "We havewandered in a distant land to search for a Flower to be a gift to aking, and in our searching we have trampled down a Swazi garden, and yonder 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 todig in Swazi 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 ranksopened up, and four men ran forward from the rear of the companies. On their shoulders they bore a stretcher, and upon the stretcher laysomething wrapped about with raw ox-hides, and bound round with rimpis. The men saluted, and laid their burden 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 andfair. 

"Here lies the Lily's stalk, O King!" said Umslopogaas, pointing withthe axe, "but if her flower blooms on any air, it is not here. "

Now Dingaan stared at the sight of death, and bitterness of heart tookhold of him, since he desired above all things to win the beauty of theLily for himself. 

"Bear away this carrion and cast it to the dogs!" he cried, for thus hecould speak of her whom he would have taken to wife, when once he deemedher dead. "Take it away, and thou, Slaughterer, tell me how it cameabout 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 readyagainst the wrath of Dingaan. And when he had finished Galazi told hisstory, of how he had seen the soldier kill the maid, and in his wrathhad killed the soldier. Then certain of the captains who had seen thesoldier and the maid lying in one death came forward and spoke to it. 

Now Dingaan was very angry, and yet there was nothing to be done. TheLily was dead, and by no fault of any except of one, who was also deadand beyond his reach. 

"Get you hence, you and your people, " he said to the Wolf-Brethren. "Itake the cattle and the captives. Be thankful that I do not take allyour lives also--first, because ye have dared to make war without myword, and secondly, because, having made war, ye have so brought itabout that, though ye bring me the body of her I sought, ye do not bringthe life. "

Now when the king spoke of taking the lives of all the People of theAxe, Umslopogaas smiled grimly and glanced at his companies. Thensaluting the king, he turned to go. But as he turned a man sprangforwards from the ranks and called 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 nightwhen three passed out through the archway and two returned, that sameman whom Umslopogaas had 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 thatnight of the slaying of the Halakazi. Three came to the gate of themountain--they were Bulalio, the Wolf Galazi, and another. That otherwas tall and slim, bearing a shield high--so. As the third passed thegate, the kaross he wore brushed against me and slipped aside. Beneaththat kaross was no man's breast, O King, but the shape of a woman, almost white in colour, and very fair. In drawing back the kaross thisthird one moved the shield. Behind that shield was no man's face, OKing, but the face of a girl, lovelier than the moon, and having eyesbrighter than the stars. Three went out at the mountain gate, O King, only two returned, and, peeping after them, it seemed that I saw thethird running swiftly across the plains, as a young maid runs, O King. This also, Elephant, Bulalio yonder denied me when, as captain of theguard, I asked for the third who had passed the gate, saying that onlytwo had passed. Further, none of the captives were called to swearto the body of the maid, and now it is too late, and that man who laybeside her was not killed by Galazi in the cave. He was killed outsidethe cave by a blow of a Halakazi kerrie. I saw him fall with my owneyes, and slew the man who smote him. One thing more, King of the World, the best of the captives and the cattle are not here for a gift tothee--they are at the kraal of Bulalio, Chief of the People of the Axe. I have spoken, O King, yes, because my heart loves not lies. I havespoken the truth, and now do thou protect me from these Wolf-Brethren, OKing, for they are very fierce. "

Now all this while that the traitor told his tale Umslopogaas, inch byinch, was edging near to him and yet nearer, till at length he mighthave touched him with an outstretched spear. None noted him exceptI, Mopo, alone, and perhaps Galazi, for all were watching the face ofDingaan as men watch a storm that is about to burst. 

"Fear thou not the Wolf-Brethren, soldier, " gasped Dingaan, rolling hisred 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 wereawful. He leaped upon him, he seized him with his hands, lifting noweapon, and in his terrible might he broke him as a child breaks astick--nay, I know not how, it was too swift to see. He broke him, and, hurling him on high, cast him dead at the feet of Dingaan, crying in agreat voice:--

"Take thy servant, King! Surely he 'sleeps in thy shadow'!"

Then there was silence, only through the silence was heard a gaspof fear and wonder, for no such deed as this had been wrought in thepresence of the king--no, not since the day of Senzangacona the Root. 

Now Dingaan spoke, and his voice came thick with rage, and his limbstrembled. 

"Slay him!" he hissed. "Slay the dog and all those with him!"

"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 this was the shout:--

"No, Slaughterer, not so are we minded!" and right and left they facedto meet the foe, while from all along the companies came the cracklingof the shaken shields. 

Back sprang Umslopogaas to head his men; forward leaped the soldiers ofthe king to work the king's will, if so they might. And Galazi the Wolfalso sprang forward, towards Dingaan, and, as he sprang, swung up theWatcher, crying in a great voice:--

"Hold!"

Again there was silence, for men saw that the shadow of the Watcher laydark upon the head of Dingaan. 

"It is a pity that many should die when one will suffice, " cried theWolf again. "Let a blow be struck, and where his shadow lies there shallthe 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 feltthe shadow of the shining club lie cold upon his brow, and again heshook--this time it was with fear. 

"Begone in peace!" he said. 

"A good word for thee, King, " said the Wolf, grinning, and slowly hedrew himself backwards towards the companies, saying, "Praise the king!The king bids his children go in peace. "

But when Dingaan felt that his brow was no longer cold with the shadowof death his rage came back to him, and he would have called tothe soldiers to fall upon 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 lookupon thee. "

Now Dingaan saw that this was true, and gave no command, for he had onlythose men with him whom the fire had left. All the rest were gone toslaughter the Boers in Natal. Still, he must have blood, so he turned onme. 

"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 I turned and fled very swiftly, and after me came certain of thesoldiers. The way was not far to the last company of the People of theAxe; moreover, it saw me coming, and, headed by Umslopogaas, who walkedbehind them all, ran to meet me. Then the soldiers who followed to killme hung back out of reach of the axe. 

"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, forI, Mopo, set him on the throne and I alone can hold him there. Tell himthis also, that he will do yet worse to seek me where I am, for thatday when we are once more face to face shall be his day of death. Thusspeaks Mopo the inyanga, Mopo the doctor, who never yet prophesied thatwhich should not be. "

Then we marched from the kraal Umgugundhlovu, and when next I saw thatkraal it was to burn all of it which Dingaan had left unburnt, and whennext I saw Dingaan--ah! that is to be told of, my father. 

We marched from the kraal, none hindering us, for there were noneto hinder, and after we had gone a little way Umslopogaas halted andsaid:--

"Now it is in my mind to return whence we came and slay this Dingaan, ere he 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, in Umgugundhlovu now stands armed about the gates, lest such a thoughtshould take you, my son; and though just now he was afraid, yet Dingaanwill strike for his life. When you might have killed you did not kill;now the hour has gone. "

"Wise words!" said Galazi. "I would that the Watcher had fallen wherehis 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 passto the north on the track of Mosilikatze the Lion, who broke awayfrom Chaka. There you may rule apart or together, and never dream ofDingaan. "

"I will not do that, father, " he answered. "I will dwell beneath theshadow of the Ghost Mountain while I may. "

"And so will I, " said Galazi, "or rather among its rocks. What! shall mywolves lack a master when they would go a-hunting? Shall Greysnout andBlackfang, Blood and Deathgrip, and their company black and grey, howlfor 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 leavehis kraals. It was for this reason: because he had bidden Nada to meethim there. 

Afterwards, when he found her he would have gone, but then the sky wasclear, 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 notwhere; and Nada should have lived, not died, nor would the People of theAxe have ceased to be a people. 

This of Dingaan. When he heard my message he grew afraid once more, forhe knew me to be no liar. 

Therefore he held his hand for awhile, sending no impi to smiteUmslopogaas, lest it might come about that I should bring him his deathas I had promised. And before the fear had worn away, it happened thatDingaan's hands were full with the war against the Amaboona, because ofhis slaughter of the white people, and he had no soldiers to spare withwhom to wreak vengeance on a petty chief living far away. 

Yet his rage was great because of what had chanced, and, after hiscustom, he murdered many innocent people to satisfy it. 

CHAPTER XXIX. MOPO TELLS HIS TALE

Now afterwards, as we went upon our road, Umslopogaas told me all therewas to tell 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, thoughlike Umslopogaas I was torn by doubt and fear, for it is far for anunaided maid to travel from Swaziland to the Ghost Mountain. Yet allthis while I said nothing to Umslopogaas of the truth as to his birth, because on the journey there were many around us, and the very treeshave ears, and the same wind to which we whispered might whisper to theking. Still I knew that the hour had come now when I must speak, for itwas in my mind to bring it about that Umslopogaas should be proclaimedthe son of Chaka, and be made king of the Zulus in the place of Dingaan, his uncle. Yet all these things had gone cross for us, because it wasfated so, my father. Had I known that Umslopogaas still lived when Islew 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 maidbeen brought to Dingaan, and Umslopogaas grew great in his sight, then, perhaps, I could have brought it about. But all things had gone wrong. The Lily was none other than Nada; and how could Umslopogaas give Nada, whom he thought his sister, and who was my daughter, to Dingaan againsther will? Also, because of Nada, Dingaan and Umslopogaas were now atbitter enmity, and for this same cause I was disgraced and a fugitive, and my counsels would no longer be heard in the ear of the king. 

So everything must be begun afresh: and as I walked with the impitowards the Ghost Mountain, I thought much and often of the manner inwhich this might be done. But as yet I said nothing. 

Now at last we were beneath the Ghost Mountain, and looked upon the faceof the old Witch who sits there aloft forever waiting for the world todie; and that same night we came to the kraal of the People of the Axe, and entered it with a great singing. But Galazi did not enter at thattime; he was away to the mountain to call his flock of wolves, and as wepassed its foot we heard the welcome that the wolves howled in greetingto him. 

Now as we drew near the kraal, all the women and children came outto meet us, headed by Zinita, the head wife of Umslopogaas. They camejoyfully, but when they found how many were wanting who a moon beforehad gone thence to fight, their joy was turned to mourning, and thevoice of their weeping went up to heaven. 

Umslopogaas greeted Zinita kindly; and yet I thought that there wassomething lacking. At first she spoke to him softly, but when shelearned all that had come to pass, her words were not soft, for shereviled me and sang a loud song at Umslopogaas. 

"See now, Slaughterer, " she said, "see now what has came about becauseyou listened to this aged fool!"--that was I, my father--"this fool whocalls himself 'Mouth'! Ay, a mouth he is, a mouth out of which proceedfolly and lies! What did he counsel you to do?--to go up against theseHalakazi and win a girl for Dingaan! And what have you done?--you havefallen upon the Halakazi, and doubtless have killed many innocent peoplewith that great axe of yours, also you have left nearly half of thesoldiers of the Axe to whiten in the Swazi caves, and in exchange havebrought back certain cattle of a small breed, and girls and childrenwhom 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 the king good enough for this sister of yours? Now what is theend of the tale? You try to play tricks on the king, because of yoursister, and are found out. Then you kill a man before Dingaan andescape, bringing this fool of an aged Mouth with you, that he may teachyou his own folly. So you have lost half of your men, and you havegained the king for a foe who shall bring about the death of all of us, and a fool for a councillor. Wow! Slaughterer, keep to your trade andlet others find you wit. "

Thus she spoke without ceasing, and there was some truth in her words. Zinita had a bitter tongue. I sat silent till she had finished, andUmslopogaas also remained silent, though his anger was great, becausethere was no crack in her talk through which a man might thrust a word. 

"Peace, woman!" I said at length, "do not speak ill of those who arewise and who had seen much before you were born. "

"Speak no ill of him who is my father, " growled Umslopogaas. "Ay! thoughyou do not know it, this Mouth whom you revile is Mopo, my father. "

"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 knowthis, that if I hear you snarl such words of him who is my father, youshall go further than your own hut, for I will put you away and driveyou from my kraal. I have suffered you too long. "

"I go, " said Zinita. "Oh! I am well served! I made you chief, and nowyou threaten to put me away. "

"My own hands made me chief, " said Umslopogaas, and, springing up, hethrust her from the hut. 

"It is a poor thing to be wedded to such a woman, my father, " he saidpresently. 

"Yes, a poor thing, Umslopogaas, yet these are the burdens that men mustbear. Learn wisdom from it, Umslopogaas, and have as little to do withwomen as may be; at the least, do not love them overmuch, so shallyou find the more peace. " Thus I spoke, smiling, and would that he hadlistened to my counsel, for it is the love of women which has broughtruin on Umslopogaas!

All this was many years ago, and but lately I have heard thatUmslopogaas is fled into the North, and become a wanderer to his deathbecause of the matter of a woman who had betrayed him, making it seemthat he had murdered one Loustra, who was his blood brother, just asGalazi had been. I do not know how it came about, but he who was sofierce and strong had that weakness like his uncle Dingaan, and it hasdestroyed him at the last, and for this cause I shall behold him nomore. 

Now, my father, for awhile we were silent and alone in the hut, and aswe sat I thought 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 eversince you were born. "

"Speak on, my father, " he said, wondering. 

I crept to the door of the hut and looked out. The night was dark and Icould see none about, and could hear no one move, yet, being cautious, Iwalked round the hut. Ah, my father, when you have a secret to tell, be not so easily deceived. It is not enough to look forth and to peerround. Dig beneath the floor, and search the roof also; then, havingdone all this, go elsewhere and tell your tale. The woman was right: Iwas but a fool, for all my wisdom and my white hairs. Had I not been afool I would have smoked out that rat in the thatch before ever I openedmy lips. For the rat was Zinita, my father--Zinita, who had climbedthe hut, and now lay there in the dark, her ear upon the smoke-hole, listening to every word that passed. It was a wicked thing to do, and, moreover, the worst of omens, but there is little honour among womenwhen they learn that which others wish to hide away from them, nor, indeed, do they then weight omens. 

So having searched and found nothing, I spoke to Umslopogaas, myfosterling, not knowing that death in a woman's shape lay on the hutabove us. "Hearken, " I said, "you are no son of mine, Umslopogaas, though you have called me father from a babe. You spring from a loftierstock, Slaughterer. "

"Yet I was well pleased with my fathering, old man, " said Umslopogaas. "The breed is good enough for me. Say, then, whose son am I?"

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 ofChaka and 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, of thathyena 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 orany of his 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 ofChaka and of 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 Ihad long forgotten 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 to two"--ah!my father, I did not guess of the third;--"from whom, then, did you hearit?"

"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 himthat a man would come to be his brother who should be named UmslopogaasBulalio, son of Chaka, and Galazi repeated it to me, but I had longforgotten 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 declare you theson of Chaka. But listen to my tale. "

Then I told him all the story from the hour of his birth onwards, andwhen I spoke of the words of his mother, Baleka, after I had told mydream to her, and of the manner of her death by the command of Chaka, and of the great fashion in which she had died, then, I say, Umslopogaaswept, who, I think, seldom wept before or after. But as my tale drew itits end I saw that he listened ill, as a man listens who has a weightiermatter pressing on his heart, and before it was 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 stand between 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 anywoman as I love Nada the Lily, " and while he spoke, I heard the rat stirin the thatch of the hut. 

"Wed her if you will, Umslopogaas, " I answered, "yet I think that oneZinita, your Inkosikasi, will find words to say in the matter. "

"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 bred trouble attimes. Zinita can have little to say if she continues in her place andyou 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 mydesire that you should rule in Zululand by right of blood, and, thoughthings point otherwise, yet I think a way can be found to bring itabout. "

"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 the soldiers love the name of Chaka, though he dealt cruelly withthem, because at least he was brave and generous. But they do not loveDingaan, for his burdens are the burdens of Chaka but his gifts are thegifts of Dingaan; therefore they would welcome Chaka's son if once theyknew him for certain. But it is here that the necklet chafes, for thereis but my word to prove it. Yet I will try. "

"Perhaps it is worth trying and perhaps it is not, my uncle, " answeredUmslopogaas. "One thing I know: I had rather see Nada at my gatesto-night than hear all the chiefs in the land crying 'Hail, O King!'"

"You will live to think otherwise, Umslopogaas; and now spies must beset at the kraal Umgugundhlovu to give us warning of the mind of theking, lest he should send an impi suddenly to eat you up. Perhaps hishands may be too full for that ere long, for those white Amaboona willanswer his assegais with bullets. And one more word: let nothing be saidof this matter of your birth, least of all to Zinita your wife, or toany other woman. "

"Fear not, uncle, " he answered; "I know how to be silent. "

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 havedreamed a strange dream of you. I dreamed that you were called a king, and that all the regiments of the Zulus filed past giving you the royalsalute, Bayete. "

Umslopogaas looked at her wondering, for he did not know if she hadlearned something or if this was an omen. "Such dreams are dangerous, "he said, "and he who dreams them does well to lock them fast till theybe forgotten. "

"Or fulfilled, " said Zinita, and again Umslopogaas looked at herwondering. 

Now after this night I began my work, for I established spies at thekraal of Dingaan, 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 thePeople of the Axe, but afterwards came tidings that the Boers, tothe number of five hundred mounted men, were marching on the kraalUmgugundhlovu. So Dingaan had no impi to spare to send to the GhostMountain, and we who were beneath its shadow dwelt there in peace. 

This time for Boers were beaten, for Bogoza, the spy, led them intoan ambush; still few were killed, and they did but draw back that theymight jump the further, and Dingaan knew this. At this time also theEnglish white men of Natal, the people of George, who attacked Dingaanby the Lower Tugela, were slain by our soldiers, and those with them. 

Also, by the help of certain witch-doctors, I filled the land withrumours, prophecies, and dark sayings, and I worked cunningly on theminds of many chiefs that were known to me, sending them messages hardlyto be understood, such as should prepare their thoughts for the comingof one who should be declared to them. They listened, but the task waslong, for the men dwelt far apart, and some of them were away with theregiments. 

So the time went by, till many days had passed since we reached theGhost Mountain. Umslopogaas had no more words with Zinita, but shealways watched him, and he went heavily. For he awaited Nada, and Nadadid 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 hadfinished that talk, we spoke of Nada the Lily. 

"Alas! my uncle, " said Umslopogaas sadly, "we shall never look more onNada; 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 believed thatthere was an end of Nada. 

Then we were silent awhile, and presently, in the silence, a dog barked. We rose, and crept out of the hut to see what it might be that stirred, for the night drew on, and it was needful to be wary, since a dog mightbark at the stirring of a leaf, or perhaps it might be the distantfootfall of an impi that it heard. 

We had not far to look, for standing gazing at the huts, like one who isafraid to call, was a tall slim man, holding an assegai in one handand a little shield in the other. We could not see the face of the man, because the light was behind him, and a ragged blanket hung about hisshoulders. Also, he was footsore, for he rested on one leg. Now wewere peering round the hut, and its shadow hid us, so that the man sawnothing. For awhile he stood still, then he spoke to himself, and hisvoice was strangely soft. 

"Here are many huts, " said the voice, "now how may I know which is thehouse of my brother? Perhaps if I call I shall bring soldiers to me, andbe 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 thansome I have found, and I am word out with travel--sleep I must, " and thefigure sighed and turned so that the light of the moon fell full uponits face. 

My father, it was the face of Nada, my daughter, whom I had not seen forso many years, yet across the years I knew it at once; yes, though thebud had become a flower I knew it. The face was weary and worn, but ah!it was beautiful, never before nor since have I seen such beauty, forthere was this about the loveliness of my daughter, the Lily: it seemedto flow from within--yes, as light will flow through the thin rind of agourd, and in that she differed from the other women of our people, who, when they are fair are fair with the flesh alone. 

Now my heart went out to Nada as she stood in the moonlight, oneforsaken, not having where to lay her head, Nada, who alone was leftalive of all my children. I motioned to Umslopogaas to hide himself inthe shadow, and stepped forward. 

"Ho!" I said roughly, "who are you, wanderer, and what do you here?"

Now Nada started like a frightened bird, but quickly gathered up herthoughts, 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, show your business or be moving. You are not of this people; surely thatmoocha is of 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 umfagozan like you. " Ay, my father, I lived to hear my daughtername 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 littlescream. But she still held the shield before her face. I seized herby the arm, and struck a blow upon the shield with my kerrie--it wouldscarcely have crushed a fly, but this brave warrior trembled sorely. 

"Where now is your valour, you who name my umfagozan?" I said: "you whocry like a maid and whose arm is soft as a maid's. "

She made no answer, but hugged her tattered blanket round her, andshifting my grip from her arm, I seized it and rent it, showing herbreast and shoulder; then I let her go, laughing, and said:--

"Lo! here is the warrior that would beat an old umfagozan for hisinsolence, a warrior well shaped for war! Now, my pretty maid who wanderat night in the garment of a man, what tale have you to tell? Swift withit, lest I drag you to the chief as his prize! The old man seeks a newwife, they tell me?"

Now when Nada saw that I had discovered her she threw down the shieldafter the spear, as a thing that was of no more use, and hung her headsullenly. But when I spoke of dragging her to the chief then she flungherself upon the ground, and clasped my knees, for since I called himold, she thought that this chief could not be Umslopogaas. 

"Oh, my father, " said the Lily, "oh, my father, have pity on me! Yes, yes! I am a girl, a maid--no wife--and you who are old, you, perchancehave daughters such as I, and in their name I ask for pity. My father, 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 thewrong kraal. Forgive me that I spoke to you so, my father; it was but awoman's feint, and I was hard pressed to hide my sex, for my father, youknow it is ill to be a lonely girl among strange men. "

Now I said nothing in answer, for this reason only: that when I heardNada call me father, not knowing me, and saw her clasp my knees and prayto me in my daughter's name, I, who was childless save for her, wentnigh to weeping. But she thought that I did not answer her because I wasangry, and about to drag her to this unknown chief, and implored me themore even with tears. 

"My father, " she said, "do not this wicked thing by me. Let me go andshow me the path that I shall ask: you who are old, you know that I amtoo fair to be dragged before this chief of yours. Hearken! All I kneware dead, I am alone except for this brother I seek. Oh! if you betrayme may such a fate fall upon your own daughter also! May she also knowthe 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, "yourEhlose is kind to you to-night, for he has given you a maid fair as theLily of the Halakazi"--here Nada glanced up wildly. "Come, then, andtake the girl. "

Now Nada turned to snatch up the assegai from the ground, but whether tokill me, or the chief she feared so much, or herself, I do not know, andas she turned, in her woe she called upon the name of Umslopogaas. Shefound the assegai, and straightened herself again. And lo! there beforeher stood a tall chief leaning on an axe; but the old man who threatenedher was gone--not very 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 an old man, andin his place there stands before me the shape of one whom I desire tosee. "

"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. Tothe man I cannot altogether swear in this light; but to the axe I canswear, for once it passed so very near my eyes. "

Thus she spoke on, gaining time, and all the while she watchedUmslopogaas till she was sure that it was he and no other. Then sheceased 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 believedyou dead. "

But I, Mopo, ran into the hut before her, and when she entered she foundme sitting 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, buta very little while ago brought shame upon me--ay, my brother, he struckme, 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 woulddrag me to some old chief of his to be a gift to him, and this hewas about to do, had you not come. Will you suffer these things to gounpunished, 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 cannot be--sochanged--and that white hand? And yet, oh! who are you? Once there wasa 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 Ialso wept. 

Now when she had sobbed her fill of joy, Umslopogaas brought Nada theLily mass to 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 awayfrom the side of Umslopogaas at the stronghold of the Halakazi, andit was long, so long that I will not repeat it, for it is a story byitself. This I will say only: that Nada was captured by robbers, and forawhile passed herself off among them as a youth. But, in the end, theyfound her out and would have given her as a wife to their chief, onlyshe persuaded them to kill the chief and make her their ruler. Theydid this because of that medicine of the eyes which Nada had only amongwomen, for as she ruled the Halakazi so she ruled the robbers. But, atthe last, they all loved her, and she gave it out that she would wedthe strongest. Then some of them fell to fighting, and while they killedeach other--for it came about that Nada brought death upon the robbersas on all others--she escaped, for she said that she did not wish tolook 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 oldwoman who guided her on her way to the Ghost Mountain. And who this oldwoman was none could discover, but Galazi swore afterwards that she wasthe Stone Witch of the mountain, who put on the shape of an aged womanto guide Nada to Umslopogaas, to be the sorrow and the joy of the Peopleof the Axe. I do not know, my father, yet it seems to me that the oldwitch would scarcely have put off her stone for so small a matter. 

Now, when Nada had made an end of her tale, Umslopogaas told his, of howthings had gone with Dingaan. When he told her how he had given the bodyof the girl to the king, saying that it was the Lily's stalk, she saidit had been well done; and when he spoke of the slaying of the traitorshe clapped her hands, though Nada, whose heart was gentle, did not loveto hear of deeds of death. At last he finished, and she was somewhatsad, and said it seemed that her fate followed her, and that now thePeople of the Axe were in danger at the hands of Dingaan because of her. 

"Ah! my brother, " she cried, taking Umslopogaas by the hand, "it werebetter I should die than that I should bring evil upon you also. "

"That would not mend matters, Nada, " he answered. "For whether you bedead or alive, the hate of Dingaan. Also, Nada, know this: I am not yourbrother. "

When the Lily heard these words she uttered a little cry, and, lettingfall the hand of Umslopogaas, clasped mine, shrinking up against me. 

"What is this tale, father?" she asked. "He who was my twin, he withwhom I have been bred up, says that he has deceived me these many years, 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 had he whom Iloved been shown to be but a stranger in whom I have no part, " and shesmiled a little in the eyes and at the corners of her mouth. "But tellme 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 bad stock, 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, I desire nowthat you should love me more than ever--that you should be my wife andlove 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 Inkosikaas of thePeople of the Axe?"

Then the brow of Umslopogaas darkened: "What of Zinita?" he said. "It istrue she is my chieftainess; is it not allowed a man to take more thanone wife?"

"So I trust, " answered Nada, smiling, "else men would go unwed for long, for few maids would marry them who then must labour alone all theirdays. But, Umslopogaas, if there are twenty wives, yet one must befirst. Now this has come about hitherto: that wherever I have been ithas been thrust upon me to be first, and perhaps it might be thus oncemore--what then, Umslopogaas?"

"Let the fruit ripen before you pluck it, Nada, " he answered. "If youlove me and will wed me, it is enough. "

"I pray that it may not be more than enough, " she said, stretching outher hand to him. "Listen, Umslopogaas: ask my father here what were thewords 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 afteryou had been borne away by the lion, Umslopogaas, I told my father thatI would marry no man all my life, because I loved only you, who weredead. My father reproached me, saying that I must not speak thus of mybrother, but it was my heart which spoke, and it spoke truly; for see, Umslopogaas, you are no brother to me! I have kept that vow. How manymen have sort me in wedlock since I became a woman, Umslopogaas? I tellyou that they are as the leaves upon a tree. Yet I have given myself tonone, and this has been my fortune: that none have sought to constrainme to marriage. Now I have my reward, for he whom I lost is found again, and to him alone I give my love. Yet, Umslopogaas, beware! Little luckhas come to those who have loved me in the past; no, not even to thosewho have but sought to look on me. "

"I will bear the risk, Nada, " the Slaughterer answered, and gatheringher to his great breast he kissed her. 

Presently she slipped from his arms and bade him begone, for she wasweary and would rest. 

So he went. 

CHAPTER XXXI. THE WAR OF THE WOMEN

Now on the morrow at daybreak, leaving his wolves, Galazi came down fromthe Ghost Mountain and passed through the gates of the kraal. 

In front of my hut he saw Nada the Lily and saluted her, for eachremembered the other. Then he walked on to the place of assembly andspoke 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 shonefirst on me this morning, and that is my doom. Well, she is fair enoughto be the doom of many, Mopo, " and he laughed and passed on, swingingthe Watcher. But his words troubled me, though they were foolish; for Icould not but remember that wherever the beauty of Nada had pleased thesight of men, there men had been given to death. 

Then I went to lead Nada to the place of assembly and found her awaitingme. She was dressed now in some woman's garments that I had brought her;her curling hair fell upon her shoulders; on her wrist and neck and kneewere bracelets of ivory, and in her hand she bore a lily bloom which shehad gathered as she went to bathe in the river. Perhaps she did this, myfather, because she wished here, as elsewhere, to be known as the Lily, and it is the Zulu fashion to name people from some such trifle. Butwho can know a woman's reason, or whether a thing is by chance alone, myfather? Also she had begged me of a cape I had; it was cunningly made byBasutus, of the whitest feathers of the ostrich; this she put about hershoulders, and it hung down to her middle. It had been a custom withNada from childhood not to go about as do other girls, naked except fortheir girdles, for she would always find some rag or skin to lie uponher breast. Perhaps it was because her skin was fairer than that ofother women, or perhaps because she knew that she who hides her beautyoften seems the loveliest, or because there was truth in the tale of herwhite blood and the fashion came to her with the blood. I do not know, my father; at the least she did so. 

Now I took Nada by the hand and led her through the morning air to theplace of assembly, and ah! she was sweeter than the air and fairer thanthe dawn. 

There were many people in the place of assembly, for it was the day ofthe monthly meeting of the council of the headmen, and there also wereall the women of the kraal, and at their head stood Zinita. Now it hadgot about that the girl whom the Slaughterer went to seek in the cavesof the Halakazi had come to the kraal of the People of the Axe, and alleyes watched for her. 

"Wow!" said the men as she passed smiling, looking neither to the rightnor to the left, yet seeing all--"Wow! but this flower is fair! Littlewonder 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, " saidone. 

"Where, then, does she find her fine clothes?" quoth another, "she whocame 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, and knew their meaning, but she never ceased from smiling. Only Zinitasaid nothing, but stood looking at Nada from beneath her bent brows, while by one hand she held the little daughter of Umslopogaas, herchild, and with the other played 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 of Zinita, and held them thereawhile. Now what there was in the glance of Nada I cannot say, but Iknow that Zinita, who was afraid of few things, found something to fearin it. At the least, it was she who turned her head away, and the Lilypassed on smiling, and greeted Umslopogaas with a little nod. 

"Hail, Nada!" said the Slaughterer. Then he turned to his headmen andspoke: "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 fora certain traitor who is done with, for I took another to Dingaan. Lookon her now, my friends, and say if I did not well to win her--the Lilyflower, such as there is no other in the world, to be the joy of thePeople of the Axe and 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 hishead. But he said nothing, for words do not avail against fate. Now asI found afterwards, since Zinita, the head wife of Umslopogaas, hadlearned of what stock he was, she had known that Nada was no sister tohim. Yet when she heard him declare that he was about to take the Lilyto wife she turned upon him, saying:--

"How can this be, Lord?"

"Why do you ask, Zinita?" he answered. "Is it not allowed to a man totake another wife if he will?"

"Surely, Lord, " she said; "but men do not wed their sisters, and I haveheard that it was because this Nada was your sister that you saved herfrom Dingaan, and brought the wrath of Dingaan upon the People of theAxe, the wrath that shall destroy them. "

"So I thought then, Zinita, " he answered; "now I know otherwise. Nada isdaughter to Mopo yonder indeed, but he is no father to me, though hehas 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 todeclare to us who is your father?"

"I have no father, " he answered, waxing wroth; "the heavens above aremy 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, and added, "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 declarea father, and dared not name the Black One who was gone. But inafter years the saying was taken up in the land, and it was told thatUmslopogaas was the son of Indabazimbi the Witch-finder, who had longago fled the land; nor did he deny it. For when all this game had beenplayed out he would not have it known that he was the son of Chaka, hewho no longer sought to be a king, lest he should bring down the wrathof Panda upon him. 

When the people heard this they thought that Umslopogaas mocked Zinita, and yet in his anger he spoke truth when he said first that he wasborn of the "heavens above, " for so we Zulus name the king, and so thewitch-doctor Indabazimbi named Chaka on the day of the great smellingout. But they did not take it in this sense. They held that hespoke truly when he gave it out that he was born of Indabazimbi theWitch-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 whoare the Chief's Inkosikaas, Zinita. Shall that not satisfy you, and willyou not greet me kindly and with a kiss of peace, who have come fromfar to be your sister, Zinita?" and Nada held out her hands towardsher, though whether she did this from the heart or because she wouldput herself in the right before the people I do not know. But Zinitascowled, and jerked at her necklace of beads, breaking the stringon which they were threaded, so that the beads rolled upon the blackearthen floor this way and that. 

"Keep your kisses for our lord, girl, " Zinita said roughly. "As my beadsare scattered so shall you scatter this People of the Axe. "

Now Nada turned away with a little sigh, and the people murmured, forthey thought that Zinita had treated her badly. Then she stretched outher hand again, and gave the lily in it to Umslopogaas, saying:--

"Here is a token of our betrothal, Lord, for never a head of cattlehave my father and I to send--we who are outcasts; and, indeed, thebridegroom must pay the cattle. May I bring you peace and love, myLord!"

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 toancient custom, the Holder of the Axe must challenge all and sundry tocome up against him to fight in single combat for Groan-Maker andthe chieftainship of the people. Therefore, when the talk was done, Umslopogaas rose and went through the challenge, not thinking that anywould answer him, since for some years none had dared to stand beforehis might. Yet three men stepped forward, and of these two werecaptains, and men whom the Slaughterer loved. With all the people, helooked at them astonished. 

"How is this?" he said in a low voice to that captain who was nearestand 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, hemust look to fight with many. Well, fight he must or be shamed. 

Of the fray there is little to tell. Umslopogaas killed first one manand then the other, and swiftly, for, growing fearful, the third did notcome up against him. 

"Ah!" said Galazi, who watched, "what did I tell you, Mopo? The cursebegins to work. Death walks ever with that daughter of yours, old man. "

"I fear so, " I answered, "and yet the maiden is fair and good andsweet. "

"That will not mend matters, " said Galazi. 

Now on that day Umslopogaas took Nada the Lily to wife, and for awhilethere was peace and quiet. But this evil thing came upon Umslopogaas, that, from the day when he wedded Nada, he hated even to look uponZinita, and not at her alone, but on all his other wives also. Galazisaid it was because Nada had bewitched him, but I know well that theonly witcheries she used were the medicine of her eyes, her beauty, andher love. Still, it came to pass that henceforward, and until she hadlong been dead, the Slaughterer loved her, and her alone, and that is astrange sickness to come upon a man. 

As may be guessed, my father, Zinita and the other women took this ill. They waited awhile, indeed, thinking that it would wear away, then theybegan to murmur, both to their husband and in the ears of other people, till at length there were two parties in the town, the party of Zinitaand the party of Nada. 

The party of Zinita was made up of women and of certain men who lovedand feared their wives, but that of Nada was the greatest, and it wasall of men, with Umslopogaas at the head of them, and from this divisioncame much bitterness abroad, and quarrelling in the huts. Yet neitherthe Lily nor Umslopogaas heeded it greatly, nor indeed, anything, solost and well content were they in each other's love. 

Now on a certain morning, after they had been married three full moons, Nada came from her husband's hut when the sun was already high, and wentdown through the rock gully to the river to bathe. On the right ofthe path to the river lay the mealie-fields of the chief, and inthem laboured Zinita and the other women of Umslopogaas, weedingthe mealie-plants. They looked up and saw Nada pass, then worked onsullenly. After awhile they saw her come again fresh from the bath, veryfair to see, and having flowers twined among her hair, and as she walkedshe 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 we do--shallwe 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 the otherwomen. 

"Nay, " answered Zinita, "I will speak with her, " and she went and stoodin the path along which the Lily walked singing, her arms folded acrossher breast. 

Now Nada saw her and, ceasing her song, stretched out her hand towelcome her, saying, "Greeting, sister. " But Zinita did not take it. "It is not fitting, sister, " she said, "that my hand, stained with toil, 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 ofour Lord Bulalio; the weeds grow thick in yonder corn, and we women arefew; now that your love days are over, will not you come and help us? Ifyou brought no hoe from your Swazi home, surely we will buy you one. "

Now Nada saw what was meant, and the blood poured to her head. Yet sheanswered calmly:--

"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 allwork, save such as the weaving of flowers or the stringing of beads. But there is this against it--Umslopogaas, my husband, charged me that Ishould not toil 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 to win theaxe. 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 otherwives. Can it then 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 be mostfair. You have had your hour, leave me mine; perhaps it will be short. Moreover this: Umslopogaas and I loved each other much long years beforeyou or any of his wives saw him, and we love each other to the end. There is no more to say. "

"Nay, Nada, there is still something to say; there is this to say:Choose one of two things. Go and leave us to be happy with our lord, orstay and bring death 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 andleave him, though to do so would be to die. But, Zinita, I do notbelieve it. Death chiefly loves the weak, and if he falls it will be onthe Flower, not on the Slayer of Men, " and she slipped past Zinita andwent on, singing no more. 

Zinita watched her till she was over the ridge, and her face grew evilas she watched. Then she returned to the women. 

"The Lily flouts us all, my sisters, " she said. "Now listen: my counselis 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 itexcept Nada, who will not leave her lover, and if there be any man whoma woman loves, perhaps, my sisters, that man would do well to go on ajourney about the time of the new moon, for evil things may happen atthe town of the People of the Axe while we are away celebrating ourfeast. "

"What, then, shall befall, my sister?" asked one. 

"Nay, how can I tell?" she answered. "I only know that we are mindedto 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 itnot so, 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 bandiedwith Zinita, and the Slaughterer was troubled. Yet, because of hisfoolishness and of the medicine of Nada's eyes, he would not turn fromhis way, and was ever at her side, thinking of little else except ofher. Thus, when Zinita came to him, and asked leave to declare a feastof women that should be held far away, he consented, and gladly, for, above all things, he desired to be free from Zinita and her angry looksfor awhile; nor did he suspect a plot. Only he told her that Nada shouldnot go to the feast; and in a breath both Zinita and Nada answered thatis word was their will, as indeed it was, in this matter. 

Now I, Mopo, saw the glamour that had fallen upon my fosterling, andspoke of it with Galazi, saying that a means must be found to wake him. Then I took Galazi fully into my mind, and told him all that he did notknow of Umslopogaas, and that was little. Also, I told him of my plansto bring the Slaughterer to the throne, and of what I had done to thatend, and of what I proposed to do, and this was to go in person on ajourney to certain of the great chiefs and win them over. 

Galazi listened, and said that it was well or ill, as the chance mightbe. For his part, he believed that the daughter would pull down fasterthan I, the father, could build up, and he pointed to Nada, who walkedpast us, following Umslopogaas. 

Yet I determined to go, and that was on the day before Zinita won leaveto celebrate the feast of women. So I sought Umslopogaas and told him, and he listened indifferently, for he would be going after Nada, andwearied of my talk of policy. I bade him farewell and left him; to Nadaalso I bade farewell. She kissed me, yet the name of her husband wasmingled with her good-bye. 

"Now madness has come upon these two, " I said to myself. "Well, it willwear 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, waitingtill his impis should return from the Income that is now named the BloodRiver. He had sent them thither to destroy the laager of the Boers, andthence, as he thought, they would presently return with victory. Idlyhe sat in the kraal, watching the vultures wheel above the Hill ofSlaughter, and round him stood a regiment. 

"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 tothe king upon some great matter. 

"Let her come, " he answered; "I am sick for tidings, perhaps she cantell 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 whowas gone. 

"What?" he cried, "does the Lily, then, live as the soldier thought?"

"She lives, O King. She is wife to the Slaughterer, and because ofher witchcraft he has put me, his first wife, away against all law andhonour. Therefore I ask vengeance on the witch and vengeance also on himwho was my husband. "

"Thou art a good wife, " said the king. "May my watching spirit save mefrom such a one. Hearken! I would gladly grant thy desire, for I, 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 thinkthat the Slaughterer may take some killing. Wait till my impis returnfrom wiping out the white Amaboona, and it shall be as thou dost desire. Whose are those children?"

"They are my children and the children of Bulalio, who was my husband. "

"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 Ihave spoken--begone!"

But the heart of Zinita was hungry for vengeance, vengeance swift andterrible, on the Lily, who lay in her place, and on her husband, who hadthrust her aside for the Lily's sake. She did not desire to wait--no, not even for an hour. 

"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 cliffon which it suns itself? Then let him plot; and as for Mopo, I willcatch him yet!"

"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:he is son to the Black One who is dead, the mighty king who was thybrother, by Baleka, sister to Mopo. Yes, I know it from the lips ofMopo. I know all the tale. He is heir to thy throne by blood, O King, and thou sittest in his place. "

For a little while Dingaan sat astounded. Then he commanded Zinita todraw near and tell him that tale. 

Now behind the stool on which he sat stood two councillors, nobles whomDingaan loved, and these alone had heard the last words of Zinita. Hebade these nobles stand in front of him, out of earshot and away fromevery other man. Then Zinita drew near, and told Dingaan the tale ofthe birth of Umslopogaas and all that followed, and, by many a token andmany a deed of Chaka's which he remembered, Dingaan the king knew thatit was a true story. 

When at length she had done, he summoned the captain of the regimentthat stood around: he was a great man named Faku, and he also summonedcertain men who do the king's bidding. To the captain of the impi hespoke 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 slayall the wizards who sleep therein. Most of all, slay the Chief of thePeople, who is named Bulalio the Slaughterer or Umslopogaas. Kill himby torture if you may, but kill him and bring his head to me. Take thatwife of his, who is known as Nada the Lily, alive if ye can, and bringher to me, for I would cause her to be slain here. Bring the cattlealso. Now go, and go swiftly, this hour. If ye return having failed inone jot of my command, ye die, every one of you--ye die, and slowly. Begone!"

The captain saluted, and, running to his regiment, issued a command. Three full companies leapt forward at his word, and ran after himthrough the gates of the kraal Umgugundhlovu, heading for the GhostMountain. 

Then Dingaan called to those who do the king's bidding, and, pointingto the two nobles, his councillors, who had heard the words of Zinita, commanded that they should be killed. 

The nobles heard, and, having saluted the king, covered their faces, knowing that they must die because they had learned too much. So theywere killed. Now it was one of these councillors who had said thatdoubtless meat would soon be found to feed the king's birds. 

Then the king commanded those who do his bidding that they should takethe children of Zinita and make away with them. 

But when Zinita heard this she cried aloud, for she loved her children. Then Dingaan mocked her. 

"What?" he said, "art thou a fool as well as wicked? Thou sayest thatthy husband, whom thou hast given to death, is born of one who is dead, 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. AmI then mad that I should suffer them to live? Woman, thou hast falleninto thine own trap. Take them away!"

Now Zinita tasted of the cup which she had brewed for other lips, andgrew distraught in her misery, and wrung her hands, crying that sherepented her of the evil and would warn Umslopogaas and the Lily of thatwhich awaited them. And she turned to run towards the gates. But theking laughed and nodded, and they brought her back, and presently shewas dead also. 

Thus, then, my father, prospered the wickedness of Zinita, the head wifeof Umslopogaas, my fosterling. 

Now these were the last slayings that were wrought at the kraalUmgugundhlovu, for just as Dingaan had made an end of them and once moregrew weary, he lifted his eyes and saw the hillsides black with men, whoby their dress were of his own impi--men whom he had sent out againstthe Boers. 

And yet where was the proud array, where the plumes and shields, wherethe song of victory? Here, indeed, were soldiers, but they walked ingroups like women and hung their heads like chidden children. 

Then he learned the truth. The impi had been defeated by the banks ofthe Income; thousands had perished at the laager, mowed down by the gunsof the Boers, thousands more had been drowned in the Income, till thewaters were red and the bodies of the slain pushed each other under, andthose who still lived walked upon them. 

Dingaan heard, and was seized with fear, for it was said that theAmaboona followed fast on the track of the conquered. 

That day he fled to the bush on the Black Umfolozi river, and that nightthe sky was crimson with the burning of the kraal Umgugundhlovu, wherethe Elephant should trumpet no more, and the vultures were scared fromthe Hill of Slaughter by the roaring of the flames. 

* * * * *

Galazi sat on the lap of the stone Witch, gazing towards the wide plainsbelow, that were yet white with the moon, though the night grew towardsthe morning. Greysnout whined at his side, and Deathgrip thrust hismuzzle into his hand; but Galazi took no heed, for he was brooding onthe fall of Umslopogaas from the man that he had been to the level of awoman's slave, and on the breaking up of the People of the Axe, becauseof the coming of Nada. For all the women and the children were gone tothis Feast of Women, and would not return for long, and it seemed toGalazi that many of the men had slipped away also, as though they smeltsome 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 a woman'skiss. Now he hunts no more, no more shall Groan-Maker be aloft; it isa woman's kiss he craves, not the touch of your rough tongue, it is awoman'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 overtakenhim. Surely Chaka was a great king though an evil, and he showed hisgreatness when he forbade marriage to the warriors, marriage that makesthe heart soft and turns blood to water. "

Now Galazi ceased, and gazed idly towards the kraal of the People of theAxe, and as he looked his eyes caught a gleam of light that seemedto travel in and out of the edge of the shadow of Ghost Mountain asa woman's needle travels through a skin, now seen and now lost in theskin. 

He started and watched. Ah! there the light came out from the shadow. Now, by Chaka's head, it was the light of spears!

One moment more Galazi watched. It was a little impi, perhaps theynumbered two hundred men, running silently, but not to battle, for theywore no plumes. Yet they went out to kill, for they ran in companies, and each man carried assegais and a shield. 

Now Galazi had heard tell of such impis that hunt by night, and he knewwell that these were the king's dogs, and their game was men, a bigkraal of sleeping men, otherwise there had been fewer dogs. Is a wholepack sent out to catch an antelope on its form? Galazi wondered whomthey sought. Ah! now they turned to the ford, and he knew. It was hisbrother Umslopogaas and Nada the Lily and the People of the Axe. Thesewere the king's dogs, and Zinita had let them slip. For this reason shehad called a feast of women, and taken the children with her; for thisreason so many had been summoned from the kraal by one means or another:it was that they might escape the slaughter. 

Galazi bounded to his feet. For one moment he thought. Might not thesehunters be hunted? Could he not destroy them by the jaws of the wolvesas once before they had destroyed a certain impi of the king's? Ay, ifhe had seen them but one hour before, then scarcely a man of them shouldhave lived to reach the stream, for he would have waylaid them withhis wolves. But now it might not be; the soldiers neared the ford, andGalazi knew well that his grey people would not hunt on the furtherplain, though for this he had heard one reason only, that which wasgiven him by the lips of the dead in a dream. 

What, then, might be done? One thing alone: warn Umslopogaas. Yet how?For him who could swim a rushing river, there was, indeed, a swifter wayto the place of the People of the Axe--a way that was to the path of theimpi as is the bow-string to the strung bow. And yet they had travelledwell-nigh half the length of the bow. Still, he might do it, he whosefeet were the swiftest in the land, except those of Umslopogaas. At theleast, he would try. Mayhap, the impi would tarry to drink at the ford. 

So Galazi thought in his heart, and his thought was swift as the light. Then with a bound he was away down the mountain side. From boulder toboulder he leapt like a buck, he crashed through the brake like a bull, he skimmed the level like a swallow. The mountain was travelled now;there in front of him lay the yellow river foaming in its flood, so hehad swum it before when he went to see the dead. Ah! a good leap far outinto the torrent; it was strong, but he breasted it. He was through, hestood upon the bank shaking the water from him like a dog, and now hewas away up the narrow gorge of stones to the long slope, running low ashis wolves ran. 

Before him lay the town--one side shone silver with the sinking moon, one was grey with the breaking dawn. Ah! they were there, he saw themmoving through the grass by the eastern gate; he saw the long lines ofslayers creep to the left and the right. 

How could he pass them before the circle of death was drawn?Six spear-throws to run, and they had but such a little way! Themealie-plants were tall, and at a spot they almost touched the fence. Upthe path! Could Umslopogaas, his brother, move more fast, he wondered, than the Wolf who sped to save him? He was there, hidden by the mealiestalks, and there, along the fence to the right and to the left, theslayers crept!

"Wow! What was that?" said one soldier of the king to another man asthey joined their guard completing the death circle. "Wow! somethinggreat and black crashed through the fence before me. "

"I heard it, brother, " answered the other man. "I heard it, but I sawnothing. It must have been a dog: no man could leap so high. "

"More like a wolf, " said the first; "at the least, let us pray that itwas not an Esedowan (1) who will put us into the hole in its back. Isyour fire ready, brother? Wow! these wizards shall wake warm; the signalshould be soon. "

 (1) A fabulous animal, 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 stirof men. All slept and no sentinels were set, for Umslopogaas was so lostin his love for Lily that he forgot his wisdom, and thought no more ofwar or death or of the hate of Dingaan. Presently the Wolf came to thelarge new hut which Umslopogaas had caused to be built for Nada theLily, and entered it, for there he knew that he should find his brotherBulalio. On the far side of the hut the two lay sleeping, and the headof Umslopogaas rested on the Lily's breast, and by his side gleamed thegreat axe Groan-Maker. 

"Awake!" cried the Wolf. 

Now Umslopogaas sprang to his feet grasping at his axe, but Nada threwher arms wide, murmuring; "Let me sleep on, sweet is sleep. "

"Sound shall ye sleep, anon!" gasped Galazi. "Swift, brother, bind onthe wolf's hide, take shield! Swift, I say--for the Slayers of the kingare at your gates!"

Now Nada sprang up also, and they did his bidding like people in adream; and, while they found their garments and a shield, Galazi tookbeer 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 tonguesof flame shot up against the sky, for the town had been fired by theSlayers. 

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, " saidGalazi. "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 thenumber of ten, half awakened, fear-stricken, armed--some with spears, some with clubs--and for the most part naked. They sped on togethertowards the fence of the town that was now but a ring of fire, Umslopogaas and Galazi in front, each holding the Lily by a hand. Theyneared the fence--from without came the shouts of the Slayers--lo! itwas afire. Nada shrank back in fear, but Umslopogaas and Galazi draggedher on. They rushed at the blazing fence, smiting with axe and club. Itbroke before them, they were through but little harmed. Without were aknot of the Slayers, standing back a small space because of the heat ofthe flames. The Slayers saw them, and crying, "This is Bulalio, kill thewizard!" sprang towards them with uplifted spears. Now the People of theAxe made a ring round Nada, and in the front of it were Umslopogaasand Galazi. Then they rushed on and met those of the Slayers who stoodbefore them, and the men of Dingaan were swept away and scattered byGroan-Maker and the Watcher, as dust is swept of a wind, as grass isswept by a sickle. 

They were through with only one man slain, but the cry went up that thechief of the wizards and the Lily, his wife, had fled. Then, as it wasthese whom he was chiefly charged to kill, the captain called off theimpi from watching for the dwellers in the town, and started in pursuitof Umslopogaas. Now, at this time nearly a hundred men of the People ofthe Axe had been killed and of the Slayers some fifty men, for, havingbeen awakened by the crying of Galazi, the soldiers of the axe foughtbravely, though none saw where his brother stood, and none knew whithertheir chief had fled except those ten who went with the brethren. 

Meanwhile, the Wolf-Brethren and those with them were well away, and ithad been easy for them to escape, who were the swiftest-footed of any inthe land. But the pace of a regiment is the pace of its slowest-footedsoldier, and Nada could not run with the Wolf-Brethren. Yet they madegood speed, and were halfway down the gorge that led to the river beforethe companies of Dingaan poured into it. Now they came to the end of it, and the foe was near--this end of the gorge is narrow, my father, likethe neck of a gourd--then Galazi stopped and spoke:--

"Halt! ye People of the Axe, " he said, "and let us talk awhile withthese who follow till we get our breath again. But you, my brother, passthe river with the Lily in your hand. We will join you in the forest;but if perchance we cannot find you, you know what must be done: setthe Lily in the cave, then return and call up the grey impi. Wow! mybrother, I must find you if I may, for if these men of Dingaan have amind for sport there shall be such a hunting on the Ghost Mountain asthe old Witch has not seen. Go now, my brother!"

"It is not my way to turn and run while others stand and fight, " growledUmslopogaas; "yet, because of Nada, it seems that I must. "

"Oh! heed me not, my love, " said Nada, "I have brought thee sorrow--I amweary, let me die; kill me and save yourselves!"

For answer, Umslopogaas took her by the hand and fled towards the river;but before he reached it he heard the sounds of the fray, the war-cry ofthe Slayers as they poured upon the People of the Axe, the howl of hisbrother, the Wolf, when the battle joined--ay, and the crash of theWatcher as the blow went home. 

"Well bitten, Wolf!" he said, stopping; "that one shall need no more;oh! that I might"--but again he looked at Nada, and sped on. 

Now they had leaped into the foaming river, and here it was well thatthe Lily could swim, else both had been lost. But they won through andpassed forward to the mountain's flank. Here they walked on among thetrees till the forest was almost passed, and at length Umslopogaas heardthe howling of a wolf. 

Then he must set Nada on his shoulders and carry her as once Galazi hadcarried another, for it was death for any except the Wolf-Brethren towalk on the Ghost Mountain when the wolves were awake. 

Presently the wolves flocked around him, and leaped upon him in joy, glaring with fierce eyes at her who sat upon his shoulders. Nada sawthem, and almost fell from her seat, fainting with fear, for they weremany and dreadful, and when they howled her blood turned to ice. 

But Umslopogaas cheered her, telling her that these were his dogs withwhom he went out hunting, and with whom he should hunt presently. Atlength they came to the knees of the Old Witch and the entrance tothe cave. It was empty except for a wolf or two, for Galazi abode hereseldom now; but when he was on the mountain would sleep in the forest, which was nearer the kraal of his brother the Slaughterer. 

"Here you must stay, sweet, " said Umslopogaas when he had driven out thewolves. "Here you must rest till this little matter of the Slayers isfinished. Would that we had brought food, but we had little time to seekit! See, now I will show you the secret of the stone; thus far I willpush it, no farther. Now a touch only is needed to send it over thesocket and home; but then they must be two strong men who can pull itback again. Therefore push it no farther except in the utmost need, lestit remain where it fall, whether you will it or not. Have no fear, youare safe here; none know of this place except Galazi, myself and thewolves, and none shall find it. Now I must be going to find Galazi, ifhe still lives; if not, to make what play I can against the Slayers, alone with the wolves. "

Now Nada wept, saying that she feared to be left, and that she shouldnever see him more, and her grief rung his heart. Nevertheless, Umslopogaas kissed her and went, closing the stone after him in thatfashion of which he had spoken. When the stone was shut the cave wasalmost dark, except for a ray of light that entered by a hole littlelarger than a man's hand, that, looked at from within, was on the rightof the stone. Nada sat herself so that this ray struck full on her, forshe loved light, and without it she would pine as flowers do. Thereshe sat and thought in the darksome cave, and was filled with fear andsorrow. 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 inthe gloom she saw the sharp nose and grinning fangs of a wolf that werethrust towards her through the little hole. 

Nada cried aloud in fear, and the fangs were snatched back, butpresently she heard a scratching without the cave, and saw the stoneshake. Then she thought in her foolishness that the wolf knew how toopen the stone, and that he would do this, and devour her, for she hadheard the tale that all these wolves were the ghosts of evil men, havingthe understanding of men. So, in her fear and folly, she seized the rockand dragged on it as Umslopogaas had shown her how to do. It shook, itslipped over the socket ledge, and rolled home like a pebble down themouth of a gourd. 

"Now I am safe from the wolves, " said Nada. "See, I cannot so much asstir the stone from within. " And she laughed a little, then ceased fromlaughing and spoke again. "Yet it would be ill if Umslopogaas cameback 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. " Sheshuddered as she thought of it, but presently started up and set herear to the hole to listen, for from far down the mountain there rose amighty howling and a din of men. 

When Umslopogaas had shut the cave, he moved swiftly down the mountain, and with him went certain of the wolves; not all, for he had notsummoned them. His heart was heavy, for he feared that Galazi was nomore. Also he was mad with rage, and plotted in himself to destroy theSlayers of the king, every man of them; but first he must learn whatthey would do. Presently, as he wended, he heard a long, low howl faraway in the forest; then he rejoiced, for he knew the call--it was thecall of Galazi, who had escaped the spears of the Slayers. 

Swiftly he ran, calling in answer. He won the place. There, seated on astone, resting himself, was Galazi, and round him surged the numbersof the Grey People. Umslopogaas came to him and looked at him, for heseemed somewhat weary. There were flesh wounds on his great breast andarms, the little shield was well-nigh hewn to strips, and the Watchershowed 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 onus thrice, but we held them back till the Lily was safe; then, all ourmen being down, I ran, Umslopogaas, and swam the torrent, for I wasminded to die here in my own place. "

Now, though he said little of it, I must tell you, my father, thatGalazi had made a great slaughter there in the neck of the donga. Afterwards I counted the slain, and they were many; the nine men of thePeople of the Axe were hidden in them. 

"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 ofhim who bears the Watcher, and which my father foretold, is upon me. If so, farewell. While it lasted our friendship has been good, and itsending shall be good. Moreover, it would have endured for many a yearto come had you not sought, Slaughterer, to make good better, and tocomplete our joy of fellowship and war with the love of women. From thatsource flow these ills, as a river from a spring; but so it was fated. If I fall in this fray may you yet live on to fight in many another, andat the last to die gloriously with axe aloft; and may you find a briskerman and a better Watcher to serve you in your need. Should you fall andI live on, I promise this: I will avenge you to the last and guard theLily whom you love, offering her comfort, but no more. Now the foe drawson, they have travelled round about by the ford, for they dared not facethe 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 thebest, 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 leanedupon his Axe Groan-Maker, and listened to him, ay, and wept as helistened, for after the Lily and me, Mopo, he loved Galazi most dearlyof all who lived. Then he 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 I do swear that, should you fall, while I live Groan-Maker shallbe busy from year to year till every man of yonder impi is as you are. Perchance I did ill, Galazi, when first I hearkened to the words ofZinita and suffered women to come between us. May we one day find a landwhere there are no women, and war only, for in that land we shallgrow great. But now, at the least, we will make a good end to thisfellowship, and the Grey People shall fight their fill, and the oldWitch 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 fallupon the men of Dingaan twice, once in the glade of the forest whitherthey will come presently, and, if we are beaten back, then we must standfor the last time on the knees of the Witch in front of the cave whereNada is. Say, Wolf, will the Grey Folk fight?"

"To the last, brother, so long as one is left to lead them, after thatI do 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 itwas not as it had been years ago when first the Wolf-Brethren huntedon Ghost Mountain; for many of the wolves had died by men's spears whenthey harried the kraals of men, and no young were born to them. Then, as once before, the pack was halved, and half, the she-wolves, went withUmslopogaas, and half, the dog-wolves, went with Galazi. 

Now they passed down the forest paths and hid in the tangle of thethickets at the head of the darksome glen, one on each side of the glen. Here they waited till they heard the footfall of the impi of the king'sSlayers, as it came slowly along seeking them. In front of the impi wenttwo soldiers watching for an ambush, and these two men were the same whohad talked together that dawn when Galazi sprang between them. Now alsothey spoke as they peered this way and that; then, seeing nothing, stoodawhile in the mouth of the glen waiting the coming of their company; andtheir words came to the ears of Umslopogaas. 

"An awful place this, my brother, " said one. "A place full of ghosts andstrange sounds, of hands that seem to press us back, and whinings as ofinvisible wolves. It is named Ghost Mountain, and well named. Wouldthat the king 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 thismorning in the dark! I say it was a wizard. Wow! they are all wizards. Could any who was but a man have done the deeds which he who is namedthe Wolf wrought down by the river yonder, and then have escaped? Hadthe Axe but stayed with the Club they would have eaten up our impi. "

"The Axe had a woman to watch, " laughed the other. "Yes, it is true thisis a place of wizards and evil things. Methinks I see the red eyes ofthe Esedowana glaring at us through the dark of the trees and smelltheir smell. Yet these wizards must be caught, for know this, mybrother: if we return to Umgugundhlovu with the king's command undone, then there are stakes hardening in the fire of which we shall taste thepoint. If we are all killed in the catching, and some, it seems, aremissing already, yet they must be caught. Say, my brother, shall we drawon? The impi is nigh. Would that Faku, our captain yonder, might findtwo others to take our place, for in this thicket I had rather run lastthan first. Well, here leads the spoor--a wondrous mass of wolf-spoormixed with the footprints of men; perhaps they are sometimes the one andsometimes the other--who knows, my brother? It is a land of ghosts andwizards. Let us on! Let us on!"

Now all this while the Wolf-Brethren had much ado to keep their peoplequiet, for their mouths watered and their eyes shone at the sight of themen, and at length it could be done no more, for with a howl a singleshe-wolf rushed from her laid and leapt at the throat of the man whospoke, nor did she miss her grip. Down went wolf and man, rollingtogether on the ground, and there they killed each other. 

"The Esedowana! the Esedowana are upon us!" cried the other scout, and, turning, fled towards the impi. But he never reached it, for withfearful howlings the ghost-wolves broke their cover and rushed on himfrom the right and the left, and lo! there was nothing of him leftexcept his spear alone. 

Now a low cry of fear rose from the impi, and some turned to fly, butFaku, the captain, a great and brave man, shouted to them, "Stand firm, children of the king, stand firm, these are no Esedowana, these are butthe Wolf-Brethren and their pack. What! will ye run from dogs, ye whohave laughed at the spears of men? Ring round! Stand fast!"

The soldiers heard the voice of their captain, and they obeyed hisvoice, forming a double circle, a ring within a ring. They looked to theright, there, Groan-Maker aloft, the wolf fangs on his brow, the wornwolf-hide streaming on the wind, Bulalio rushed upon them like a storm, and with him came his red-eyed company. They looked to the left--ah, well they know that mighty Watcher! Have they not heard his strokes downby the river, and well they know the giant who wields it like a wand, the Wolf King, with the strength of ten! Wow! They are here! See thepeople black and grey, hear them howl their war-chant! Look how theyleap like water--leap in a foam of fangs against the hedge of 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 fallthick. At length the brethren are beaten back; they break out as theybroke in, and are gone, with such of their wolf-folk as were left alive. Yet that impi was somewhat the worse, but one-third of those livedwho looked on the sun without the forest; the rest lay smitten, torn, mangled, dead, hidden under the heaps of 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 usleft, the most of the wolves are dead also, and the arms of the wizardsgrow weary. "

So he moved forward up the mountain with those of the soldiers whoremained, and all the way the wolves harried them, pulling down a manhere and a man there; but though they heard and saw them cheering ontheir pack the Wolf-Brethren attacked them no more, for they saved theirstrength for the last fight of all. 

The road was long up the mountain, and the soldiers knew little ofthe path, and ever the ghost-wolves harried on their flanks. So it wasevening before they came to the feet of the stone Witch, and began toclimb to the platform of her knees. There, on her knees as it were, theysaw the Wolf-Brethren standing side by side, such a pair as were notelsewhere in the world, and they seemed afire, for the sunset beat uponthem, and the wolves crept round their feet, red with blood and fire. 

"A glorious pair!" quoth great Faku; "would that I fought with themrather than against them! Yet, they must die!" Then he began to climb tothe knees of the Witch. 

Now Umslopogaas glanced up at the stone face of her who sat aloft, andit was alight with the sunset. 

"Said I not that the old Witch should smile at this fray?" he cried. "Lo! she smiles! Up, Galazi, let us spend the remnant of our people onthe foe, and fight this fight out, man to man, with no beast to spoilit! Ho! Blood and Greysnout! ho! Deathgrip! ho! wood-dwellers grey andblack, at them, my children!"

The wolves heard; they were few and they were sorry to see, withweariness and wounds, but still they were fierce. With a howl, for thelast time they leaped down upon the foe, tearing, harrying, and killingtill they themselves were dead by the spear, every one of them exceptDeathgrip, who crept back sorely wounded to die with Galazi. 

"Now I am a chief without a people, " cried Galazi. "Well, it has beenmy 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 greatestkings when they come to their ends, seeing that they, too, must diealone. Say, Slaughterer, choose where you will stand, to the left or tothe right. "

Now, my father, the track below separated, because of a boulder, andthere were two little paths which led to the platform of the Witch'sknees with, perhaps, ten paces between them. Umslopogaas guarded theleft-hand path and Galazi took the right. Then they waited, havingspears in their hands. Presently the soldiers came round the rock andrushed up against them, some on one path and some on the other. 

Then the brethren hurled their spears at them and killed three men. Now the assegais were done, and the foe was on them. Umslopogaas bendsforward, his long arm shoots out, the axe gleams, and a man who came onfalls back. 

"One!" cries Umslopogaas. 

"One, my brother!" answers Galazi, as he draws back the Watcher from hisblow. 

A soldier rushes forward, singing. To and fro he moves in front ofUmslopogaas, his spear poised to strike. Groan-Maker swoops down, butthe man leaps back, the blow misses, and the Slaughterer's guard isdown. 

"A poor stroke, Sorcerer!" cries the man as he rushes in to stab him. Lo! the axe wheels in the air, it circles swiftly low down by theground; it smites upward. Before the spearsman can strike the horn ofGroan-Maker has sped 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 cryof "Three!" passes from brother to brother, and after it rises the cryof "Four!"

Now Faku bids the men who are left to hold their shields together andpush the two from the mouths of the paths, and this they do, losing fourmore men at the hands 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 peckslike a wood-bird on a tree, and never pecks in vain? Who shall ringround those feet swifter than the Sassaby of the plains? Wow! He ishere! He is there! He is a sorcerer! Death is in his hand, and deathlooks out of his eyes!

Galazi lives yet, for still there comes the sound of the Watcher as itthunders on the shields, and the Wolf's hoarse cry of the number of theslain. He has a score of wounds, yet he fights on! his leg is almosthewn from him with an axe, yet he fights on! His back is pierced againand again, yet he fights on! But two are left alive before him, onetwists round and spears him from behind. He heeds it not, but smitesdown the foe in front. Then he turns and, whirling the Watcher on high, brings him down for the last time, and so mightily that the man beforehim 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 the clashof 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, for I 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. "All save one!"

Now Galazi fell dying on the dead, but he was not altogether gone, for he still spoke. "All save one! Ha! ha! ill for that one then whenGroan-Maker yet is 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 shookthe Watcher about his head, then fell again and died. 

Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka, and Faku, the captain of Dingaan, gazedon each other. They alone were left standing upon the mountain, for therest were all down. Umslopogaas had many wounds. Faku was unhurt; he wasa strong man, also armed 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 fortuneto have seen this fight, and the highest of honours to have had to dowith two such warriors. Rest you a little, Slaughterer, before we close. That wolf-brother of yours died well, and if it is given me to conquerin this bout, I will tell the tale of his end from kraal to kraalthroughout the land, and it shall be a tale forever. "

CHAPTER XXXIV. THE LILY'S FAREWELL

Umslopogaas listened, but he made no answer to the words of Faku thecaptain, though he liked them well, for he would not waste his breath intalking, and the 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 achance to strike. Presently Faku smote at the head of Umslopogaas, butthe Slaughterer lifted Groan-Maker to ward the blow. Faku crookedhis arm and let the axe curl downwards, so that its keen edge smoteUmslopogaas upon the head, severing his man's ring and the scalpbeneath. 

Made mad with the pain, the Slaughterer awoke, as it were. He graspedGroan-maker with both hands and struck thrice. The first blow hewed awaythe plumes and shield of Faku, and drive him back a spear's length, thesecond missed its aim, the third and mightiest twisted in his wet hands, so that the axe smote sideways. Nevertheless, it fell full on the breastof the captain Faku, shattering his bones, and sweeping him from theledge of rock on to the slope beneath, where he lay still. 

"It is finished with the daylight, " said Umslopogaas, smiling grimly. "Now, Dingaan, send more Slayers to seek your slain, " and he turned tofind Nada in the cave. 

But Faku the captain was not yet dead, though he was hurt to death. Hesat up, and with his last strength he hurled the axe in his hand athim whose might had prevailed against him. The axe sped true, andUmslopogaas did not see it fly. It sped true, and its point struck himon the left temple, driving in the bone and making a great hole. ThenFaku fell back dying, and Umslopogaas threw up his arms and dropped likean ox drops beneath the blow of the butcher, and lay as one dead, underthe shadow of a stone. 

All day long Nada crouched in the cave listening to the sounds of warthat crept faintly up the mountain side; howling of wolves, shoutingof men, and the clamour of iron on iron. All day long she sat, and nowevening came apace, and the noise of battle drew near, swelled, andsank, and died away. She heard the voices of the Wolf-Brethren as theycalled to each other like bucks, naming the number of the slain. Sheheard Galazi's cry of "Victory!" and her heart leapt to it, though sheknew that there was death in the cry. Then for the last time she heardthe faint ringing of iron on iron, and the light went out and all grewstill. 

All grew still as the night. There came no more shouting of men andno more clash of arms, no howlings of wolves, no cries of pain ortriumph--all was quiet 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 Slayersare slain--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 amweary of my loneliness, and this place is grim and evil. "

Thus she spoke to herself in hope, but nothing came except the silence. Then she spoke again, and her voice echoed in the hollow cave. "Now Iwill be bold, I will fear nothing, I will push aside the stone and goout to find him. I know well he does but linger to tend some who arewounded, perhaps Galazi. Doubtless Galazi is wounded. I must go andnurse him, though he never loved me, and I do not love him overmuch whowould stand between me and my husband. This wild wolf-man is a foe towomen, and, most of all, a foe to me; yet I will be kind to him. Come, Iwill go at once, " and she rose and pushed at the rock. 

Why, what was this? It did not stir. Then she remembered that she hadpulled it beyond the socket because of her fear of the wolf, and thatthe rock had slipped a little way down the neck of the cave. Umslopogaashad told her that she must not do this, and she had forgotten his wordsin her foolishness. Perhaps she could move the stone; no, not by thebreadth of a grain of corn. She was shut in, without food or water, andhere she must bide till Umslopogaas came. And if he did not come? Thenshe must surely die. 

Now she shrieked aloud in her fear, calling on the name of Umslopogaas. The walls of the cave answered "Umslopogaas! Umslopogaas!" and that wasall. 

Afterwards madness fell upon Nada, my daughter, and she lay in thecave for days and nights, nor knew ever how long she lay. And with hermadness came visions, for she dreamed that the dead One whom Galazi hadtold her of sat once more aloft in his niche at the end of the cave andspoke to her, saying:--

"Galazi is dead! The fate of him who bears the Watcher has fallen onhim. Dead are the ghost-wolves; I also am of hunger in this cave, and asI died so shall you die, Nada the Lily! Nada, Star of Death! because ofwhose beauty and foolishness all this death has come about. "

This is seemed to Nada, in her madness, that the shadow of him who hadsat in the niche spoke to her from hour to hour. 

It seemed to Nada, in her madness, that twice the light shone throughthe hole by the rock, and that was day, and twice it went out, and thatwas night. A third time the ray shone and died away, and lo! her madnessleft her, and she awoke to know that she was dying, and that a voice sheloved spoke without the hole, 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 alongpainfully. A while passed, then a trembling hand thrust a little gourdof water through the hole. She drank, and now she could speak, thoughthe water seemed to flow through her veins like fire. 

"Is it indeed you, Umslopogaas?" she said, "or are you dead, and do Idream of you?"

"It is I, Nada, " said the voice. "Hearken! have you drawn the rockhome?"

"Alas! yes, " she answered. "Perhaps, if the two of us strive at it, itwill move. "

"Ay, if our strength were what it was--but now! Still, let us try. "

So they strove with a rock, but the two of them together had not thestrength of a girl, and it would not stir. 

"Give over, Umslopogaas, " said Nada; "we do but waste the time that isleft to me. Let us talk!"

For awhile there was no answer, for Umslopogaas had fainted, and Nadabeat her breast, thinking that he was dead. 

Presently he spoke, however, saying, "It may not be; we must perishhere, one on each side of the stone, not seeing the other's face, formy might is as water; nor can I stand upon my feet to go and seek forfood. "

"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 I fell. I do not know how long I have lain yonder under the shadowof the rock, but it must be long, for my limbs are wasted, and those whofell in the fray are picked clean by the vultures, all except Galazi, for the old wolf Deathgrip lies on his breast dying, but not dead, licking my brother's wounds, and scares the fowls away. It was the beakof a vulture, who had smelt me out at last, that woke me from my sleepbeneath the stone, Nada, and I crept hither. Would that he had notawakened me, would that I had died as I lay, rather than lived a littlewhile till you perish thus, like a trapped fox, Nada, and presently Ifollow you. "

"It is hard to die so, Umslopogaas, " she answered, "I who am yet youngand 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;horror and fear have conquered me, my strength fails, but I sufferlittle. Let us talk no more of death, let us rather speak of ourchildhood, when we wandered hand in hand; let us talk also of our love, and of the happy hours that we have spent since your great axe rang uponthe rock in the Halakazi caves, and my fear told you the secret of mywomanhood. See, I thrust my hand through the hole; 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 herside, her arm stretched through the little hole. They spoke of theirlove, and tried to forget their sorrow in it; he told her also of thefray which had been and how it went. 

"Ah!" she said, "that was Zinita's work, Zinita who hated me, andjustly. Doubtless she set Dingaan on this path. "

"A little while gone, " quoth Umslopogaas; "and I hoped that your lastbreath and mine might pass together, Nada, and that we might go togetherto 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, am near tothat 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 love only, in my heart, and your name, and yours only, on my lips, so that if anywhere we live again it shall be ready to spring forth togreet you. Yet, husband, it is in my heart that you will not go with me, but that you shall live on to die the greatest of deaths far away fromhere, and because of another woman. It seems that, as I lay in thedark of this cave, I saw you, Umslopogaas, a great man, gaunt and grey, stricken to the death, and the axe Groan-maker wavering aloft, and manya man dead upon a white and shimmering way, and about you the fair facesof white women; and you had a hole in your forehead, husband, on theleft side. "

"That is like to be true, if I live, " he answered, "for the bone of mytemple is shattered. "

Now Nada ceased speaking, and for a long while was silent; Umslopogaaswas also silent and torn with pain and sorrow because he must lose theLily thus, and she must die so wretchedly, for one reason only, that thecast of Faku had robbed him of his strength. Alas! he who had done manydeeds might not save her now; he could scarcely hold himself uprightagainst the rock. He thought of it, and the tears flowed down his faceand fell on to the hand of the Lily. She felt them fall and spoke. 

"Weep not, my husband, " she said, "I have been all too ill a wife toyou. Do not mourn for me, yet remember that I loved you well. " And againshe was silent for a long space. 

Then she spoke and for the last time of all, and her voice came in agasping whisper 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 heheld. Twice it opened, twice it closed upon his own, then it opened forthe third time, 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 ofdawn I, Mopo, came from my mission back to the kraal of the People ofthe Axe, having succeeded in my end, for that great chief whom I hadgone out to visit had hearkened to my words. As the light broke Ireached the town, and lo! it was a blackness and a desolation. 

"Here is the footmark of Dingaan, " I said to myself, and walked to andfro, groaning heavily. Presently I found a knot of men who were of thepeople that had escaped the slaughter, hiding in the mealie-fields lestthe Slayers should return, and from them I drew the story. I listenedin silence, for, my father, I was grown old in misfortune; then I askedwhere were the Slayers of the king? They replied that they did not know;the soldiers had gone up the Ghost Mountain after the Wolf-Brethrenand Nada the Lily, and from the forest had come a howling of beasts andsounds of war; then there was silence, and none had been seen to returnfrom the mountain, only all day long the vultures 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 theend they came with me, and we followed on the path of the impi of theSlayers and guessed all that had befallen it. At length we reachedthe knees of stone, and saw the place of the great fight of theWolf-Brethren. All those who had taken part in that fight were now butbones, because the vultures had picked them every one, except Galazi, for on the breast of Galazi lay the old wolf Deathgrip, that was yetalive. I drew near the body, and the great wolf struggled to his feetand ran at me with bristling hair and open jaws, from which no soundcame. Then, being spent, he rolled over dead. 

Now I looked round seeking the axe Groan-Maker among the bones ofthe slain, and did not find it and the hope came into my heart thatUmslopogaas had escaped the slaughter. Then we went on in silence towhere I knew the cave must be, and there by its mouth lay the body ofa man. I ran to it--it was Umslopogaas, wasted with hunger, and in histemple was a great wound and on his breast and limbs were many otherwounds. Moreover, in his hand he held another hand--a dead hand, thatwas thrust through a hole in the rock. I knew its shape well--it was thelittle hand of my child, Nada the Lily. 

Now I understood, and, bending down, I felt the heart of Umslopogaas, and laid the down of an eagle upon his lips. His heart still stirred andthe down was lifted gently. 

I bade those with me drag the stone, and they did so with toil. Nowthe light flowed into the cave, and by it we saw the shape of Nadamy daughter. She was somewhat wasted, but still very beautiful in herdeath. 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 itdown his throat; also I cleansed his great wound and bound healingherbs upon it, plying all my skill. Well I knew the arts of healing, myfather; I who was the first of the izinyanga of medicine, and, had itnot been for my craft, Umslopogaas had never lived, for he was very nearhis end. Still, there where he had once been nursed by Galazi the Wolf, I brought him back to life. It was three days till he spoke, and, beforehis sense returned to him, I caused a great hole to be dug in the floorof the cave. And there, in the hole, I buried Nada my daughter, and weheaped lily blooms upon her to keep the earth from her, and then closedin her grave, for I was not minded that Umslopogaas should look upon herdead, lest he also should die from the sight, and because of his desireto 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, the Lily and the Wolf together. Ah! when shall there be such another manand such another maid?

At length on the third day Umslopogaas spoke, asking for Nada. I pointedto the earth, and he remembered and understood. Thereafter the strengthof Umslopogaas gathered on him slowly, and the hole in his skull skinnedover. But now his hair was grizzled, and he scarcely smiled again, butgrew even more grim and stern than he had been before. 

Soon we learned all the truth about Zinita, for the women and childrencame back to the town of the People of the Axe, only Zinita and thechildren of Umslopogaas did not come back. Also a spy reached me fromthe Mahlabatine and told me of the end of Zinita and of the flight ofDingaan before the Boers. 

Now when Umslopogaas had recovered, I asked him what he would do, andwhether or 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. Hewould destroy a king indeed, but now he no longer desired to be aking. He sought revenge alone. I said that it was well, I also soughtvengeance, and seeking together we would find it. 

Now, my father, there is much more to tell, but shall I tell it? Thesnow has melted, your cattle have been found where I told you theyshould be, and you wish to be gone. And I also, I would be gone upon alonger journey. 

Listen, my father, I will be short. This came into my mind: to play offPanda against Dingaan; it was for such an hour of need that I had savedPanda alive. After the battle of the Blood River, Dingaan summoned Pandato a hunt. Then it was that I journeyed to the kraal of Panda on theLower Tugela, and with me Umslopogaas. I warned Panda that he should notgo to this hunt, for he was the game himself, but that he should ratherfly into Natal with all his people. He did so, and then I openedtalk with the Boers, and more especially with that Boer who was namedUngalunkulu, or Great Arm. I showed the Boer that Dingaan was wicked andnot to be believed, but Panda was faithful and good. The end of it wasthat the Boers and Panda made war together on Dingaan. Yes, I made thatwar that we might be revenged on Dingaan. Thus, my father, do littlethings lead to great. 

Were we at the big fight, the battle of Magongo? Yes, my father; we werethere. When Dingaan's people drove us back, and all seemed lost, it wasI who put into the mind of Nongalaza, the general, to pretend to directthe Boers where to attack, for the Amaboona stood out of that fight, leaving it to us black people. It was Umslopogaas who cut his way withGroan-Maker through a wing of one of Dingaan's regiments till he cameto the Boer captain Ungalunkulu, and shouted to him to turn the flank ofDingaan. That finished it, my father, for they feared to stand againstus both, the white and the black together. They fled, and we followedand slew, and Dingaan ceased to be a king. 

He ceased to be a king, but he still lived, and while he lived ourvengeance was hungry. So we went to the Boer captain and to Panda, andspoke to them nicely, saying, "We have served you well, we have foughtfor you, and so ordered things that victory is yours. Now grant us thisrequest, that we may follow Dingaan, who has fled into hiding, andkill him wherever we find him, for he has worked us wrong, and we wouldavenge 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 knowthat Dingaan 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. Wehunted him to the jungles of the Umfalozi and through them. But he fledever, for he knew that the avengers of blood were on his spoor. Afterthat for awhile we lost him. Then we heard that he had crossed thePongolo with some of the people who still clung to him. We followed himto the place Kwa Myawo, and there we lay hid in the bush watching. Atlast our chance came. Dingaan walked in the bush and with him two menonly. We stabbed the men and seized him. 

Dingaan looked at us and knew us, and his knees trembled with fear. ThenI spoke:--

"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 messagedid not end there. It said that, ill as thou hadst done to drive meaway, yet worse shouldst thou do to look upon my face again, for thatday should be thy day of doom. "

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. Where are thy Slayers now, O Dingaan? Before all is done thou shalt lookupon them. "

"Kill me and make an end; it is your hour, " said Dingaan. 

"Not yet awhile, O son of Senzangacona, " answered Umslopogaas, "and nothere. There lived a certain woman and she was named Nada the Lily. I washer husband, O Dingaan, and Mopo here, he was her father. But, alas!she died, and sadly--she lingered three days and nights before she died. Thou shalt see the spot and hear the tale, O Dingaan. It will wringthy heart, which was ever tender. There lived certain children, bornof another woman named Zinita, little children, sweet and loving. I wastheir father, O Elephant in a pit, and one Dingaan slew them. Of themthou shalt hear also. Now away, for the path is far!"

Two days went by, my father, and Dingaan sat bound and alone in the caveon Ghost Mountain. We had dragged him slowly up the mountain, for he washeavy as an ox. Three men pushing at him and three others pulling on acord about his middle, we dragged him up, staying now and again to showhim the bones of those whom he had sent out to kill us, and telling himthe tale of that fight. 

Now at length we were in the cave, and I sent away those who were withus, for we wished to be alone with Dingaan at the last. He sat down onthe floor of the cave, and I told him that beneath the earth on whichhe sat lay the bones of that Nada whom he had murdered and the bones ofGalazi 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, "who now dosttremble before two Ghosts out of all the thousands that thou hast made. 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 who showednone 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 thedeath of cowards. "

So, my father, we dragged him out, groaning, to the cleft that is abovein the breast of the old Stone Witch, that same cleft where Galazi hadfound the bones. There we stood, waiting for the moment of the dawn, that hour when Nada had died. Then we cried her name into his ears andthe names of the children of Umslopogaas, and cast him into the cleft. 

This was the end of Dingaan, my father--Dingaan, who had the fierceheart of Chaka without its greatness. 

CHAPTER XXXVI. MOPO ENDS HIS TALE

That is the tale of Nada the Lily, my father, and of how we avengedher. A sad tale--yes, a sad tale; but all was sad in those days. It wasotherwise afterwards, when Panda reigned, for Panda was a man of peace. 

There is little more to tell. I left the land where I could stay nolonger who had brought about the deaths of two kings, and came here toNatal to live near where the kraal Duguza once had stood. 

The bones of Dingaan as they lay in the cleft were the last things myeyes beheld, for after that I became blind, and saw the sun no more, norany light--why I do not know, perhaps from too much weeping, my father. So I changed my name, lest a spear might reach the heart that hadplanned the death of two kings and a prince--Chaka, Dingaan, andUmhlangana of the blood royal. Silently and by night Umslopogaas, myfosterling, led me across the border, and brought me here to Stanger;and here as an old witch-doctor I have lived for many, many years. I amrich. Umslopogaas craved back from Panda the cattle of which Dingaan hadrobbed me, and drove them hither. But none were here who had lived inthe kraal Duguza, none knew, in Zweete the blind old witch-doctor, thatMopo who stabbed Chaka, the Lion of the Zulu. None know it now. You haveheard the tale, and you alone, my father. Do not tell it again till I amdead. 

Umslopogaas? Yes, he went back to the People of the Axe and ruled them, but they were never so strong again as they had been before they smotethe Halakazi in their caves, and Dingaan ate them up. Panda let him beand liked him well, for Panda did not know that the Slaughterer was sonto Chaka his brother, and Umslopogaas let that dog lie, for when Nadadied he lost his desire to be great. Yet he became captain of theNkomabakosi regiment, and fought in many battles, doing mighty deeds, and stood by Umbulazi, son of Panda, in the great fray on the Tugela, when Cetywayo slew his brother Umbulazi. 

After that also he plotted against Cetywayo, whom he hated, and had itnot been for a certain white man, a hunter named Macumazahn, Umslopogaaswould have been killed. But the white man saved him by his wit. Yes, andat times he came to visit me, for he still loved me as of old; but nowhe has fled north, and I shall hear his voice no more. Nay, I do notknow all the tale; there was a woman in it. Women were ever the baneof Umslopogaas, my fostering. I forget the story of that woman, for Iremember only these things that happened long ago, before I grew veryold. 

Look on this right hand of mine, my father! I cannot see it now; andyet I, Mopo, son of Makedama, seem to see it as once I saw, red with theblood of two kings. Look on--

Suddenly the old man ceased, his head fell forward upon his witheredbreast. When the White Man to whom he told this story lifted it andlooked at him, he was dead!