 CHAPTER XXI of Narda the Lily by H. Ryder Haggard. This Librivox recording is in the public domain. THE DEATH OF SHAKA Now on the morrow, two hours before midday, Shaka came from the hut to where he had sat through the night, and moved a little to a kral surrounded by a fence that was some fifty paces distant from the hut. Fritz was my duty, day by day, to choose that place where the king should sit to hear the council of his Indunas, and give judgement on those whom he would kill, and today I had chosen this place. Shaka went alone from his hut to the kral, and, for my own reasons, I accompanied him, walking after him. As we went, the king glanced back at me over his shoulder, and said in a low voice, "'Is all prepared, Mopo?' "'All is prepared, Black One,' I answered. The regiment of the slayers will be here by noon. "'Where are the princes, Mopo?' asked the king again. "'The princes sit with their wives in the houses of their women, O king,' I answered. "'They drink beer and sleep in the laps of their wives.' Shaka smiled grimly, "'For the last time, Mopo, for the last time, O king!' We came to the kral, and Shaka sat down in the shade of the reed fence, upon an ox hide that was braid soft. Here to him stood a girl holding a gourd of beer. There were also presents the old chief, Inguazonka, brother of Unandi, mother of the heavens, and the chief, Umk Mama, whom Shaka loved. When we had sat a little while in the kral, certain men came in bearing cranes feathers, which the king had sent them to gather a month's journey from the kral Duguzah, and they were admitted before the king. His men had been away long upon their errand, and Shaka was angry with them. Now the leader of the men was an old captain of Shaka's, who had fought under him in many battles, but whose service was done, because his right hand had been shorn away by the blow of an axe. He was a great man and very brave. Shaka 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 country wither he was sent, and he must wait there till they returned, that he might snare them. Thou shudst have followed the cranes, yes, if they flew through the sunset, thou disobedient dog, said the king, letting be taken away, and all those who were with him. Now some of the men prayed a little for mercy, but the captain did but salute the king, calling him father, and craving a boon before he died. What wouldst thou, asked Shaka? My father, said the man, I would ask thee two things, I have fought many times at thy side in battle, when we both were young, nor did I ever turn my back upon the foe. The blow that shore the hand from off this arm was aimed at thy head, O king, I stayed it with my naked arm. This is nothing, at thy will I live, and at thy will I die, who am I that I should question the word of the king? Yet I would ask this, that thou wilt withdraw the caros from about thee, O king, that for the last time my eyes may feast themselves upon the body of him whom above all men I love. Thou art long-winded, said the king, what's more? This my father, that I may bid farewell to my son. He is a little child, so high, O king, and he held his hand above his knee. The first boon is granted, said the king, slipping the caros from his shoulders, and showing the great breast beneath. For the second it shall be 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 slay him with thine own hand, ere thou thyself art slain. It will be good sport to see. Now the man turned gray beneath the blackness of his skin, and trembled a little as he murmured. The king's will is the will of his servant, that the child be brought. I looked at Shaka, and saw that the tears were running down his face, and that he only spoke thus to try the captain, who loved him to the last. 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 Shaka show mercy to one whom he had doomed to die. As the captain and his people left the gates of the Kral, it was spoken in the ear of the king that a man sought audience of him. He was admitted crawling on his knees. I looked and saw that this was that my silo, whom Shaka had charged with a message to him who was named Bulalio, or the slaughterer, and who ruled over the people of the axe. It was, my silo, indeed, that he was no longer fat, for much travel had made him thin. Moreover, on his back were the marks of rods, as yet scarcely healed over. Who are thou? said Shaka. I am my silo of the people of the axe, to whom command was given to run with a message to Bulalio, the slaughterer, their chief, and to return on the thirtieth day. Behold, O King, I have returned, though in a sorry plight. It seems so, said the king, laughing aloud. I remember now. Speak on, Masilo the Thin, who wassed Masilo the Fat. What of this slaughterer? Does he come with his people to lay the axe-grown maker in my hands? Nay, O King, he comes not. He met me with scorn, and with scorn he drove me from his kral. Moreover, as I went, I was seized by the servants of Zinita, her whom I would, but is now the wife of the slaughterer, and laid on my face, upon the ground, and beaten cruelly, while Zinita numbered the strokes. Ha! said the king. And what were the words of this puppy? These were his words, O King. Bualalio the slaughterer, who sits beneath the shadow of the witch-mountain, to Bualalio the slaughterer, who sits in the kral-dugusa. To thee I pay no tribute, but if thou wouldst have the axe-grown maker, come to the ghost-mountain and take it. This, I promise thee, thou shalt look on a face thou knowest, for there is one there who would be avenged for the blood of a certain Mopo. Now, while Masilo told this tale, I had seen two things. First, it's a little piece of stick was thrust through the straw of the fence, and secondly, that the regiment of the bees was swarming on the slope opposite to the kral in obedience to the summons I had sent them in the name of Umblangana. The stake told me that the princes were hidden behind the fence, waiting the signal, the coming of the regiment, that it was time to do the deed. When Masilo had spoken, Shaka sprang up in fury. His eyes rolled, his face worked, foam flew from his lips, for such words as these had never offended his ears since he was king, and Masilo knew him little else he had not dared to utter them. For a while he gasped, shaking his small spear, but first he could not speak. At length he found words. The dog he hissed, the dog who dares thus to spit in my face, harken all, as with my last breath I command, that this slaughterer be torn limb from limb, he and all his tribe, and thou, thou darest to bring me this talk from a skunk of the mountains, and thou too, Mopo, thy name is named in it, well, of thee presently, oh, um, mama, my servant, slay me this slave of a messenger, beat out his brains with thy stick, swift, swift. Now the old chief, um, mama, sprang up to do the king's bidding, but he was feeble with age, and the end of it was that Masilo, being mad with fear, killed um, mama, not um, mama, Masilo. Then Inguazonka, brother of Onandi, mother of the heavens, fell upon Masilo and ended him, but was hurt himself in so doing. Now I looked at Shaka, who stood shaking the little 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 the princes, um, shlangana, and dingan, as bulls plunged through a break. Then I pointed to Shaka, with my withered hand, saying, Behold your king! Now from beneath the shelter of his carous, each prince drew out a short stabbing spear, and plunged it into the body of Shaka the king. Um, shlangana, smote him on the left shoulder, dingan struck him in the right side. Shaka dropped the little spear, handled with the red wood, and looked round, and so royally that the princes his brothers grew afraid, and strank away from him. Twice he looked on each, then he spoke, saying, What do you slay me, my brothers, dogs of my own house whom I have fed? Do you slay me, thinking to possess the land and to rule it? I tell you it shall not be for long. I hear a sound of running feet, the feet of a great white people. They shall stamp you flat children of my father. They shall rule the land that I have won, and you and your people shall be their slaves. Thus Shaka spoke, while the blood ran down him to the ground, and again he looked on them royally, like a book of gays. Make an end, O ye who were be kings. I cried, but their hearts had turned to water, and they could not. Then I, Mopo, sprang forward and picked from the ground that little asagai handled with the royal wood. The same asagai with which Shaka had murdered Unandi, his mother, and Musa, my son, and lifted it on high, and while I lifted it to my father, once more, as when I was young, a red veil seemed to wave before my eyes. Wherefore wouldst thou kill me, Mopo? said the king. For the sake of Balaga, my sister, to whom I swore the deed, and of all my kin I cried, and plunged the spear through him. He sank down upon the tanned ox-hide, and lay there dying. Once more he spoke, and once only, saying, Would now that I had harkened to the voice of Nobella, who warned me against thee, thou dog! Then he was silent for ever. But I knelt over him, and called in his ear the names of all those of my blood who had died at his hands, the name of Makedama, my father, of my mother, of Unandi, my wife, of Musa, my son, and all my other wives and children. And of Balaga, my sister! His eyes and 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 hand before him, was more fearful to him than the pain of death. At the least he turned his head aside, shut his eyes, and groaned. Presently they opened again, and he was dead. Thus then my father did shaka the king, the greatest man who has ever lived in Zululand, and the most evil, passed by my hands to those karals of the Inko Sasana, where no sleep is. In blood he died as he had lived in a blood, for the climber at last falls with the tree, and in the end the swimmer is borne away by the stream. Now he trod that path which had been beaten flat for him, by the feet of people whom he had slaughtered, many as the blades of grass upon a mountainside. But it is a lie to say, as some do, that he died a coward, praying for mercy. He had died as he had lived, a brave man. Oh my father, I know it, for these eyes saw it, and this hand let out his life. Now he was dead, and the regiments of the bees drew near, nor could I know how they would take this matter, for though the prince of Klangana was their general, yet all the soldiers loved the king, because he had no equal in battle, and when he gave he gave with an open hand. I looked round, the princess stood like men amazed. The girl had fled, the chief of Mama was dead, at the hands of dead Masilo, and the old chief Inguazonka, who had killed Masilo, stood by, hurt and wondering, there were no others in the kral. Awake ye kings, I cried to the brothers, the impious at the gates, swift now stab that man, and I pointed to the old chief, and leave the matter to my wit. Dead in Ding'an, roused himself, and springing upon Inguazonka, the brother of Onandi, smote him a great blow with his spear, so that he sank down dead without a word. Then again the princess stood silent and amazed. This one will tell no tales, I cried, pointing to the fallen chief. Now a rumour of the slaying had got abroad among the women, who had heard cries and seen the flashing of spears above the fence, and from the women it had come to the regiments of the bees, who had advanced to the gates of the kral singing. Then of a sudden they ceased their singing, and rushed towards the hut in front of which we stood. Then I ran to meet them, uttering cries of woe, holding in my hand the little asagai of the king, red with the king's blood, and spoke with the captains in the gates, saying, Lament ye captains and ye soldiers, weep and lament, for your father is no more. He who nursed you is no more, the king is dead. Now earth and heaven will come together, for the king is dead. Now so Bopo, cried the leader of the bees, how is our father dead? He is dead by the hand of a wicked wanderer named Masilo, who, when he was doomed to die by the king, snatched this asagai from the king's hand and stabbed him, and afterwards before he could be cut down himself by us three, the princes and myself. He killed the chiefs in Guazonca and Umbama also. Draw near and look on him who was the king, it is the command of Ding'an at Umblangana, the kings, that you draw near and look on him who was the king, that his death at the hand of Masilo may be told through all the land. You are better at making of kings, Mopo, than at the saving of one who was your king from the stroke of a wanderer, said the leader of the bees, looking at me doubtfully. But his words passed unheeded, for some of the captains went forward to look on the great one who was dead, and some together with most of the soldiers, ran this way and that, crying in their fear that now the heaven and earth would come together, and the race of man would cease to be, because Shaka the king was dead. Now my father, how shall I, whose days are few, tell you of all the matters that happened after the death of Shaka? Were I to speak of them all, they would fill many books of the white men, and perhaps some of them 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 of Shaka. My tale is not of the reign of Shaka, but of the lives of a handful of people who lived in those days, and of whom I and Amslopgasse alone are left alive, if indeed Amslopgasse, the son of Shaka, is still living on the earth. Therefore, in a few words I will pass over all that came about after the fall of Shaka, until I was sent down by Ningga and the king to summon him to surrender to the king who was called the slaughterer, and who ruled the people of the axe. Ah! Would that I had known for certain that this was none other than Amslopgasse, for then had Ningga and gone the way that Shaka went, and which Amchangana followed, and Amslopgasse had ruled the people of the Zulus as their king. But alas my wisdom failed me, I paid no heed to the voice of my heart which told me that this was Amslopgasse who sent the message to Shaka threatening vengeance for one Mopo, and I knew nothing till too late. Surely I thought the man spoke of some other Mopo, for thus my father does destiny make fools of us men. We think that we can shape our fate, but it is fate that shapes us, and nothing befalls except fate will it. All things are a great pattern my father, drawn by the hand of the Omkulunkulu 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 little bit of the pattern which is so big, that only the eye of him who is above the Omkulunkulu can see it all. Even Shaka the slayer of men, and all those he slew, are but as a tiny grain of dust in the greatness of that pattern. How then can we be wise my father, who are but the tools of wisdom? How can we build who are but pebbles in a wall? How can we give life who are babes in the womb of fate? Or how can we slay who are but spears in the hands of the slayer? This came about, my father. Matters were made straight in the land after the death of Shaka. At first people said that Masilo the stranger had stabbed the king. Then it was known that Mopo, the wise man, the doctor and body-servant of the king, slayed the king, and that the two great bulls, his brothers, Unklangana and Ding'an, children of Senzangakonda, had also lifted spears against him. But he was dead, and earth and heaven had not come together, so what did it matter? Moreover, the two new kings promised to deal gently with the people, and to lighten the heavy yoke of Shaka, and men in a bad case are always ready to hope for a better. So it came about, that the only enemies the princes found were each other, and Engwade, the son of Unandi, Shaka's half-brother. But I, Mopo, who is now the first man in the land after the kings, ceasing to be a doctor and becoming a general, went up against Engwade with the regiments of the bees and the regiments of the slayers, and smote him in his krals. It was a hard fight, but in the end I destroyed him and all his people. Engwade killed eight men with his own hand before I slew him. Then I came back to the kral with the few that were left alive of the two regiments. After that the two kings quarrelled more and more, and I weighed them both in my balance, for I would know which was the most favourable to me. In the end I found that both feared me, but that Onglangana would certainly put me to death if he gained the upper hand. Since this was not yet in the mind of Ding'an, so I pressed down the balance of Onglangana, and raised that of Ding'an, sending the fears of Onglangana to sleep, till I could cause his hut to be surrounded. Then Onglangana followed upon the road of Shaka his brother, the road of the Asagai, and Ding'an ruled alone for a while. Such are the things that befall princes of this earth, my father. See I am but a little man, and my lot is humble at the last, yet I have brought about the death of three of them, and of these two died by my hand. It was fourteen days after the passing away of the prince Onglangana, that the great army came back in a sorry plight from the marches of the Limbobo, for half of them were left dead of fever and the might of the foe, and the rest were starving. It was well for them who yet lived that Shaka was no more, else they had joined their brethren who were dead on the way, since never before for many years had Azulu Impey returned on victorious and without a single head of cattle. Thus it came about that they were glad enough to welcome a king who spared their lives, and henceforth till his fate found him, Ding'an reigned unquestioned. Now Ding'an was a prince of the blood of Shaka indeed, for like Shaka he was great in presence and cruel at heart, but he had not the might and the mind of Shaka. Moreover he was treacherous and a liar, and these Shaka was not. Also he loved women much, and spent with them the time that he should have given to matters of the state, yet he reigned a while in the land. I must tell this also, that Ding'an would have killed Panda, his half-brother, so that the house of Senzangakona, his father, might be swept out clean. Now Panda was a man of gentle heart who did not love war, and therefore it was thought that he was half-witted, and because I loved Panda when the question of his slaying came on, I and the Chief Mappita spoke against it and pleaded for him, saying that there was nothing to be feared at his hands who was a fool. So in the end Ding'an gave way, saying, well you ask me to spare 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 the words of Ding'an came true, for it was the grip of Panda's teeth that pulled him from the throne. Only if Panda was the dog that bit, I, Mopo, was the man who set him on the hunt. End of Chapter 21 Chapter 22 of Narda the Lily by H. Rider Haggard. This Librivox recording is in the public domain. Mopo goes to seek the slaughterer. Now Ding'an, deserting the Kral Duguzah, moved back to Zululand, and built a great Kral by the Malabatin, which he named Ongogonghlovu, that is, the rumbling of the elephants. Also he caused 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 time a rumour came to the ears of the King Ding'an, that there lived in Swaziland among the Halakazi tribe, a girl of the most wonderful beauty, who was named the Lily, and whose skin was whiter than other skins of our people, and he desired greatly to have this girl to wife. So Ding'an sent an embassy to the chief of the Halakazi, demanding that the girl should be given to him. At the end of a month the embassy returned again, and told the King that they had found nothing but hard words at the Kral of the Halakazi, and had been driven thence with scorn and blows. This was the message of the chief of the Halakazi to Ding'an, king of the Zulus, that the maid who was named the Lily was indeed the wonder of the earth, and as yet unwed, for she had found no man upon whom she looked with favour, and she was held in such love by this people, that it was not their wish to force any husband on her. Moreover the chief said that he and his people defied Ding'an and the Zulus, as their fathers had defied Shaka before him, and spat upon his name, and that no maid of theirs should go to be the wife of a Zulu dog. Then the chief of the Halakazi caused the maid, who was named the Lily, to be led before the messengers of Ding'an, and they found her wonderfully fair, for so they said, she was tall as a reed, and her grace was the grace 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 as a bucks, her colour was the colour of rich cream, her smile was like a ripple on the waters, and when she spoke her voice was low and sweeter than the sound of an instrument of music. They said also that the girl wished to speak with them, but the chief forbade it, and caused her to be led thence with all honour. Now when Ding'an 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 things could not win the maid. This was his command, that a great impie should be gathered and sent to Swaziland against the Halakazi tribe, to destroy them and seize the maid. But when the matter came on to be discussed with the Indunas in the presence of the king, at the Ampakati or council, I as chief of the Indunas spoke against it, saying that the tribe of the Halakazi were great and strong, and that war with them would mean war with the Swazis also. Moreover they had their dwelling in caves which were hard to win. Also I said that this was no time to send impies to seek a single girl, for few years had gone by since the black one fell, and foes were many, and the soldiers of the land had waxed few with slaughter, half of them having perished in the marches of the Limpopo. Now time must be given them to grow up again, for today they were as a little child, or like a man wasted with hunger. Maids were many, that the king take them and satisfy his heart, but let him make no war for this one. Thus I spoke boldly in the face of the king, as none had dared to speak before Shaka, and courage passed from me to the hearts of the other Indunas 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 the greatest. Ding An listened and his brow grew dark, yet he was not so firmly seated on the throne that he dared put away our words, for still there were many in the land who loved the memory of Shaka, and remembered that Ding An had murdered him and unclanganna also. For now that Shaka was dead people forgot how evil he had dealt with them, and remembered only that he was a great man who had made the Zulu people out of nothing, 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 Shaka slew, so Ding An slew also, and as Shaka oppressed, so did Ding An oppress. Therefore Ding An yielded to the voice of his Indunas, and no impi was sent against the Halakazi to seek the maid that was named the Lily, but still he hankered for her in his heart, and from that hour he hated me, because I had crossed his will and robbed him of his desire. Now, my father, there is this to be told. Though I did not know it then, the maid who was named the Lily was no other than my daughter Nada. The thought indeed came into my mind that none but Nada could be so fair. Yet I knew for certain that Nada and her mother Makrafa were dead, for he who brought me the news of their death had seen their bodies lying locked in each other's arms, killed as it were by the same spear. Yet as it chanced, he was wrong. For though Makrafa indeed was killed, it was another maid who lay in blood beside her, for the people with her I had sent Makrafa and Nada were tributary to the Halakazi tribe, and that chief of the Halakazi who sat in the place of Galazi the Wolf had quarrelled with them, and fallen on them by night, and eaten them up. As I learned afterwards, the cause of their destruction, as in later days it was the cause of the slaying of the Halakazi, was the beauty of Nada and nothing else, for the fame of her loveliness had gone about the land, and the old chief of the Halakazi had commanded that the girl should be sent to his kral to live there, that her beauty might shine upon his place like the sun, and that, if she so willed, she should choose a husband from among the great men of the Halakazi. But the headman of the kral refused, the nun who had looked on her would suffer their eyes to lose sight of Nada the Lily, though there was this fate about the maid, that nun strove to wed her against her will. Many indeed asked her in marriage, both there and among the Halakazi people, but ever she shook her head and said, Nay, I would wed no man, and it was enough. For it was the saying among men, that it was better that she should remain unmarried, and all should look on her, than that she should pass from their sight into the house of her husband, since they held that her beauty was given to be a joy to all, like the beauty of the dawn and of the evening. Yet this beauty of Nada's was a dreadful thing, and the mother of much death has shall be told. And because of her beauty and the great love she bore, she, the Lily herself, must wither, and the cup of my sorrows must be filled to overflowing, and the heart of them slupe a gas, the slaughterer, son of Shaka the king, must become desolate as the black plain, when the fire has swept it. So it was ordained my father, and so it be fell, seeing that thus all men, white and black, seek that which is beautiful, and when at last they find it, then it passes swiftly away, or, perchance, it is their death. For great joy and great beauty are winged, nor will they sojourn long upon the earth. They come down like eagles out of the sky, and into the sky they return again swiftly. Thus then it came about my father, that I am up, or, believing my daughter Nada to be dead, little guessed it was she who was named the Lily in the kraals of the Halakazi, and whom Dingan the king desired for a wife. Now after I had thwarted him in this matter of the sending of an impi to pluck the Lily from the gardens of the Halakazi, Dingan learned to hate me. Also I was in his secrets, and with me he had killed his brother Shaka and his brother Unklangana, and it was I who held him back from the slaying of his brother Panda also. Therefore he hated me, as is 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 the land, and when I spoke, the people listened. Therefore in the end he cast about for some way to be rid of me for a while, till he should grow strong enough to kill me. Mopo said to King to me one day as I sat before him in council with the others of the Indonis and Generals. Mind us, thou of the last words of the great Elephant who is dead. This he said, meaning Shaka his brother. Only he did not name him, for now the name of Shaka was Chlonipa in the land, as is the custom with the names of dead kings. That is, my father, 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 long in the throne of kings, but that the white men should take away your royalty and divide your territories. Such was the prophecy of the Lion of the Zulu, why speak of it? Once before I heard him prophesy, and his words were fulfilled. May the omen be an egg without meat. May it never become fledged. May that bird never perch upon your roof, O King. Now Dingan trembled with fear, for the words of Shaka were in his mind by night and by day. Then he grew angry and bit his lips, saying, Thou fool, Mopo, canst thou not hear a raven croak at the gates of a clarl, but thou must needs go tell those who dwell within, that he waits to pick their eyes. Such cries of ill to come may well find ill at hand, Mopo. He ceased, looked on me threateningly a while, and went on. I did not speak of those words rolling by chance from a tongue half-loosed by death, but of others that told of a certain Balaleo, of a slaughterer who rules the people of the axe and dwells beneath the shadow of the Ghost Mountain far away to the north yonder. Surely I heard them all as I sat beneath the shade of the reed fence, before ever I came to save him who was my brother from the spear of Masilo the murderer, whose spear stole away the life of a king. I remember those words also, O King, I said. Is it the will of the King that an impie should be gathered to eat up this upstart? Such was the command of one who is gone, given as it were with his last breath. Ne Mopo, that is not my will. If no impie can be found by thee to wipe away the halakazi, and bring one whom I desire to delight my eyes, then surely none can be found to eat up this slaughterer and his people. Moreover Balaleo, chief of the people of the axe, has not offended against me, but against an elephant whose trumpetings are done. Now, this is my will, Mopo, my servant, that thou should stake with thee a few men only, and go gently to this Balaleo, and say to him, a greater elephant stalks through the land than he who has gone to sleep, and it has come to his ears that thou, chief of the people of the axe, dost pay no tribute, and has said that because of the death of a certain Mopo, thou wilt have nothing to do with him whose shadow lies upon the land. Now one Mopo is sent to thee, slaughterer, to know if this tale is true, or if it be true, then shall thou learn the weight of the hoof of that elephant who trumpets in the kral ungo gon clovu. Think, then, and weigh thy words before thou dost answer, slaughterer. Now I, Mopo, heard the commands of the king, and pondered them in my mind, for I knew well that it was the design of Ding'an to be rid of me for a space, that he might find time to plot my overthrow, and that he cared little for this matter of a petty chief, who, living far away, had dared to defy Shaka. Yet I wished to go, for there had arisen in me a great desire to see this Balaleo, who spoke of vengeance to be taken for one Mopo, and whose deeds were such as the deeds of Umslopagas would have been, had Umslopagas lived to look upon the light. Therefore I answered, I hear the king, the king's word shall be done, though, O king, thou sendest a big man upon a little errand. Not so, Mopo, answered Ding'an, my heart tells me that this chicken of a slaughterer will grow to a great cock if his comb is not cut presently, and thou, Mopo, art versed in cutting combs, even of the tallest. I hear the king, I answered again. So, my father, it came about that on the morrow, taking with me but ten chosen 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 bygone days. Then the macropher, my wife, and Narda, my daughter, and Umslopagas, the son of Shaka, 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 should soon be dead. Well, people lived few days and evil in those times, and what did it matter? At the least I had reeked vengeance on Shaka, and satisfied my heart. At length I came one night to that lonely spot where we had camped in the evil hour when Umslopagas was borne away by the lioness, and once more I looked upon the cave whence he had dragged the cub. And upon the awful face of the stone witch who sits aloft upon the Ghost Mountain forever and forever. I could sleep little that night because of the sorrow at my heart, but sat awake, looking in the brightness of the moon, upon the grey face of the stone witch, and on the depths of the forest that grew about her knees, wondering the wild if the bones of Umslopagas lay broken in that forest. Now, as I journeyed, many tales had been told to me of this Ghost Mountain, which all swore was haunted, so said some by men in the shape of wolves, and so said some by the SM Kofu, that is, by men who have died, and who have been brought back again by magic. They have no tongues, the SM Kofu, for had they tongues, they would cry aloud to mortals the awful secrets of the dead. Therefore, they can but utter a wailing like that of a babe, surely one may hear them in the forest at night, as they wail, 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 return to look upon lands where they were born? Yet I never thought much of such matters, though I am a doctor, and know something of the ways of 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 I never troubled myself over much with them after they were loosed. There will be time to do this, when I myself am of their number. So I sat and gazed upon the mountain, and the forest that grew over it, like hair on the head of a woman, and as I gazed I heard a sound that came from far away, out of the heart of the forest as it seemed. At first it was faint and far off, a distant thing like the cry of children in a kral across a valley. Then it grew louder, but still I could not say what it might be. Now it swelled and swelled, and I knew it, it was the sound of wild beasts at chase. Nearer came the music, the rocks rang with it, and its voice set the blood beating, but to hearken to it. That pack was great, which ran a hunting through the silent night, and now it was nigh on the other side of the slope only, and the sound swelled so loud, that those who were with me awoke also and looked forth. Now, of a sudden, a great coup d'oeuvre appeared for an instant, standing out against the sky on the crest of the ridge, then vanished in the shadow. He was running towards us. Presently we saw him again, speeding on his path with great bounds. We saw this also, forms gray and gaunt and galloping, in number countless, that leaped along upon his path, appearing on the crest of the rise, disappearing into the shadow, seen again on the slope, lost in the valley, and with them to other shapes, the shapes of men. Now the big buck bounded past us, not half a spears throw away, and behind him streamed the countless wolves, and from the throats of the wolves went up that awful music, and who were these two that came with the wolves, shapes of men great and strong? They ran silently and swift, wolves' teeth gleamed upon their heads, wolves' hides hung about their shoulders. In the hand of one was an axe, the moonlight shone upon it, in the hand of the other a heavy club. Neck and neck they ran, never before had we seen men travel so fast. See, they sped down the slope toward us. The wolves were left behind, all except four of them. We heard the beating of their feet. They came, they passed, they were gone, and with them their unnumbered company. The music grew faint, it died, it was dead, the hunts was far away, the knights was still again. Now, my brethren, I asked of those who were with me, what is this that we have seen? Then one answered, we have seen the ghosts who live in the lap of the old witch, and those men are the wolf-brethren, the wizards who are kings of the ghosts. More of the wolves, nor of the men who hunted with them. On the morrow at dawn I sent a runner to Bulaleo, chief of the people of the axe, saying that a messenger came to him from Ding'an, the king, who desired to speak with him in peace within the gates of his corral. I charged the messenger, however, that he should not tell my name, but should say only that it was mouth of Ding'an. Then I and those with me followed slowly on the path of the man whom I sent forward, for the way was still far, and I had bidden him return and meet me, bearing the words of the slaughterer, holder of the axe. All that date of the sun grew low, we walked round the base of the great ghost mountain, following the line of the river. We met no one, but once we came to the ruins of a corral, and in it lay the broken bones of many men, and with the bones rusty assay guys, and the remains of ox-hide shields, and black and white in colour. Now I examined the shields, and knew from their colour, that they had been carried in the hands of those soldiers who, years ago, were sent out by Shaka to seek forum sloppigasse, but who had returned no more. Now, I said, it is fair ill with those soldiers of the black one who is gone, for I think that these are the shields they bore, and that their eyes once looked upon the world through the holes in yonder skulls. These are the shields they bore, and those are the skulls they wore, and said one, See Mopo, son of Makedama, this is no man's work that has brought them to their death. Men do not break the bones of their foes in pieces as these bones are broken. Wow, men do not break them, but wolves do, and last night we saw wolves are hunting, nor did they hunt alone, Mopo. Wow, this is haunted land. Then we went on in silence, and all the way the stone face of the witch, who sits aloft for ever, stared down on us from the mountaintop. At length an hour before sundown, we came to the open lands, and there on the crest of a rise beyond the river, we saw the cryl of the people of the axe. It was a great cryl, and well built, and their cattle were spread about the plains, like to herds of game for number. We went to the river, and passed it by the ford, then sat down and waited, till presently I saw the man whom I had sent forward returning towards us. He came and saluted me, and I asked him for news. This is my news, Mopo, he said. I have seen him who is named Bolalio, and he is a great man, long and lean, with a fierce face, and carrying a mighty axe, such an axe as he bore last night, who hunted with the wolves. When I had been led before the chief, I saluted him and spoke to him. 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 of Dingharn shall be welcome, and shall speak the words of Dingharn in peace. Yet I would that it were the head of Dingharn that came, and not his mouth only, but then axe-grown maker should join in our talk. I, because of one Mopo, whom his brother Chaka murdered, it would also speak with Dingharn. Still, the mouth is not the head, so the mouth may come in peace. Now I started when, for the second time, I heard talk of one Mopo, whose name had been on the lips of Bolalio the slaughterer, who was there that 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 my own only. In truth Chaka had killed the chief of that name at the great morning, because he said that two Mopos in the land were one too many, and that though this Mopo wept slowly when the tears of others were dry. So I said only that this Bolalio had a high stomach, and we went on to the gates of the Kral. There were none to meet us at the gates, and none stood by the doors of the huts within them, but beyond from the cattle-kral that was in the centre of the huts, rose a dust and a din of men gathering for war. Now some of those with me were afraid, and would have turned back, fearing treachery, and they were yet more afraid when, on coming to the inner entrance of the cattle-kral, we saw some five hundred soldiers being mustered there, company by company, by two great men who ran up and down the rank shouting. But I cried, Nay, Nay, turn not back, bold Luke smelt the hearts of foes. Moreover, if this Bolalio would have murdered us, there was no need 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 muster a company for every man he has. Let us go on boldly. So we walked forward towards the impie that was gathered on the further side of the kral. Now the two great men who were marshalling the soldiers saw us, and came to meet us, one following the other. He who came first bore the axe upon his shoulder, and he who followed swung a 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 was from slopper gas, my fosterling, from slopper gas, and none other, now grown into manhood. I, into such a man as was not to be found beside him in Zululand. He was great and fierce, somewhat spare in his frame, but wide-shouldered and shallow-flanked. His arms were long, and not over-big, but the muscles stood out on them like knots in a rope. His legs were long also, and very thick beneath the knee. His eye was like an eagle's, his nose somewhat hooked, and he held his head a little forward as a man who searched his continually for a hidden fold. He seemed to walk slowly, and yet he came swiftly, but with a gliding movement like that of a wolf or a lion, and always his fingers played round the horn-handle of the axe-grown maker. As for him who followed, he was great also, shorter than a slopper gas by the half of a head, but a sturdier build. His eyes were small and twinkled unceasingly like little stars, and his look was very wild, for now and again he grinned, showing his white teeth. When I saw a slopper gas, my father, my bowels melted within me, and I longed to run to him and throw myself upon his neck. Yet I took counsel with myself, and did not. Nay, I dropped the corner of the carousel I wore over my eyes, hiding my face lest he should know me. Presently he stood before me, searching me out with his keen eyes, for I drew forward to greet him. Greeting, mouth of Ding-an, he said in a loud voice, you are a little man to be the mouth of so big a chief. The mouth is a little member, even of the body of a great king, O chief Bolalio, ruler of the people of the axe, wizard of the wolves that are upon the ghost mountain, who a foretime was named on slopper gas, son of Mopo, son of Makedama. Now, when I'm slopper gas, heard these words, he started like a child at a rustling in the dark, and stared hard at me. You are well instructed, he said. The ears of a king are large, if his mouth be small, O chief Bolalio, I answered. And I, who am but the mouth, speak what the ears have heard. How know you that I have dwelt with the wolves upon the ghost mountain, O mouth, he asked. The eyes of the king see far, O chief Bolalio, thus last night they saw a great chase and a merry. It seems that they saw a kudubal running at speed, and after him countless wolves making their music, and with the wolves two men clad in wolfskins, such men as you, Bolalio, and he with the club who follows you. Now, I'm slopper gas, lifted the axe-grown maker, as though he would cut me down, then let it fall again, while Galazi the wolf glared at me with wide open eyes. How know you that once I was named I'm slopper gas, who have lost that name these many days. Speak, O mouth, lest I kill you. Slay, if you will, I'm slopper gas, I answered. But know that when the brains are scattered, the mouth is dumb. He who scatters brains loses wisdom. Answer, he said. I answer not, who are you that I should answer you. I know it is enough to my business. Now I'm slopper gas ground his teeth in anger. I am not want to be thwarted here in my own kral, he said. But to your business speak its little mouth. This is my business, little chief, when the black one who is gone yet lived, you sent him a message by one Masilo, such a message as his ears had never heard, and that had been your death, O fool, puffed up with pride. But death came first upon the black one, that his hand was stayed. Now Ding'an, whose shadow lies upon the land, the king whom I serve and who 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 his sovereignty, to pay tribute to him in men and maids and cattle, and to serve him in his wars. Answer, you little headman, answer in a few words and short. Now Humsloppa gasped for a breath in his rage, and again he fingered the great axe. It is well for you, O mouth, he said, that I swore safe conduct to you, else you had not gone hence, else you had been served as I served certain soldiers who in bygone years were sent to search out one Humsloppa gas, yet I answer you in few words and short. Look upon these spears, they are but a fourth part of the number I can muster. That is my answer. Now, look now on Yonder Mountain, the mountain of ghosts and wolves, unknown, impassable, safe to me and one other. That is my answer. Spears and a mountain shall come together. The mountain shall be alive with spears and with the fangs of beasts. Let Ding'an seek his tribute there. I have spoken. Now I laughed shrilly, desiring to try the heart of Humsloppa gas, my fostling, yet further. Fool, I said, boy with the brain of a monkey, for every spear you have, Ding'an whom I serve, can send a hundred, and your mountain shall be stamped flat, and for your ghosts and your wolves see, with the mouth of Ding'an, I spit upon them, and I spat upon the ground. Now Humsloppa gas shook in his rage, and the great axe glimmered as he shook. 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, I said the wolf grinning, do not kill them, you have given them 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 will be a pretty fight. Get you gone, o mouth, said Humsloppa gas. Get you gone swiftly, lest mischief befall you. Without my gates you shall find food to satisfy your hunger. Eat of it, and be gone, for if tomorrow at the noon you are found within a spear's throw of this karal, you and those with you shall bide there for ever, or mouth of Ding'an the king. Now I made as though I would depart, then, turning suddenly, I spoke once more, saying, There were words in your message to the black one, who is dead, of a certain man, Nay, how is he named, of a certain mortal? Now, Humsloppa gas started, as one starts, who is wounded by a spear, and stared at me. Mopo, what a Mopo, o mouth, whose eyes are veiled. Mopo is dead, whose son I was. Ah, I said, yes, Mopo is dead, that is, the black one, who is gone, killed a certain Mopo. How came it, or bullilio, that you were his son? Mopo is dead, quoth Humsloppa gas again. He is dead, with all his house, his karal is stamped flat, and that is why I hated the black one, and therefore I hate Ding'an, his brother, and will be as our Mopo, and the house of Mopo, before I pay him tribute of a single ox. All this while, I had spoken to Humsloppa gas in a feigned voice, my father, but now I spoke again, and in my own voice, saying, So, now you speak from your heart, young man, and by Ding'an I have reached the root of the matter. It is because of this dead dog of a Mopo, that you defy the king. Humsloppa gas heard the voice, and trembled no more with anger, but rather with fear and wonder. He looked at me hard, answering nothing. Have you a hut nearby, O chief Bolalio, for of Ding'an the king, where I, the mouth of the king, may speak with you a while apart, for I would learn 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 am unarmed and old, and there is that in your hand which I should fear, and I pointed to the axe. Now, Humsloppa gas, still shaking in his limbs, answered, Follow me, O mouth, and you, Galazi, stay with these men. So I followed Humsloppa gas, and presently we came to a large hut. He pointed to the doorway, and I crept through it, and he followed after me. Now, for a while it seemed dark in the hut, for the sun was sinking without, and the place was full of shadow. So I waited while a man might count fifty, till our eyes could search the darkness. Then, of a sudden, I threw the blanket from my face, and looked into the eyes of Humsloppa gas. Look on me now, O chief Bolalio, O slaughterer, who once was named Humsloppa gas. Look on me and say, who am I? Then he looked at me, and his jaw fell. Either you are Mopo, my father grown old, Mopo, who is dead, or the ghost of Mopo, he answered in a low voice. I am Mopo, your father, Humsloppa gas, I said. You have been long in knowing me, who knew you from the first. Then Humsloppa gas cried aloud, but yet softly, and letting fall the axe-grown maker, he flung himself upon my breast, and wept there, and I wept also. Oh, my father, he said, I thought that you were dead with the others, and now you have come back to me, and I would have lifted the axe against you in my folly. Oh, it is well that I have lived and not died, since once more I look upon your face, the face that I thought dead, but which yet lives, though it's been sorely changed, as though by grief and years. Peace, Humsloppa gas, my son, I said. I also deemed you dead in the lion's mouth, though in truth it seems strange to me that any other man than Humsloppa gas could have wrought the deeds which I have heard of as done by Bulaleo, chief of the people of the axe. I have thrown defiance in the teeth of Shaka. But you are not dead, and I, I am not dead. It was another Moppa whom Shaka killed. I slew Shaka. Shaka did not slay me. And of Nada, what of Nada, my sister, he said. Macrofer your mother, and Nada, your sister, are dead, Humsloppa gas. They are dead at the hands of the people of the Halakazi who dwell in Swaziland. I have heard of that people, he answered presently, and so has Galazi the Wolf yonder. He has a hate to satisfy against them. They murdered his father. Now I have two, for they have murdered my mother and my sister. Ah, Nada, my sister, Nada, my sister! And the great man covered his 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 to Humsloppa gas, and tell him that Nada was no sister of his, and that he was no son of mine, but rather of that Shaka whom my hand had finished. And yet I did not. Though now I would that I had done so, for I saw well how great was the pride, and how high was the heart of Humsloppa gas, and I saw also that if once he should learn that the throne of Zululand was his by right, nothing could hold him back, for he would swiftly break into open rebellion against Ding'an, the king, and in my judgement the time was not ripe for that. Had I known indeed, but one short year before that Humsloppa gas still lived, he had sat where Ding'an sat this day, but I did not know it, and the chance had gone by for a while. Now Ding'an was king, and mustered many regiments round him, for I had held him back from war, as in the case of the raid that he wished to make upon the Swazis. The chance had gone by, but it would come again, until it came I must say nothing. I would do this rather, I would bring Ding'an and Humsloppa gas together, that Humsloppa gas might become known in the land as a great chief, and the first of warriors. Then I would cause him to be advanced to be an indona, and a general to lead the impis 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 grey, Humsloppa gas and I sat together and talked, each telling the tale of those years that had gone since he was born from me in the lion's mouth. I told him how all my wives and children had been killed, how I had been put to the torment, and showed him my white and withered hand. I told him also of the death of Palika, my sister, and of all my people of the Langeni, and of how I had revenged my wrongs upon Shaka, and of a Ding'an to be king in his place, and was now the first man in the land under the king, though the king feared me much, and loved me little. But I did not tell him that Palika, my sister, was his own mother. When I had done my tale, Humsloppa gas told me his, how Galazi had rescued him from the lioness, how he became one of the wolf brethren, how he had conquered Jikiza and the sons of Jikiza, and become chief of the people of the axe, and taken Zinitata wife, and grown great in the land. I asked him how it came about that he still hunted with the wolves as he had done last night. He answered that now he was great, and there was nothing more to win, and at times a weariness of life came upon him, and then he must up and together with Galazi hunts and hurry with the wolves, but thus only could he find rest. I said that I would show him better games or hunts before all was done, and asked him further if he loved his wife Zinitata. Humsloppa gas answered that he would love her better if she loved him not so much, but she was jealous and quick to anger, and that was a sorrow to him. Then when he had slept a while he led me from the hut, and I and my people were feasted with the best, and I spoke with Zinitata and with Galazi the wolf. For the last I liked him well. This was a good man to have at once back in battle, but my heart spoke to me against Zinitata. She was handsome and tall, but with fierce eyes which always watched Humsloppa gas my fostling, and I noted that he who was fearless of all other things yet seemed to fear Zinitata. Neither did she love me when she saw how the slaughter acclung to me, as it were, instantly she grew jealous, as already she was jealous of Galazi, and would have been rid of me if she might. Thus it came about that my heart spoke against Zinitata, nor did it tell me worse things of her than those which she was to do. End of Chapter 23 Chapter 24 of Narda the Lily by H. Ryder Haggard. This Librivox recording is in the public domain. The slaying of the boars. On the morrow I led Humsloppa gas apart and spoke to him thus. My son, yesterday when you did not know me except as the mouth of Ding'an, you charged me with a certain message for Ding'an the king, that, had it been delivered into the ears of the king, had surely brought death upon you and all your people. The tree that stands by itself on a plain Humsloppa gas thinks itself tall and that there is no shade equal to its shade, yet there are other and bigger trees. You are such a solitary tree Humsloppa gas, but the topmost branches of him whom I serve are thicker than your trunk, and beneath his shadow live many woodcutters who go out to lop those who would grow too high. You are no match for Ding'an, though dwelling here alone in an empty land you have grown great in your own eyes and in the eyes of those about you. Moreover, Humsloppa gas, know this, Ding'an already hates you because of the words which in bygone years you sent by Masilo the fool to the black one who is dead, for he heard those words and it is his will to eat you up. He has sent me hither for one reason only to be rid of me a while, and whatever the words I bring back to him the end will be the same, that night shall come when you shall find an impie at your gates. Then what need to talk more of the matter, my father, asked Humsloppa gas, that will come which must come. Let me wait here for the impie of Ding'an and fight till I die. Not so, Humsloppa gas, my son, there are more ways of killing a man than by the asagai, and a crooked stick can still be bent straight in the steam. It is my desire, Humsloppa gas, that instead of hate Ding'an should give you love, instead of death advancement, and that you shall grow great in his shadow. Listen, Ding'an is not what Shaka was, though like Shaka he is cruel. This Ding'an is a fool, and it may welcome about that a man can be found who, growing up in his shadow, in the end shall 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, Humsloppa gas, and there is no man like you in the land. Moreover, there are other matters of which it is not well to speak, that shall serve you as a raft whereon to swim to power. Now Humsloppa gas glanced up sharply, for in those days he was ambitious, and desired to be the first among the people. Indeed, having the blood of Shaka in his veins, how could it be otherwise? What is your plan, my father? he asked. Say how this can be brought about? This and thus, Humsloppa gas. Among the tribe of the Halakazi in Swaziland, their dwells are made to his name the Lily. She is a girl of the most wonderful beauty, and Ding'an is a fire with longing to have her to wife. Now a while since, Ding'an dispatched an embassy to the chief of the Halakazi, asking the Lily in marriage, and the chief of the Halakazi sent back insolent words, saying that the beauty of the earth should be given to no Zulu dog as a wife. Then Ding'an was angry, and he would have gathered his impis, and sent them against the Halakazi to destroy them, and bring him the maid. But I held him back from it, saying that now was no time to begin a new war. And it is for this cause that Ding'an hates me. He is so set upon the plucking of the Swazi Lily. Do you understand now, Humsloppa gas? Something, he answered. But speak clearly. Wow, Humsloppa gas! Half words are better than whole ones in this land of ours. Listen then, this is my plan, that you should fall upon the Halakazi tribe, destroy it, and bring back the maid as a pre-suffering to Ding'an. That is a good plan, my father, he answered. At the least, maid or no maid, there will be fighting in it, and cattle to divide when the fighting is done. First conquer, then reckon up the spoils, Humsloppa gas. Now he thought a while, then said, Suffer that I summon Galazi the wolf, my captain. Do not fear, his trusty, and a man of few words. Presently Galazi came and sat down before us. Then I put the matter to him thus, that Humsloppa gas would fall upon the Halakazi, and bring to Ding'an the maid he longed for as a peace offering. But that I wished to hold him back from the venture, because the Halakazi people were great and strong. I spoke in this sense, so that I might have a door to creep out, should Galazi betray the plot. And Humsloppa gas 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 he answered quietly, but it seemed to me that a fire shone in his eyes as he spoke. I am chief by right of the Halakazi, or mouth of Ding'an, and know them well. They are a strong people and can put two full regiments under arms, whereas Bulaleo here can muster but one regiment, and that's a small one. Moreover, they have watchmen out by night and day, and spies scattered through the land, so that it will be hard to take them unawares. Also their stronghold is a vast cave, open to the sky in the middle, and none have won that stronghold yet, nor could it be found except by those who know its secret. They are few, yet I am one of them, for my father showed it to me when I was a lad. Therefore, mouth of Ding'an, you will know that this is no easy task which Bulaleo would set himself and us, to conquer the Halakazi. That is the face of the matter so far as it concerns Bulaleo, but for me, or mouth, it has another face. Know that, long years ago, I swore to my father as he lay dying by the poison of a witch of this people, that I would not rest till I had avenged him, I till I had stamped out the Halakazi, and slain their men, and brought their women to the houses of strangers, and their children 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 how I might bring my oath to pass, and found no way. Now it seems that there is a way, and I am glad. Yet this is a great adventure, and perhaps before it is done with, the people of the axe will be no more. And he ceased, and took snuff, watching our faces over the spoon. Gull as he the wolf said I'm sloppigass. For me also the matter has another face. 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 by their 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 have killed them. This man, the mouth of Ding'an, and he pointed to me, Mopo. This man says that if I can stamp out the Halakazi, and make captive of the lily-made, I shall win the heart of Ding'an. It'll do I care for Ding'an, I who would go my way alone, and live while I may live, and die when I must, by the hands of Ding'an, as by those of another. What does it matter? Yet for this reason, because of the death of Makrofa my mother, and Nada the sister who was dear to me, I will make war upon these Halakazi, and conquer them, or be conquered by them. Perhaps, o mouth of Ding'an, you will see me soon at the King's Kral on the Mahalabhatine, and with me the lily-made, and the cattle of the Halakazi, or perhaps you shall not see me, and then you will know that I am dead, and the warriors of the axe are no more. So I'm Slopagar spoke to me before Galazi the Wolf, but afterwards he embraced me, and bade me farewell, but he had no great hope that we should meet again. And I also doubted it, for as Galazi said, the adventure was great. Yet, as I had seen so many times, it is the bold thrower who oftenest wins. So we parted, I to return to Ding'an, and tell him that Mualalio, chief of the people of the axe, had gone up against the Halakazi to win the lily-made, and bring her to him in atonement, while I'm Slopagar's remain to make ready his impi for war. I went swiftly from the ghost mountain back to the Kral, and presented myself before Ding'an, who had first looked on me coldly. But when I told him my message, and how that the chief Bualalio the slaughterer had taken the warpath to win him the lily, his manner changed. He took me by the hand and said that I had done well, and he had been foolish to doubt me when I lifted up my voice to persuade him from sending an impi against the Halakazi. Now he saw that it was my purpose to rake this Halakazi fire with another hand than his, and to save his hand from the burning, and he thanked me. Moreover, he said that if this chief of the people of the axe brought him the maid, his heart desired, not only would he forgive him the words he had spoken by the mouth of Masilo to the black one who was dead, but also all the cattle of the Halakazi should be his, and he would make him great in the land. I answered that all this was as the king willed. I had but done my duty by the king, and worked so that, whatever befall, a proud chief should be weakened, and a foe should be attacked at no cost to the king, in such fashion also that perhaps it might come about that the 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 we named the Amabuna, but you call the Boars. Whoa, I think ill of those Amabuna, though it was I who gave them the victory over Ding'an, I and them Sloppa gas. Before this time indeed, a few white men had come to and fro to the crawls of Chaka and Ding'an, but these came to pray and not to fight. Now the Boars both fight and pray, also they steal or use the steal, which I do not understand, but the prayers of you white men say that these things should not be done. Well, when I had been back from the Ghost Mountain, something less than a moon, the Boars came, sixty of them commanded by a captain named Retif, a big man, and armed with rows, the long guns they had in those days, or perhaps they numbered a hundred in all, counting their servants and after-riders. This was their purpose, to get a grant of the land in Natal that lies between the Tugala and the Umzinmubu rivers, but by my council and that of other Indunas, Ding'an bargained with the Boars that first they should attack a certain chief named Sigomyella, who had stolen some of the King's cattle, and who lived near the Kualamba Mountains, and bring back those cattle. This the Boars agreed to and went to attack the chief, and in a little while they came back again, having destroyed the people of Sigomyella, and driving his cattle before them, as well as those which had been stolen from the King. The face of Ding'an shone when he saw the cattle, and that night he called us, the council of the Amapakati, together, and asked to us, as to the granting of the country. I spoke the first and said that it mattered little if he granted it, seeing that the black one who was dead had already given it to the English, the people of George, and the end of the matter would be that the Amabuna and the people of George would fight 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 white folk who should eat up the kingdom. Now, when I had spoken thus, the heart of Ding'an grew heavy, and his face dark, for my words stuck in his breast like a barbed spear. Still, he made no answer but dismissed the council. On the morrow the King promised to sign the paper, giving the lands they asked for to the Boars, and all was smooth as water when there is no wind. Before the paper was signed, the King gave a great dance, for there were many regiments gathered at the Kral, and for three days this dance went on. But on the third day he dismissed the regiments, all except one, an impie of lads who were commanded to stay. Now, all this while, I wondered what was in the mind of Ding'an, and was afraid for the Amabuna, but he was secret, and told nothing except to the captains of the regiments alone. No, not even to one of his council, yet I knew that he planned evil, and was half inclined to warn the captain or a thief, but did not, fearing to make myself foolish. Ah, my father, if I had spoken, how many would have lived who soon were dead? But what does it matter? In any case, most of them would have been dead by now. On the fourth morning early Ding'an sent a messenger to the Boars, bidding them meet him in the cattle-kral, for there he would mark the paper. So they came, stacking their guns at the great of the Kral, for it was death for any man, white or black, to come armed before the presence of the king. Now, my father, the Kral Ungugungluvu was built in a great circle, after the fashion of royal kraals. First came the high outer fence, then the thousands of huts that ran three parts round between the great fence and the inner one. Within this inner fence was the large open space, big enough to hold five regiments, and at the top of it, opposite the entrance, stood the cattle-kral itself, that cut off a bit of the open space by another fence, bent like a moe. Behind this again were the Emposeni, the place of the king's women, the guardhouse, the labyrinth, and the Intungkulu, the house of the king. Ding'an came out on that day, and sat on a stool in front of the cattle-kral, and by him stood a man, holding a shield over his head, to keep the son from him. Also, we of the Amapakati, the council were there, and ranged round the fence of the space, armed with short sticks only, not with carries, my father, was that regiment of young men which Ding'an had not sent away, the captain of the regiment being stationed near to the king on the right. Presently the boars came in on foot, and walked up to the king in a body, and Ding'an greeted them kindly and shook hands with Retif, their captain. Then Retif drew the paper from a leather pouch, which set out the boundaries of the grant of land, and it was translated to the king by an interpreter. Ding'an said that it was good, and put his mark upon it, and Retif and all the boars were pleased, and smiled across their faces. Now they would have said farewell, but Ding'an forbade them, saying that they must not go yet, first they must eat and see the soldiers dance a little, and he commanded dishes of boiled flesh, which had been made ready, and bowls of milk to be brought to them. The boars said that they had already eaten, still they drank the milk, passing the bowls from hand to hand. Now the regiment began to dance, singing the ingumbo, that is the war chant of Azuluz, my father, and the boars drew back towards the centre of the space to give the soldiers room to dancing. It was at this moment that I heard Ding'an give an order to a messenger to run swiftly to the white doctor of prayers, who was staying without the cry, telling him not to be afraid, and I wondered what this might mean, for why should the prayer doctor fear a dance such as he had often seen before. Presently Ding'an rose, and followed by all, walked through the press to where Captain Retif stood, and bade him goodbye, shaking him by the hand, and bidding him Hamla Gacile to go in peace. Then he turned and walked back again towards the gateway which led to his royal house, and I saw that near this entrance stood the captain of the regiment, as one stands who waits for orders. Now, all of a sudden, my father Ding'an stopped and cried with a loud voice, Bulalani abatacati slay the wizards, and having cried it, he covered his face with the corner of his blanket, and passed behind the fence. We, the counsellor, stood astounded like a man who had become stone, but before we could speak or act, the captain of the regiment had also cried aloud, Bulalani abatacati, and the signal was caught up from every side. Then my father came a yell and a rush of thousands of feet, and through the clouds of dust we saw the soldiers hurl themselves upon the amabuna, and above the shouting we heard the sound of falling sticks. The amabuna drew their knives and fought bravely, but before a man could count a hundred twice it was done, and they were being dragged, some few dead, but most yet living, towards the gates of the kral, and out onto the hill of slaughter, and there on the hill of slaughter they were massacred every one of them. Ah, I will not tell you, they were massacred and piled in a heap, and that was the end of their story, my father. Now I and the other counsellors turned away and walked silently towards the house of the king. We found him standing before his great hut, and lifting our hands, we saluted him silently, saying no word. It was Ding'an who spoke, laughing a little as he spoke, like a man who is uneasy in his mind. Ah, my captains, he said, when the vultures plume themselves this morning and shriek to the sky for blood, they did not look for such a feast as I have given them. And you, my captains, you little guests, how great a king the heavens have set to rule over you! Nor how deep is the mind of the king that watches over his people's welfare. Now the land is free from the white wizards of whose footsteps the black one croaked as he gave up his life. Or soon shall be, for this is but a beginning. Oh, messengers! And he turned to some men who stood behind him, away swiftly to the regiments as they gathered behind the mountain, away to them, bearing the king's word to the captains. This is the king's word, that the impish shall run to the land of Natal and slay the boars there, wiping them out, man, woman, and child, away. Now the messengers cried out the royal salute of Bayete, and leaping forward like spears from the hand of the thrower were gone at once. But we, the counsellors, the members of the Amapakati, still stood silent. Then Dinghan spoke again, addressing me, Is thy heart at rest now, Mopo, son of Makedama? Ever hast thou bleated in my ear of this white people, and of the deeds that they shall do, and lo, I have blown upon them with my breath, and they are gone. Say, Mopo, are the Amabuna wizards yonder all dead? If any be left alive, I desire to speak with one of them. Then I looked Dinghan 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 Dinghan, That thou shouldst make thy meaning plain. Let the king pardon me, I answered. This is my meaning. Thou canst not kill these white men, for they are not of one race, but of many races, 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, more and more and more. Now thou hast smitten in thy hour, in theirs they shall smite in turn. Now they lie low in blood at thy hand. In a day to come, O king, Thou shalt lie low in blood at theirs. Madness has taken hold of thee, O king, That thou hast done this thing, and the fruit of thy madness shall be thy death. I have spoken, I who am the king's servant. Let the will of the king be done. Then I stood, still waiting to be killed. For my father, in the fury of my heart, at the wickedness which had been worked, I could not hold back my words. Thrice Ding-an looked on me with a terrible face, and yet there was fear in his face, striving with its rage, and I waited calmly to see which would conquer the fear or the rage. When at last he spoke, it was one word, GO, not three words, take him away. So I went, yet living, and with me the counsellors, leaving the king alone. I went with a heavy heart, my father, for of all the evil sights that I have seen, it seemed to me that this was the most evil, that the amabuna should be slaughtered thus treacherously, and that the impish should be sent out treacherously to murder those who were left of them, together with their women and children. I, and they slew, six hundred of them did they slay, yonder in venan, the land of weeping. Say, my father, why does the un-kul-un-kulu, who sits in the heavens above, allow such things to be done on the earth beneath? I have heard the preaching of the white men, and they say that they know all about him, that his names are power and mercy and love. Why, then, does he suffer these things to be done? Why does he suffer such men as Shaka and Ding'an to torment the people of the earth, and in the end pay them but one death for all the thousands they have given to others? Because of the wickedness of the peoples you say, but no, no, that cannot be, but do not the guiltless go with the guilty? I do not the innocent children perish by the hundred? Perchance there is another answer, though who am I, my father, that I in my folly should strive to search out the way of the unsearchable? Perchance it is but a part of the great plan, a little piece of that pattern of which I spoke, the pattern on the cup that holds the waters of his wisdom. Wow, I do not understand, who am but a wild man, nor have I found more knowledge in the hearts of you tamed white people who know many things but of these you do not know. You cannot tell us what we were an hour before birth, nor what we shall be an hour after death, nor why we were born, nor why we die, you can only hope and believe that is all. And perhaps, my father, before my days are spent, 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 is still bright, but soon that will go out also, and then perhaps I shall understand. End of chapter 24