Part 4 (1/2)
”Not yet, Untuswa, not yet,” was the answer, uttered softly ”Lead on now, that we ati_ smell that the Lion has been on their track”
Now, as we took our way beneath the blackness of the forest shades, it see with one foot upon the point of an exceedingly lofty pinnacle, which point pierced more and more ht of death For now ca and foolish dreaeza, anddaily the stern law of our nation Then we had talked over the possibility which lay before everyon fate, and how no man was more fitted to aspire to the rule of a warrior race than such a born warrior as h now I had come to see the foolishness of such drea does his h in ht be that Nangeza, as ill-disposed tote insidiously to theht have reached the ears of the King--as what indeed did not?--and, taken hat he had just heard, , save to trust in ht and general soundness ofas I was, the Great Great One took counsel of h secretly--oftener, indeed, than of older _izinduna_, such as my father Ntelani, or even Mcumbete, who of all his counsellors was the 's hand fell upon ently but firmly to the very earth Not athere, over us passed the four conspirators--right over us, so that had they trodden but a foot's breadth to one side they had touched us They were now upon the edge of the brush, and we could see their forainst the stars Moreover, each held his broad assegai in his right hand, for the ht does well to be prepared for peril at every step As forbetter than to have at therasp relaxed not on my shoulder, and the will of the Great Great One was sufficient So we let those traitors go for the moment, but better had it been for them had we stricken theained the _isiGodhlo_ by the sawhispered a few orders And then I knew that the s-- that, for soht well make them wish they had never been born
CHAPTER FOUR
THE ”SMELLING-OUT”
On the hout Ekupuht venture away froain ran swiftly to the cattle outposts and outlying kraals, ordering all men to assemble immediately at the royal place But before this I had already despatched several arireat distance, so that, being distributed in pickets, none reat fear fell upon all the people when these ominous preparations becaot noised abroad that the King's drea ireater, indeed, than had been known since Ekupu of restlessness and suspicion had been astir for some little time, and now men whispered to each other with their blankets over their heads, fearing lest their words should fall upon the wrong ears
Throughout theplaces, men and wo no weapons but sticks only But all the warriors of iment, to the number of several hundreds, were fully armed Kalipe, also, the other war-captain, had as many of his own men under arms The bulk of the people, however, were, as I said, unareza, as I went into my hut to put on some of my war-adornments, ”I think, Untuswa, this re upon the death of the sleeping sentinel, Sekweni
They say, too, that this ates, with his heart cleft in twain by the stroke of a broad _umkonto_--a broad _u her eyes rest with rasp ”Art thou not afraid, Untuswa? for the glance of Notalwa seeth far, and his tongue is long”
”I know yet another tongue which is long, Nangeza,” I answered ”Tell me, thou fool, hast thou ever seen htest yet be King Ah! ah!” sheand looked her full in the face
”A warning, Nangeza!” I said ”There is a greater than Notalwa, and a long tongue is a worse thing than dangerous It is wearisoues over to be in the counsels of his _izinduna_ Have a care, Nangeza!” And with these words I left her; yet not without seeing that she was alarhest in the heavens, the great kraal, Ekupu and breathless state of dread; for the rus of aover the face of the world It was known that the witch-doctors werevisions had so shaped that vast and unmentionable wizardry had been at work It was known further that aabroad in the night Things looked dark for the House of Ncwelo None doubted but that, before the sun went down, some, if not many, should walk in the darkness of the Great Unknown
All theNcwelo's kraal to the nue of sos of many petty chiefs All these took up positions in the circles within circles ranged around the inside of the great open space But belting round the whole, he of iron--a fence of spear blades--were two half-moons of warriors fully ar, and those of Kalipe And at the high end of the kraal were two cos and heavy knob-sticks
Seated a the arrival of the Great Great One was my father Ntelani, the same morose and dissatisfied expression upon his face But upon that of Tyuyuht I could detect a lively expression of fear--also upon that of Senkonya-- and I laughed behind my shi+eld, for I was in full dress as a war-captain
”Ah! ah!” I said to ati_ are about to weep blood No swift and merciful death in the darkness is to be theirs”
Now the King came forth attended by his shi+eld-bearer, and all the nation assembled there bowed low and thundered out the _Bayete_ But the countenance of the Great Great One was gloo crowd He advanced to his usual place, at the head of the open space, and seated himself And then the _izanusi_, bedecked in all their hideousness of skulls and entrails and strea before the King, and cla to be let loose upon the wizards who had bewitched his dreams
Notalas at their head He was arrayed in a cloak of quagga-skin vividly striped, and was croith the lower jaw of a sea-cow cunningly joined with the upper part of a lion's skull, the whole painted red and surhed to ht of this cowardly boaster, who had never shed blood, save that of so to render his appearance terrific So, too, did several a us war-captains But the bulk of the people saw terror in hian to dance before the King, sweeping the ground and air ands tipped with giraffe tails, as they circled round, and howling--
”Great Great One! Black Buffalo Bull! Elephant who bears the world!
give the word, that we hter than the sun! give the word that we ! Hou! Hou! Hou!”
With these and such-like bellowings did the _izanusi_ rave for long; but the King sat and took snuff in silence, as though they were not there at all At last he said--
”Away from me, ye jackals! ye who are is; for there is a greater than you, who shall find out quickly what ye never shall”
I had my eyes upon Notalwa's face, and saw that he feared The others fell back in awed silence, for there was that in the King's eyes, in the King's glance whichless And then old Masuka advanced to take their place
His little bowed, shrivelled figure was undecked by gauds of any kind, but his eyes were keen and bright, and searching as ever He was attended by three others--younghad appointed to hiic; for U our own people by leaving the chief ers Besides, he wanted to set up a rival band to that of Notalwa
”Hearken!” said the King ”This ht--had died in blood under the very shadohere I sit Who is he that arrogates to hiht is of one alone? Who dares take life without ati_ of the most deadly kind!”
These words were taken up by a trua_, and rolled forth aloud, that all the nationthat went through those crouched circles was as the shaking of the forest leaves just before a gale
[Note: an ia is a professional ”praiser,” or herald]