Part 25 (1/2)
They were fully are war-shi+eld and broad assegai Further, they were plumed and otherwise adorned as warriors upon a hostile expedition In the light of the ed ht and tall, and, indeed, the very pick and flower of such an _iht be proud to command But ere they?
Not one of their faces was known to me Clearly they were not of our own people; and, if not, ere they?
They halted on seeinga quick reat Then they lowered their weapons, and, tossing aloft their right hands, they exclaimed--
”_Bayete_!”
Yes; to me they cried the _Bayete_, these warriors--_Bayete_, the salute of a King--to me, Untuswa! In truth, the old Mosutu _isanusi_ spoke not falsely when he declared that the strangest thing would happen tohailed by arht crossed my mind that the Great Great One was no more, and that the people had elected me to sit in his seat, and had sent to find ht of the , and of the faces of these not one did I know
”_Yeh-bo_!” I answered, in a deep,ht be And I stood straight and erect, waiting for thee far on either hand, O Greater of the Twin Stars of the Heavens,” said the foremost, ”yet there is no way by which our _ilooe wizard beast and dismally howls”
”It is even as Silwane has said, s,” declared another
”Greater of the Twin Stars of the Heavens!”
”Way by which our _i? To what _impis_ did he make reference? _Hau_! was this part of the wizardry of the place? And then, _Nkose_, as the real truth flashed uponor dead These warriors were the advance guard of an _i from Zululand ”_Bayete_,”--the royal salute; ”Greater of the Twin Stars,” s, brothers, then reigning over Zululand, Dingane or Mhlangana And for one of the me
I would ask you, _Nkose_, was ever any_i, and it was sent to crush us That was as clear as noonday Now, indeed, I had a part to play Were the mistake discovered, I could hardly escape with my life, and, in that case, our whole nation, taken co, and, it ht be, utterly exterminated Fortunately,it
”What is thy will, Father?” went on the man who had been named Silwane
”Shall we send back to hurry on the coht? Yet, it will be better to leave it until the night after”
”Till the night after?” I said, questioningly, desiring to speak in as feords as possible, lestfor more infors,” went on Silwane ”Unless we fall upon these Aood fortune which was theirs on the Kwahlamba may still be with them; for, unless they have _iainst us can hardly be less than our own”
This was nehich caused ain ione forth under Kalipe to eat up two chiefs elt to the northward, and who had failed to pay their tribute, thinking theh
True, its return was daily expected, but up till now there had been no sign thereof Of course, in , I was in favour of the delay, and, indeed, would have ordered yet further, but dared not The more uncertain were ht really have decided views of his own of a contrary policy _Whau, Nkose_! in truth was I walking between spears, even as when I put ht of Umzilikazi and the whole nation Fortunately, boy as I was before we left Zululand, I had often seen the princes of the House of Senzangakona, and remembered their voices, which I now strove to is I was supposed to be
”Thy plan is good, Silwane,” I said, and then, carelessly, ”_Whau_! I know not I who am but a child I would that the other of the Twin Stars of the Heavens were by reater than mine What think you, Silwane?”
”_Au_!” he cried ”He who sits at Umkunkundhlovu has the wisdoana, Twin Star of the Aana then whoane But where was that prince hiht appear at any moment, and then--
”Umzilikazi knoell how to use ht of the e beat back Tshaka's _impi_
”Wherefore, ht, and enter the pass when darkness shall fall on the night after Meanwhile let none draw near this hted by those e are come to stamp flat--none, no, not one”
”And those who are already posted upon the height, father?”
”Let them remain,” I said, ”but let them keep well concealed Stay, where are they posted?”
”Yonder, where the two patches of scrub crown the projecting spur, Great Great One,” said the _induna_, pointing to a place which I could see, luckily without turning my head, for had the moonbeams fallen on my face that moment I were lost
”Ha! But one picket? It seems I ordered two to be posted,” I said carelessly
”One was indeed thy order, Serpent of Wisdom,” replied Silwane ”Yet there are five men in it Shall I send up and bid two of them take up other position elsewhere?”
”Let be, it matters not,” I answered, still carelessly ”Ten eyes should surely, from such a point, command half the world”