Part 26 (1/2)

He s the rest of that night he was careful to keep behind h the tohere everybody see very little There was a curious air of expectancy upon their faces They knew that the crisis was at hand, that their nation's fate hung upon the scales, and they watched h in them they expected to read an omen I too watched the whether I should escape froe co them, it seemed to me that I should have about as ry hounds

Once out of the to no one until we cauards which I have already mentioned, who stood there like an endless line of black statues In answer to their challenge Goza gave some complicated password in which h Then we marched on to the mouth of the kloof The place was very dark, for now the sun was down in the west and the moon in the east was cut off from us by the hills and would not be visible here for half an hour or ht It was a sue of rock which I have described

At a distance, in front of the fire on the patch of prepared ground, squatted a number of men, between twenty and thirty of them, in a semicircle They rapped up in karosses and blankets, and in their centre sat a large figure on a chair of wood

”The King and the Great Council,” whispered Goza

One of the he rose, and against the fire I saw that he was the Prinition, conductedthe rank herbage Here I found a stool placed ready on which I sat down, Goza, who of course was not of the Council, squatting at rass

Now I found that I was so situated that I could not well be seen fro my head a little, could see both quite clearly After this as the last reflection fro remained visible except the fire and the massive outline of the rock behind The silence was complete, for none of the Council spoke They were so still that theypast eneral i to sleep and yet my mind res out

I understood clearly that the body of ether to decide whether there should be peace or war; that there were divisions of opinion a was ready to follow the party which should prove itself the strongest, but that the real voice of decision would speak from behind that fire It was the case of the Delphic Oracle over again with a priest instead of a priestess, and what a priest!

It was evident to me also that Zikali, who knew hued all this with a view to scenic and indeed supernatural effect Moreover, he had done it very well, since I knew myself that in this place and hour words and occurrences would affect ht and open plain Already the Zulus were affected, for I could hear the teeth of soan to shi+ver at a was extreth the silver radiance of the h curtain of the dark Then the edge of her orb appeared above the hill and an arrohite light fell into the little valley It struck upon and about the jutting rock, revealing a ure squatted between its base and the fire, the figure of Zikali

CHAPTER XV

THE GREAT COUNCIL

None had seen or heard hih doubtless he had but crept round the rock and taken his place in the darkness, there appeared to be so mysterious about this sudden appearance of Zikali So the Zulu nobles thought at any rate, for they uttered a lo!” of fear and wonder

There he sat like a huge ape staring at the sky, for the firelight shone on his deep and burning eyes The ain it was broken by little clouds which caused strange shadows to appear about the rock Soures were approaching the wizard, bending over hie or counsel

”His Spirits visit him,” whispered Goza, but Itime, until the full round of the moon appeared above the hill indeed, and, for the while, the clouds had cleared away Still Zikali sat silent and I, as acquainted with the habits of this people, knew that I itnessing a conflict between two they considered to be respectively a spiritual and an earthly king It is my belief that unless he were first addressed, Zikali would have sat all night without opening his lips Possibly Ceteould have done the same if the impatience of public opinion had allowed hiave way

”Makosi, master of many Spirits, on behalf of the Council and the People of the Zulus I, the King, greet you here in the place that you have chosen,” said Cetewayo

Zikali made no answer

The silence went on as before, till at length, after a pause and so-

”Has age made you deaf, O Opener of Roads, that you cannot hear the voice of the King?”

Then at last Zikali answered in his low voice that yet seeacona, age has not made me deaf, but my spirit in these latter days floats far from my body It is like a bladder filled with air that a child holds by a string, and before I can speak I ain What did you say about the place that I have chosen? Well, what better place could I choose, seeing that it was here in this very Vale of Bones that Iof the Zulus, Chaka the Wild Beast, as your uncle? Why then should I not choose it to , knew at once that this saying ht be understood in tays, na, or that he was the last king ould ever reign But the Council interpreted it in the latter and worse sense, for I saw a quiver of fear go through the also that this place is holy to htwhere you sit, to watch their deaths There on the rock above hter, and the slayers-they cahed and cast thehed, and I too laughed, for had not the king the right to kill lad that they should be taken froathered to that of Spirits whence they always talk to me, yes, even now? That is why I did not hear you at first, King, because they were talking toone ear upwards, then continued in a new and tender voice, ”What is it you say to me, Noma, my dear little Noma? Oh! I hear you, I hear you”

Now he shi+fted hiht, and began to search about, groping with his long fingers ”Where, where?” he muttered ”Oh, I understand, further under the root, a jackal buried it, did it? Pah! how hard is this soil Ah! I have it, but look, Noer I have it, I have it,” and from beneath the root of so it in his right hand, softly rubbed the ht be yours, it is of the right size, but how can I be sure? What is it you say? The teeth? Ah! now I remember Only the day before you were taken I pulled out that front tooth, did I not, and beneath it was another that was strangely split in two If this skull was yours, it will be there Coht is faint, is it not?”