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him in a dozen places till he streamed red with blood; but the
shield protected his head and the chain-shirt his vitals, and

for minute after minute, aided by the gallant Zu-Vendi, he still
held the stair.

At last Kara's sword broke, and he grappled with a foe, and they
rolled down together, and he was cut to pieces, dying like the

brave man that he was.
Umslopogaas was alone now, but he never blenched or turned.

Shouting out some wild Zulu battle-cry, he beat down a foe, ay,
and another, and another, till at last they drew back from the

slippery blood-stained steps, and stared at him with amazement,
thinking that he was no mortal man.

The wall of marble block was four feet six high now, and hope
rose in my teeth as I leaned there against it a miserable helpless

log, and ground my teeth, and watched that glorious struggle.
I could do no more for I had lost my revolver in the battle.

And old Umslopogaas, he leaned too on his good axe, and, faint
as he was with wounds, he mocked them, he called them 'women'

-- the grand old warrior, standing there one against so many!
And for a breathing space none would come against him, notwithstanding

Nasta's exhortations, till at last old Agon, who, to do him justice,
was a brave man, made with baffled rage, and seeing that the

wall would soon be built and his plans defeated, shook the great
spear he held, and rushed up the dripping steps.

'Ah, ah!' shouted the Zulu, as he recognized the priest's flowing
white beard, 'it is thou, old "witch-finder"! Come on! I await

thee, white "medicine man"; come on! come on! I have sworn to
slay thee, and I ever keep my faith.'

On he came, taking him at his word, and drave the big spear with
such force at Umslopogaas that it sunk right through the tough

shield and pierced him in the neck. The Zulu cast down the transfixed
shield, and that moment was Agon's last, for before he could

free his spear and strike again, with a shout of 'There's for
thee, Rain-maker!' Umslopogaas gripped Inkosi-kaas with both

hands and whirled on high and drave her right on to his venerable
head, so that Agon rolled down dead among the corpses of his

fellow-murderers, and there was an end to him and his plots altogether.
And even as he fell, a great cry rose from the foot of the stair,

and looking out through the portion of the doorway that was yet
unclosed, we saw armed men rushing up to the rescue, and called

an answer to their shouts. Then the would-be murderers who yet
remained on the stairway, and amongst whom I saw several priests,

turned to fly, but, having nowhere to go, were butchered as they
fled. Only one man stayed, and he was the great lord Nasta,

Nyleptha's suitor, and the father of the plot. For a moment
the black-bearded Nasta stood with bowed face leaning on his

long sword as though in despair, and then, with a dreadful shout,
he too rushed up at the Zulu, and, swinging the glittering sword

around his head, dealt him such a mighty blow beneath his guard,
that the keen steel of the heavy blade bit right through the

chain armour and deep into Umslopogaas' side, for a moment
paralysing him and causing him to drop his axe.

Raising the sword again, Nasta sprang forward to make an end
of him, but little he knew his foe. With a shake and a yell

of fury, the Zulu gathered himself together and sprang straight
at Nasta's throat, as I have sometimes seen a wounded lion spring.

He struck him full as his foot was on the topmost stair, and
his long arms closing round him like iron bands, down they rolled

together struggling furiously. Nasta was a strong man and a
desperate, but he could not match the strongest man in Zululand,

sore wounded though he was, whose strength was as the strength
of a bull. In a minute the end came. I saw old Umslopogaas

stagger to his feet -- ay, and saw him by a single gigantic effort
swing up the struggling Nasta and with a shout of triumph hurl

him straight over the parapet of the bridge, to be crushed to
powder on the rocks two hundred feet below.

The succour which had been summoned by the girl who had passed
down the stair before the assassins passed up was at hand, and

the loud shouts which reached us from the outer gates told us
that the town was also aroused, and the men awakened by the women

were calling to be admitted. Some of Nyleptha's brave ladies,
who in their night-shifts and with their long hair streaming

down their backs, just as they had been aroused from rest, went
off to admit them at the side entrance, whilst others, assisted

by the rescuing party outside, pushed and pulled down the marble
blocks they had placed there with so much labour.

Soon the wall was down again, and through the doorway, followed
by a crowd of rescuers, staggered old Umslopogaas, an awful and,

in a way, a glorious figure. The man was a mass of wounds, and
a glance at his wild eye told me that he was dying. The 'keshla'

gum-ring upon his head was severed in two places by sword-cuts,
one just over the curious hold in his skull, and the blood poured

down his face from the gashes. Also on the right side of his
neck was a stab from a spear, inflicted by Agon; there was a

deep cut on his left arm just below where the mail shirt-sleeve
stopped, and on the right side of his body the armour was severed

by a gash six inches long, where Nasta's mighty sword had bitten
through it and deep into its wearer's vitals.

On, axe in hand, he staggered, that dreadful-looking, splendid
savage, and the ladies forgot to turn faint at the scene of blood,

and cheered him, as well they might, but he never stayed or heeded.
With outstretched arms and tottering gait he pursued his way,

followed by us all along the broad shell-strewn walk that ran
through the courtyard, past the spot where the blocks of marble

lay, through the round archeddoorway and the thick curtains
that hung within it, down the short passage and into the great

hall, which was now filling with hastily-armed men, who poured
through the side entrance. Straight up the hall he went, leaving

behind him a track of blood on the marblepavement, till at last
he reached the sacred stone, which stood in the centre of it,

and here his strength seemed to fail him, for he stopped and
leaned upon his axe. Then suddenly he lifted up his voice and

cried aloud --
'I die, I die -- but it was a kingly fray. Where are they who

came up the great stair? I see them not. Art thou there, Macumazahn,
or art thou gone before to wait for me in the dark whither I

go? The blood blinds me -- the place turns round -- I hear the
voice of waters.'

Next, as though a new thought had struck him, he lifted the red
axe and kissed the blade.

'Farewell, Inkosi-kaas,' he cried. 'Nay, nay, we will go together;
we cannot part, thou and I. We have lived too long one with

another, thou and I.
'One more stroke, only one! A good stroke! a straight stroke!

a strong stroke!' and, drawing himself to his full height, with
a wild heart-shaking shout, he with both hands began to whirl

the axe round his head till it looked like a circle of flaming steel.
Then, suddenly, with awful force he brought it down straight

on to the crown of the mass of sacred stone. A shower of sparks
flew up, and such was the almost superhuman strength of the blow,

that the massivemarble split with a rending sound into a score
of pieces, whilst of Inkosi-kaas there remained but some fragments

of steel and a fibrous rope of shattered horn that had been the
handle. Down with a crash on to the pavement fell the fragments

of the holy stone, and down with a crash on to them, still grasping
the knob of Inkosi-kaas, fell the brave old Zulu -- dead.

And thus the hero died.
A gasp of wonder and astonishment rose from all those who witnessed

the extraordinary sight, and then somebody cried, 'The prophecy!
the prophecy! He has shattered the sacred stone!' and at once

a murmuring arose.
'Ay,' said Nyleptha, with that quick wit which distinguishes

her. 'Ay, my people, he has shattered the stone, and behold
the prophecy is fulfilled, for a stranger king rules in Zu-Vendis.

Incubu, my lord, hath beat Sorais back, and I fear her no more,
and to him who hath saved the Crown it shall surely be. And

this man,' she said, turning to me and laying her hand upon my
shoulder, 'wot ye that, though wounded in the fight of yesterday,

he rode with that old warrior who lies there, one hundred miles
'twixt sun set and rise to save me from the plots of cruel men.

Ay, and he has saved me, by a very little, and therefore because
of the deeds that they have done -- deeds of glory such as our

history cannot shot the like -- therefore I say that the name
of Macumazahn and the name of dead Umslopogaas, ay, and the name

of Kara, my servant, who aided him to hold the stair, shall be
blazoned in letters of gold above my throne, and shall be glorious

for ever while the land endures. I, the Queen, have said it.'
This spirited speech was met with loud cheering, and I said that

after all we had only done our duty, as it is the fashion of
both Englishmen and Zulus to do, and there was nothing to make

an outcry about; at which they cheered still more, and then I
was supported across the outer courtyard to my old quarters,

in order that I might be put to bed. As I went, my eyes lit
upon the brave horse Daylight that lay there, his white head

outstretched on the pavement, exactly as he had fallen on entering
the yard; and I bade those who supported me take me near him,

that I might look on the good beast once more before he was dragged
away. And as I looked, to my astonishment he opened his eyes

and, lifting his head a little, whinnied faintly. I could have
shouted for joy to find that he was not dead, only unfortunately

I had not a shout left in me; but as it was, grooms were sent
for and he was lifted up and wine poured down his throat, and

in a fortnight he was as well and strong as ever, and is the
pride and joy of all the people of Milosis, who, whenever they

see him, point him out to the little children as the 'horse which
saved the White Queen's life'.

Then I went on and got off to bed, and was washed and had my
mail shirt removed. They hurt me a great deal in getting it

off, and no wonder, for on my left breast and side was a black
bruise the size of a saucer.

The next thing that I remember was the tramp of horsemen outside
the palace wall, some ten hours later. I raised myself and asked

what was the news, and they told me that a large body of cavalry
sent by Curtis to assist the Queen had arrived from the scene

of the battle, which they had left two hours after sundown.
When they left, the wreck of Sorais' army was in full retreat

upon M'Arstuna, followed by all our effectivecavalry. Sir Henry
was encamping the remains of his worn-out forces on the site

(such is the fortune of war) that Sorais had occupied the night
before, and proposed marching to M'Arstuna on the morrow. Having

heard this, I felt that I could die with a light heart, and then
everything became a blank.

When next I awoke the first thing I saw was the round disc of
a sympathetic eyeglass, behind which was Good.

'How are you getting on, old chap?' said a voice from the
neighbourhood of the eyeglass.

'What are you doing here?' I asked faintly. 'You ought to be
at M'Arstuna -- have you run away, or what?'

'M'Arstuna,' he replied cheerfully. 'Ah, M'Arstuna fell last
week -- you've been unconscious for a fortnight, you see -- with

all the honours of war, you know -- trumpets blowing, flags flying,
just as though they had had the best of it; but for all that,

weren't they glad to go. Israel made for his tents, I can tell
you -- never saw such a sight in my life.'

'And Sorais?' I asked.
'Sorais -- oh, Sorais is a prisoner; they gave her up, the scoundrels,'

he added, with a change of tone -- 'sacrificed the Queen to save
their skins, you see. She is being brought up here, and I don't

know what will happen to her, poor soul!' and he sighed.
'Where is Curtis?' I asked.

'He is with Nyleptha. She rode out to meet us today, and there


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