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and shame.
"Now nothing except witchcraft can save these two," said a councillor

to one who stood by him.
"Yet there is virtue in the axe," answered the other, "and for the

club, it seems that I know it: I think it is named Watcher of the
Fords, and woe to those who stand before the Watcher. I myself have

seen him aloft when I was young; moreover, these are no cravens who
hold the axe and the club. They are but lads, indeed, yet they have

drunk wolf's milk."
Meanwhile, an aged man drew near to speak the word of onset; it was

that same man who had set out the law to Umslopogaas. He must give the
signal by throwing up a spear, and when it struck the ground, then the

fight would begin. The old man took the spear and threw it, but his
hand was weak, and he cast so clumsily that it fell among the sons of

Jikiza, who stood before Umslopogaas, causing them to open up to let
it pass between them, and drawing the eyes of all ten of them to it.

but Umslopogaas watched for the touching of the spear only, being
careless where it touched. As the point of it kissed the earth, he

said a word, and lo! Umslopogaas and Galazi, not waiting for the
onslaught of the ten, as men had thought they must, sprang forward,

each at the line of foes who were before him. While the ten still
stood confused, for it had been their plan to attack, the Wolf-

Brethren were upon them. Groan-Maker was up, but as for no great
stroke. He did but peck, as a bird pecks with his bill, and yet a man

dropped dead. The Watcher also was up, but he fell like a falling
tree, and was the death of one. Through the lines of the ten passed

the Wolf-Brethren in the gaps that each had made. Then they turned
swiftly and charged towards each other again; again Groan-Maker

pecked, again the Watcher thundered, and lo! once more Umslopogaas
stood back to back unhurt, but before them lay four men dead.

The onslaught and the return were so swift, that men scarcely
understood what had been done; even those of the sons of Jikiza who

were left stared at each other wondering. Then they knew that they
were but six, for four of them were dead. With a shout of rage they

rushed upon the pair from both sides, but in either case one was the
most eager, and outstepped the other two, and thus it came about that

time was given the Wolf-Brethren to strike at him alone, before his
fellows were at his side. He who came at Umslopogaas drove at him with

his spear, but he was not to be caught this, for he bent his middle
sideways, so that the spear only cut his skin, and as he bent tapped

with the point of the axe at the head of the smiter, dealing death on
him.

"Yonder Woodpecker has a bill of steel, and he can use it well," said
the councillor to him who stood by him.

"This is a Slaughterer indeed," the man answered, and the people heard
the names. Thenceforth they knew Umslopogaas as the Woodpecker, and as

Bulalio, or the Slaughterer, and by no other names. Now, he who came
at Galazi the Wolf rushed on wildly, holding his spear short. But

Galazi was cunning in war. He took one step forward to meet him, then,
swinging the Watcher backward, he let him fall at the full length of

arms and club. The child of Jikiza lifted his shield to catch the
blow, but the shield was to the Watcher what a leaf is to the wind.

Full on its hide the huge club fell, making a loud sound; the war-
shield doubled up like a raw skin, and he who bore it fell crushed to

the earth.
Now for a moment, the four who were left of the sons of Jikiza hovered

round the pair, feinting at them from afar, but never coming within
reach of axe or club. One threw a spear indeed, and though Umslopogaas

leaped aside, and as it sped towards him smote the haft in two with
the blade of Groan-Maker, yet its head flew on, wounding Galazi in the

flank. Then he who had thrown the spear turned to fly, for his hands
were empty, and the others followed swiftly, for the heart was out of

them, and they dared to do battle with these two no more.
Thus the fight was ended, and from its beginning till the finish was

not longer than the time in which men might count a hundred slowly.
"It seems that none are left for us to kill, Galazi," said

Umslopogaas, laughing aloud. "Ah, that was a cunning fight! Ho! you
sons of the Unconquered, who run so fast, stay your feet. I give you

peace; you shall live to sweep my huts and to plough my fields with
the other women of my kraal. Now, councillors, the fighting is done,

so let us to the chief's hut, where Masilo waits us," and he turned
and went with Galazi, and after him followed all the people, wondering

and in silence.
When he reached the hut Umslopogaas sat himself down in the place

where Jikiza had sat that morning, and the maid Zinita came to him
with a wet cloth and washed the wound that the spear had made. He

thanked her; then she would have washed Galazi's wound also, and this
was deeper, but Galazi bade her to let him be roughly, as he would

have no woman meddling with his wounds. For neither then nor at any
other time did Galazi turn to women, but he hated Zinita most of them

all.
Then Umslopogaas spoke to Masilo the Pig, who sat before him with a

frightened face, saying, "It seems, O Masilo, that you have sought
this maid Zinita in marriage, and against her will, persecuting her.

Now I had intended to kill you as an offering to her anger, but there
has been enough blood-letting to-day. Yet you shall have a marriage

gift to this girl, whom I myself will take in marriage: you shall give
a hundred head of cattle. Then get you gone from among the People of

the Axe, lest a worse thing befall you, Masilo the Pig."
So Masilo rose up and went, and his face was green with fear, but he

paid the hundred head of cattle and fled towards the kraal of Chaka.
Zinita watched him go, and she was glad of it, and because the

Slaughterer had named her for his wife.
"I am well rid of Masilo," she said aloud, in the hearing of Galazi,

"but I had been better pleased to see him dead before me."
"This woman has a fierce heart," thought Galazi, "and she will bring

no good to Umslopogaas, my brother."
Now the councillors and the captains of the People of the Axe konzaed

to him whom they named the Slaughterer, doing homage to him as chief
and holder of the axe, and also they did homage to the axe itself. So

Umslopogaas became chief over this people, and their number was many,
and he grew great and fat in cattle and wives, and none dared to

gainsay him. From time to time, indeed, a man ventured to stand up
before him in fight, but none could conquer him, and in a little while

no one sought to face Groan-Maker when he lifted himself to peck.
Galazi also was great among the people, but dwelt with them little,

for best he loved the wild woods and the mountain's breast, and often,
as of old, he swept at night across the forest and the plains, and the

howling of the ghost-wolves went with him.
But henceforth Umslopogaas the Slaughterer hunted very rarely with the

wolves at night; he slept at the side of Zinita, and she loved him
much and bore him children.

CHAPTER XVIII
THE CURSE OF BALEKA

Now, my father, my story winds back again as the river bends towards
its source, and I tell of those events which happened at the king's

kraal of Gibamaxegu, which you white people name Gibbeclack, the kraal
that is called "Pick-out-the-old-men," for it was there that Chaka

murdered all the aged who were unfit for war.
After I, Mopo, had stood before the king, and he had given me new

wives and fat cattle and a kraal to dwell in, the bones of Unandi, the
Great Mother Elephant, Mother of the Heavens, were gathered together

from the ashes of my huts, and because all could not be found, some of
the bones of my wives were collected also to make up the number. But

Chaka never knew this. When all were brought together, a great pit was
dug and the bones were set out in order in the pit and buried; but not

alone, for round them were placed twelve maidens of the servants of
Unandi, and these maidens were covered over with the earth, and left

to die in the pit by the bones of Unandi, their mistress. Moreover,
all those who were present at the burial were made into a regiment and

commanded that they should dwell by the grave for the space of a year.
They were many, my father, but I was not one of them. Also Chaka gave

orders that no crops should be sown that year, that the milk of the
cows should be spilled upon the ground, and that no woman should give

birth to a child for a full year, and that if any should dare to bear
children, then that they should be slain and their husbands with them.

And for a space of some months these things were done, my father, and
great sorrow came upon the land.

Then for a little while there was quiet, and Chaka went about heavily,
and he wept often, and we who waited on him wept also as we walked,

till at length it came about by use that we could weep without ceasing
for many hours. No angry woman can weep as we wept in those days; it

was an art, my father, for the teaching of which I received many
cattle, for woe to him who had no tears in those days. Then it was

also that Chaka sent out the captain and fifty soldiers to search for
Umslopogaas, for, though he said nothing more to me of this matter, he

did not believe all the tale that I had told him of the death of
Umslopogaas in the jaws of a lion and the tale of those who were with

me. How that company fared at the hands of Umslopogaas and of Galazi
the Wolf, and at the fangs of the people black and grey, I have told

you, my father. None of them ever came back again. In after days it
was reported to the king that these soldiers were missing, never

having returned, but he only laughed, saying that the lion which ate
Umslopogaas, son of Mopo, was a fierce one, and had eaten them also.

At last came the night of the new moon, that dreadful night to be
followed by a more dreadfulmorrow. I sat in the kraal of Chaka, and

he put his arm about my neck and groaned and wept for his mother, whom
he had murdered, and I groaned also, but I did not weep, because it

was dark, and on the morrow I must weep much in the sight of king and
men. Therefore, I spared my tears, lest they should fail me in my

need.
All night long the people drew on from every side towards the kraal,

and, as they came in thousands and tens of thousands, they filled the
night with their cries, till it seemed as though the whole world were

mourning, and loudly. None might cease their crying, and none dared to
drink so much as a cup of water. The daylight came, and Chaka rose,

saying, "Come, let us go forth, Mopo, and look on those who mourn with
us." So we went out, and after us came men armed with clubs to do the

bidding of the king.
Outside the kraal the people were gathered, and their number was

countless as the leaves upon the trees. On every side the land was
black with them, as at times the veldt is black with game. When they

saw the king they ceased from their howling and sang the war-song,
then once again they howled, and Chaka walked among them weeping. Now,

my father, the sight became dreadful, for, as the sun rose higher the
day grew hot, and utter weariness came upon the people, who were

packed together like herds of cattle, and, though oxen slain in
sacrifice lay around, they might neither eat nor drink. Some fell to

the ground, and were trampled to death, others took too much snuff to
make them weep, others stained their eyes with saliva, others walked

to and fro, their tongues hanging from their jaws, while groans broke
from their parched throats.

"Now, Mopo, we shall learn who are the wizards that have brought these
ills upon us," said the king, "and who are the true-hearted men."

As we spoke we cam upon a man, a chief of renown. He was named
Zwaumbana, chief of the Amabovus, and with him were his wives and

followers. This man could weep no more; he gasped with thirst and
heat. The king looked at him.

"See, Mopo," he said, "see that brute who has no tears for my mother
who is dead! Oh, the monster without a heart! Shall such as he live to

look upon the sun, while I and thou must weep, Mopo? Never! never!
Take him away, and all those who are with him! Take them away, the

people without hearts, who do not weep because my mother is dead by
witchcraft!"

And Chaka walked on weeping, and I followed also weeping, but the
chief Zwaumbana and those with him were all slain by those who do the

bidding of the king, and the slayers also must weep as they slew.
Presently we came upon another man, who, seeing the king, took snuff

secretly to bring tears to his eyes. But the glance of Chaka was
quick, and he noted it.

"Look at him, Mopo," he said, "look at the wizard who has no tears,


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