across the earth. It caught the falling star and drove it on towards
me, a rushing globe of fire, and as it came the star grew and took

shape, and the shape it took was the shape of a woman. I knew her now,
my father; while she was yet far off I knew her--the Inkosazana who

came as she had promised, riding down the storm. On she swept, borne
forward by the blast, and oh! she was terrible to see, for her garment

was the lightning, lightnings shone from her wide eyes and lightnings
were in her streaming hair, while in her hand was a spear of fire, and

she shook it as she came. Now she was at the mouth of the pass; before
her was stillness, behind her beat the wings of the storm, the thunder

roared, the rain hissed like snakes; she rushed on past me, and as she
passed she turned her awful eyes upon me, withering me. She was there!

she was gone! but she spoke no word, only shook her flaming spear. Yet
it seemed to me that the storm spoke, that the rocks cried aloud, that

the rain hissed out a word in my ear, and the word was:--
"Smite, Mopo!"

I heard it in my heart, or with my ears, what does it matter? Then I
turned to look; through the rush of the tempest and the reek of the

rain, still I could see her sweeping forward high in air. Now the
kraal Duguza was beneath her feet, and the flaming spear fell from her

hand upon the kraal and fire leaped up in answer.
Then she passed on over the edge of the world, seeking her own place.

Thus, my father, for the third and last time did my eyes see the
Inkosazana-y-Zulu, or mayhap my heart dreamed that I saw her. Soon I

shall see her again, but it will not be here.
For a while I sat there in the cleft, then I rose and fought my way

through the fury of the storm back to the kraal Duguza. As I drew near
the kraal I heard cries of fear coming through the roaring of the wind

and the hiss of the rain. I entered and asked one of the matter, and
it was told me that fire from above had fallen on the hut of the king

as he lay sleeping, and all the roof of the hut was burned away, but
that the rain had put out the fire.

Then I went on till I came to the front of the great hut, and I saw by
the light of the moon, which now shone out in the heavens, that there

before it stood Chaka, shaking with fear, and the water of the rain
was running down him, while he stared at the great hut, of which all

the thatch was burned.
I saluted the king, asking him what evil thing had happened. Seeing

me, he seized me by the arm, and clung to me as, when the slayers are
at hand, a child clings to his father, drawing me after him into a

small hut that was near.
"What evil thing has befallen, O King?" I said again, when light had

been made.
"Little have I known of fear, Mopo," said Chaka, "yet I am afraid now;

ay, as much afraid as when once on a bygone night the dead hand of
Baleka summoned something that walked upon the faces of the dead."

"And what fearest thou, O King, who art the lord of all the earth?"
Now Chaka leaned forward and whispered to me: "Hearken, Mopo, I have

dreamed a dream. When the judgment of those witches was done with, I
went and laid me down to sleep while it was yet light, for I can

scarcely sleep at all when darkness has swallowed up the world. My
sleep has gone from me--that sister of thine, Baleka, took my sleep

with her to the place of death. I laid me down and I slept, but a
dream arose and sat by me with a hooded face, and showed me a picture.

It seemed to me that the wall of my hut fell down, and I saw an open
place, and in the centre of the place I lay dead, covered with many

wounds, while round my corpse my brothers Dingaan and Umhlangana
stalked in pride like lions. On the shoulders of Umhlangana was my

royal kaross, and there was blood on the kaross; and in the hand of
Dingaan was my royal spear, and there was blood upon the spear. Then,

in the vision of my dream, Mopo, thou didst draw near, and, lifting
thy hand, didst give the royal salute of Bayete to these brothers of

mine, and with thy foot didst spurn the carcase of me, thy king. Then
the hooded Dream pointedupwards and was gone, and I awoke, and lo!

fire burned in the roof of my hut. Thus I dreamed, Mopo, and now, my
servant, say thou, wherefore should I not slay thee, thou who wouldst

serve other kings than I, thou who wouldst give my royal salute to the
princes, my brothers?" and he glared upon me fiercely.

"As thou wilt, O King!" I answered gently. "Doubtless thy dream was
evil, and yet more evil was the omen of the fire that fell upon thy

hut. And yet--" and I ceased.
"And yet--Mopo, thou faithless servant?"

"And yet, O King, it seems to me in my folly that it were well to
strike the head of the snake and not its tail, for without the tail

the head may live, but not the tail without the head."
"Thou wouldst say, Mopo, that if these princes die never canst thou or

any other man give them the royal names. Do I hear aright, Mopo?"
"Who am I that I should lift up my voice asking for the blood of

princes?" I answered. "Judge thou, O King!"
Now, Chaka brooded awhile, then he spoke: "Say, Mopo, can it be done

this night?"
"There are but few men in the kraal, O King. All are gone out to war;

and of those few many are the servants of the princes, and perhaps
they might give blow for blow."

"How then, Mopo?"
"Nay, I know not, O King; yet at the great kraal beyond the river sits

that regiment which is named the Slayers. By midday to-morrow they
might be here, and then--"

"Thou speakest wisely, my child Mopo; it shall be for to-morrow. Go
summon the regiment of the Slayers, and, Mopo, see that thou fail me

not."
"If I fail thee, O King, then I fail myself, for it seems that my life

hangs on this matter."
"If all the words that ever passed thy lips are lies, yet is that word

true, Mopo," said Chaka: "moreover, know this, my servant: if aught
miscarries thou shalt die no common death. Begone!"

"I hear the king," I answered, and went out.
Now, my father, I knew well that Chaka had doomed me to die, though

first he would use me to destroy the princes. But I feared nothing,
for I knew this also, that the hour of Chaka was come at last.

For a while I sat in my hut pondering, then when all men slept I arose
and crept like a snake by many paths to the hut of Dingaan the prince,

who awaited me on that night. Following the shadow of the hut, I came
to the door and scratched upon it after a certain fashion. Presently

it was opened, and I crawled in, and the door was shut again. Now
there was a little light in the hut, and by its flame I saw the two

princes sitting side by side, wrapped about with blankets which hung
before their brows.

"Who is this that comes?" said the Prince Dingaan.
Then I lifted the blanket from my head so that they might see my face,

and they also drew the blankets from their brows. I spoke, saying:
"Hail to you, Princes, who to-morrow shall be dust! Hail to you, sons

of Senzangacona, who to-morrow shall be spirits!" and I pointed
towards them with my withered hand.

Now the princes were troubled, and shook with fear.
"What meanest thou, thou dog, that thou dost speak to us words of such

ill-omen?" said the Prince Dingaan in a low voice.
"Where dost thou point at us with that white and withered hand of

thine, Wizard?" hissed the Prince Umhlangana.
"Have I not told you, O ye Princes!" I whispered, "that ye must strike

or die, and has not your heart failed you? Now hearken! Chaka has
dreamed another dream; now it is Chaka who strikes, and ye are already

dead, ye children of Senzangacona."
"If the slayers of the king be without the gates, at least thou shalt

die first, thou who hast betrayed us!" quoth the Prince Dingaan, and
drew an assegai from under his kaross.

"First hear the king's dream, O Prince," I said; "then, if thou wilt,
kill me, and die. Chaka the king slept and dreamed that he lay dead,

and that one of you, the princes, wore his royal kaross."
"Who wore the royal kaross?" asked Dingaan, eagerly; and both looked

up, waiting on my words.
"The Prince Umhlangana wore it--in the dream of Chaka--O Dingaan,

shoot of a royal stock!" I answered slowly, taking snuff as I spoke,
and watching the two of them over the edge of my snuff-spoon.

Now Dingaan scowled heavily at Umhlangana; but the face of Umhlangana
was as the morning sky.

"Chaka dreamed this also," I went on: "that one of you, the princes,
held his royal spear."

"Who held the royal spear?" asked Umhlangana.
"The Prince Dingaan held it--in the dream of Chaka--O Umhlangana,

sprung from the root of kings!--and it dripped blood."
Now the face of Umhlangana grew dark as night, but that of Dingaan

brightened like the dawn.
"Chaka dreamed this also: that I, Mopo, your dog, who am not worthy

to be mentioned with such names, came up and gave the royal salute,
even the Bayete."

"To whom didst thou give the Bayete, O Mopo, son of Makedama?" asked
both of the princes as with one breath, waiting on my words.

"I gave it to both of you, O twin stars of the morning, princes of the
Zulu--in the dream of Chaka I gave it to both of you."

Now the princes looked this way and that, and were silent, not knowing
what to say, for these princes hated each other, though adversity and

fear had brought them to one bed.
"But what avails it to talk thus, ye lords of the land," I went on,

"seeing that, both of you, ye are already as dead men, and that
vultures which are hungry to-night to-morrow shall be filled with meat

of the best? Chaka the king is now a Doctor of Dreams, and to clear
away such a dream as this he has a purging medicine."

Now the brows of these brothers grew black indeed, for they saw that
their fate was on them.

"These are the words of Chaka the king, O ye bulls who lead the herd!
All are doomed, ye twain and I, and many another man who loves us. In

the great kraal beyond the river there sits a regiment: it is summoned
--and then--good-night! Have ye any words to say to those yet left

upon the earth? Perhaps it will be given to me to live a little while
after ye are gone, and I may bring them to their ears."

"Can we not rise up now and fall upon Chaka?" asked Dingaan.
"It is not possible," I said; "the king is guarded."

"Hast thou no plan, Mopo?" groaned Umhlangana. "Methinks thou hast a
plan to save us."

"And if I have a plan, ye Princes, what shall be my reward? It must be
great, for I am weary of life, and I will not use my wisdom for a

little thing."
Now both the princes offered me good things, each of them promising

more than the other, as two young men who are rivals promise to the
father of a girl whom both would wed. I listened, saying always that

it was not enough, till in the end both of them swore by their heads,
and by the bones of Senzangacona, their father, and by many other

things, that I should be the first man in the land, after them, its
kings, and should command the impis of the land, if I would but show

them a way to kill Chaka and become kings. Then, when they had done
swearing, I spoke, weighing my words:--

"In the great kraal beyond the river, O ye Princes, there sit, not one
regiment but two. One is named the Slayers and loves Chaka the king,

who has done well by them, giving them cattle and wives. The other is
named the Bees, and that regiment is hungry and longs for cattle and

girls; moreover, of that regiment the Prince Umhlangana is the
general, and it loves him. Now this is my plan--to summon the Bees in

the name of Umhlangana, not the Slayers in the name of Chaka. Bend
forward, O Princes, that I may whisper in your ears."

So they bent forward, and I whispered awhile of the death of a king,
and the sons of Senzangacona nodded their heads as one man in answer.

Then I rose up, and crept from the hut as I had entered it, and
rousing certain trusty messengers, I dispatched them, running swiftly

through the night.
CHAPTER XXI

THE DEATH OF CHAKA
Now, on the morrow, two hours before midday, Chaka came from the hut

where he had sat through the night, and moved to a little kraal
surrounded by a fence that was some fifty paces distant from the hut.

For it was my duty, day by day, to choose that place where the king

• lightning [´laitniŋ] n.闪电 a.突然的 (初中英语单词)
• sleeping [´sli:piŋ] n.&a.睡着(的) (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
• vision [´viʒən] n.视觉；想象力；幻影 (初中英语单词)
• salute [sə´lu:t] n.&v.招呼；行礼；敬礼 (初中英语单词)
• pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)
• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)
• awhile [ə´wail] ad.少顷；片刻 (初中英语单词)
• regiment [´redʒimənt] n.团；一大群 (初中英语单词)
• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)
• eagerly [´i:gəli] ad.渴望地，急切地 (初中英语单词)
• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• reward [ri´wɔ:d] n.&v.报答；报酬；奖赏 (初中英语单词)
• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)
• moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)
• whisper [´wispə] v.耳语 n.低语；沙沙声 (初中英语单词)
• stillness [´stilnis] n.不动；无声，寂静 (高中英语单词)
• tempest [´tempist] n.暴风雨 (高中英语单词)
• sweeping [´swi:piŋ] a.掠过的 n.扫除；清除 (高中英语单词)
• wisely [´waizli] ad.明智地，聪明地 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• summon [´sʌmən] vt.召集；号召 (高中英语单词)
• flaming [´fleimiŋ] a.熊熊燃烧的；热情的 (英语四级单词)
• thatch [θætʃ] n.茅草屋顶 (英语四级单词)
• drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)
• befallen [bi´fɔ:lən] befall的过去分词 (英语四级单词)
• corpse [kɔ:ps] n.尸体 (英语四级单词)
• upwards [´ʌpwədz] ad.=upward (英语四级单词)
• wherefore [´weəfɔ:] ad.为什么；因此 (英语四级单词)
• midday [´middei] n.中午 (英语四级单词)
• adversity [əd´və:siti] n.灾难；逆境 (英语四级单词)
• trusty [´trʌsti] a.可靠的 n.可信任的 (英语四级单词)
• morrow [´mɔrəu] n.翌日 (英语四级单词)
• faithless [´feiθləs] a.不忠的；虚假的 (英语六级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)