The King's Assegai Part 10

"'Of _muti_ were we speaking just now, warrior of the Amazulu who knows not fear,' he said. 'Now see. Are you sufficiently devoid of fear to dare to look into the future?'

"Then, _Nkose_, I felt that I had spoken like a liar and a braggart.

Even the burning of the old magician's spider-like eyes in the half-gloom of the hut caused me to quail. What would it be when I should follow him into the dark mysteries as yet unveiled? But it was not in me to eat up my word.

"'I dare all things, father,' I replied.

"Again he bent upon me that strange look, and, going over to the other side of the hut, began to uncover something, which looked like an earthen bowl. Over this he sat for some time, keeping up the while that strange humming incantation with which he had accompanied the witch-finding. In the utmost tension of excitement, my eyes well-nigh starting from my head, I sat and watched him.

"'Draw near, son of Ntelani,' he said at last.

"I approached, and peered cautiously over his shoulder, for he had been seated with his back towards me. The thing before him was a bowl, even as I had thought--a large bowl made of baked clay such as we use for beer. In it was a strange, liquid which shone and shimmered in the half-darkness of the hut. As I looked into this something moved, and then I cried out in amazement, for it was as if a man were looking through the circle of his hands into a strange world beyond. There were towering cliffs and rugged, stone-strewn slopes, and up these slopes surged a dense swarm of dark beings like ants. Ha! they were men! Then it seemed that rolling clouds of dust went up, that the mountain seemed to crack and split, and all fell into s.p.a.ce. My tongue was tied with wonder and awe. I could utter no word.

"'Look again, son of Ntelani,' said old Masuka. 'What dost thou see?'

"'Ha! I see rocks, the black mouth of a pit! Ha! I can see into it; my sight pierces its depths. It is peopled with living creatures, shadowy, shapeless, hideous; far, far down I see them. Ha! they mouth, they gnash their teeth; yet I cannot see their shapes. They seem to draw me down to them. I am going, sinking, falling. _Au_! I will look no more! _Umtagati_, release me, or I kill thee!'

"I found I had gripped the old man by the shoulder, and was nearly crushing the bones in my powerful grasp. My eyes were protruding from my head, and I was streaming with perspiration over the horror of the sight. And well indeed may such wizardry turn men's minds. The whole spell of the old man's magic was upon me, and it seemed as if I were bound hand and foot.

"'Have you beheld enough, warrior of the Amazulu who knows not fear, who dares all things?' he said, dropping out the words slowly and as the cuts of a.s.segais. 'Yet behold one thing more.'

"His tone stung me, brought me back to myself. Again I looked. A man stood among men, and an a.s.segai was descending to his chest. There was a crowd of faces in the background, but who held the a.s.segai I knew not.

Then I looked at the man.

"'It is my brother, Sekweni!' I cried. 'Ha! I will have no more of this! It is _tagati_ indeed.'

"'Thy brother Sekweni!' laughed the old man in a harsh, rattling voice--'thy brother Sekweni! Forget not that, Untuswa, forget not that, when the time comes.' And again he broke into that weird, mirthless laugh which was enough to curdle a man's blood.

"So strong upon me was the effect of his magic, that on leaving Masuka's hut I seemed to shrink from the eyes of all whom I met. It seemed that all must proclaim me aloud as _Umtagati_, and I walked in fear. How I hated the old Mosutu for the spell he had put upon me! I would have slain him if I had dared. I would have caused him to be smelt out; but that I dared still less. Indeed, it is probable that I myself would pay the penalty, and not he. I had looked into strange and terrifying mysteries, and was ever consumed by a longing to look once more into them, and this together with a horror of and repugnance to doing so."

CHAPTER NINE.

THE KRAAL, EKUPUMULENI.

"Many moons had now waxed and waned, and at length we began to feel secure from all pursuit and danger at the hands of Tshaka, and of a truth the _impis_ of the Great King would have found it a difficult matter to travel over the dreadful waste we had left behind us. For we had carried off all the cattle and destroyed the crops of such tribes as we had fallen in with, and that designedly, in order to delay and hara.s.s by scarcity of food a force so large as would of necessity be sent in pursuit of us. Now, moreover, we began to feel great, for our flocks and herds had become considerable, and many captives had we spared in order to tend these along the march.

"We had come to a fair land, well watered with flowing streams, and waving with sweet gra.s.s. Here the King ordered a large kraal to be built, which was done, and this great circle, in size as that of Nodwengu, stood fair and large upon these plains where surely never such a royal dwelling was seen before. The huts stood three deep within the ring-fences of mimosa, and the great open s.p.a.ce in the centre served for mustering the warriors and holding dances and ceremonies of state. At the upper side was the _IsiG.o.dhlo_, or royal enclosure, part.i.tioned off by palisades of finely woven gra.s.s, and containing the King's dwelling, together with the huts of the royal women and those of the _Izinceku_, or court attendants, of whom I was now one. It was a n.o.ble kraal, and we who had wandered those many moons a homeless people, looking upon our work with a shout of pride, named it 'Ekupumuleni'--'the place of rest.'

"At that time the jealousy wherewith I was regarded by many, including some of the _indunas_, grew apace, and by none was it shown more freely than by my father, Ntelani, and the _induna_ Gungana. These were not slow to whisper abroad that I, being so young a man and unringed, was not the one to hold such a position of trust as that of _inceku_, having free access at all times to the _IsiG.o.dhlo_ or royal enclosure; for this office was usually held by middle-aged or elderly men, and wearing the ring. But if any of such talk reached the ears of the King, as, indeed, what did not? he gave no sign of being influenced thereby, for he kept me about him, showing me the same favour as before. So I troubled not overmuch about the ill-will of the _izinduna_, but made light of it; wherein, _Nkose_, I was the very first among fools.

"Another party was there who regarded me with even greater hostility, and this was that of the _iza.n.u.si_; for had I not been the means of bringing old Masuka among them to make their magic of no effect against his? So they plotted day and night to accuse me before the King, and procure my death and that of the old Mosutu. Yet were they fearful to do this, for Umzilikazi loved one stalwart and daring warrior more than a whole regiment of _iza.n.u.si_, in whose powers he was in his heart at no time a great believer; wherefore I felt safe, and laughed to myself at the malice of both _iza.n.u.si_ and _izinduna_.

"About two days' march from where we had planted our kraal there arose ranges of mountains rugged and steep, their summits crowned with straight cliffs, and their bases split up into rifts and chasms and great gloomy ravines. Here there dwelt a tribe, or tribes, men of which we had encountered during our scouting or hunting expeditions. They were men of short, broad stature, and seemed not altogether without valour, for although in the fewness of their numbers they would flee before our armed legions, yet when they found themselves among the towering crags of their rocky retreat, which they scaled with surprising agility and fearlessness, they would turn and hurl at us defiance and jeering insult. In aspect they were like the kindred of old Masuka, but shorter and broader, and many were armed with bows and arrows as well as with a.s.segai and battle-axe. These the King was for leaving in peace as long as they kept to their mountain retreat, for they seemed to possess but few cattle. But when we found any of them out upon the plain we would pursue them, at times killing some, for that land we considered as the hunting-ground of the King alone, and who were these dogs that they should kill game upon it?

"Soon there came a time, however, when the King's forbearance made them over-bold, for a band of them dared to creep down from their mountain home, and at night, entering our cattle kraals, which were situated outside our great kraal, drove off quite a number of the King's oxen.

Then, indeed, did these mad ones bring death upon themselves, for who shall smite the trunk of the Great Elephant with a wand and live to boast thereof? An _impi_ was sent in pursuit, and, coming up with the robbers, slew many, and, indeed, not one would have escaped but that darkness came on, and thus a few slipped away. Yet those who were slain did not lie down and beg for mercy. They fought--oh yes, they fought, dying hard like trapped lions; moreover, their little arrows, being tipped with a strong and subtle poison, caused the death of those who received so much as a scratch. Then Umzilikazi, enraged, ordered out a powerful _impi_ to scour out the mountains and utterly destroy these vermin, that not one should be left on the face of the earth.

"Before this was done, however, our _iza.n.u.si_ thought they saw their opportunity, and accordingly they came before the King, dancing and howling in all their array of 'charms' and magic, and clamoured for the death of Masuka, declaring that these were his own people, and accusing him of having bewitched our warriors, for since such a tiny scratch caused by so contemptible a weapon as those little arrows produced death where a great spear-gash failed to prove fatal, it was clear that _tagati_ was at work. Indeed, such a riot did they make, and so loud and persistent was their clamour, that Umzilikazi ordered the old Mosutu to stand forth and answer the charge. Now, this befell immediately upon our return from punishing the cattle-robbers, whom we had overtaken not half a day distant from our kraal.

"'These are not of my people, O King,' said Masuka, 'although they are akin to them. They are Baputi mixed with men of the Gqunaqua race, whose arrows thus deal death. But if I have bewitched the "hunting dogs" of the King, at least I can cure them. Can Isilwana do the like?'

"The man named, _Nkose_, was the chief of our _iza.n.u.si_. When he heard Masuka's words he howled the louder, for now he began to fear.

"'That is a fair answer,' said the King--'a fair test, too. Let those wounded by the arrows be brought.'

"Now, of those thus wounded but two remained alive, the remainder having died on the way. These two were soon brought before the King. Both were young men of my own age, both were in a state of stupor and breathing heavily. One was wounded in the shoulder, the other in the leg, but both wounds were mere scratches. The latter of these was selected by Masuka, who directed that he should be taken to his hut, and, ordering all others out, entered and shut himself up with the warrior alone. Round the other wounded man our witch-doctors danced and howled. One produced from him a snake, another a lizard, another a hard pellet made of the hair of animals and the fibres of trees intertwined, but all to no purpose. The stupor of the young man grew heavier and heavier, and at length all could see that he was dead.

"Then a deep silence fell, and the face of the King wore a look such as I would not have liked to see, beholding it through the eyes of Isilwana. And upon the silence could be heard the low humming incantation song, rising every now and again into a shrill chant, from Masuka's hut; and this lasted until the sun touched the distant mountains. Then the old Mosutu came forth.

"'What of the wounded man?' said the King; 'does he live?'

"'He lives, Black Elephant,' answered Masuka. 'If he is left in my hut the night through with the King's guard over it, he shall walk forth in the morning to fight the battles of the Great Great One again.'

"'Ha! that is well. And this one--does he live?'

"Now, all the _iza.n.u.si_ cried out that he did, and that he would presently stand up alive and well. But we, who at a sign from the King had stepped forward, shouted that this was not so. The warrior was dead. His jaw had fallen, and his eyeb.a.l.l.s, strained and sightless, stared blankly up to heaven. Then the King spoke:

"'It is clear that if witchcraft has been used it is not by Masuka, since his _muti_ can restore life where that of Isilwana cannot. And since the _muti_ of Isilwana is of no use, clearly Isilwana is an impostor and no _isa.n.u.si_ at all. _Take him hence_!'

"So Isilwana was seized and dragged forth by the executioners, to find, beneath their k.n.o.bsticks, the same death which he had been the cause of bringing upon others, and while the remainder of the _iza.n.u.si_ lay on their faces groaning, in dread lest the same fate should overtake themselves, all the people loudly acclaimed the justice of the King. I, however, great as my faith in Masuka was, began to fear greatly lest his _muti_ also should prove unavailing, in which case the people would certainly cry for his death with such accord that Umzilikazi could hardly refuse compliance; in which event my own would seem within more measurable distance, for it seemed that my fate was linked and interwoven in some manner with his. Howbeit, that night we danced the war-dance and were doctored, and then, in the joy of antic.i.p.ated battle, I lost sight of all fears; nor need I, indeed, have felt any, for on the morrow the wounded man walked forth alive and well, into the midst of those who had been sent by the King to guard Masuka's hut.

"We started before daylight, two thousand strong, for we had got tidings that the Baputi numbered more than we had at first thought, and that they had several caves and fortified strongholds which would require a large force and some hard fighting to overcome. But the insult offered to our King and nation was so great that, at all hazards, this pestilent tribe must be stamped off the face of the earth. A damp mist lay upon the land, and as we paraded before the King, we could not see more than a few spear-lengths along the ranks. The roar of the _Bayete_ went up from every throat, and, wheeling, we marched down the great kraal, and filed out through the lower gate.

"Outside the kraal gates a company of girls had gathered, singing a martial song to encourage us to deeds of daring. They were divided into two ranks, and as we pa.s.sed between, I caught the eye of Nangeza standing among the crowd, and it seemed as though she were singing to me alone. And as I looked, I saw that another was feasting his glance upon her, and that one was Gungana, the _induna_ in command of the expedition. He was gazing upon her approvingly, and also with an air as though she were already his. The look seemed to say, 'When I return, thy father shall be satisfied, Nangeza. He shall have the _lobola_ he has named.' This was what the look seemed to say, _Nkose_, and that as plain as words; and reading it thus, I said to myself as I gripped my weapons: 'Ha, Gungana! not yet! A powerful _induna_ has no more lives than an ordinary warrior, and the life of this one is between two deaths--that dealt out by the King's enemies, and that by the King's soldier whose bravery thou hast stolen, and whose bride thou wouldst fain steal also. Be careful, Gungana, be careful!' Thus, with the fire of vengeance in my heart, I marched forth with the _impi_, and re-echoing in full chorus the fierce notes of the battle-song which the girls had led, we left Ekupumuleni far behind us, taking our way on and on into the enshrouding mist.

"All that day we marched, keeping as much as possible in bushy ravines and low-lying ground, the while throwing out scouts some distance on either side to cut off wandering Baputi who might convey tidings of our arrival to their people. Then at evening we saw the rugged and towering mountain-range against the sky in front. We halted awhile for a brief rest, then pushed on the night through, albeit we would have preferred more darkness to conceal our advance, for the moon was bright and nearly at half.

"Even in all our pride of war we felt some stirring of misgiving as we looked upon those great rock walls, grim and threatening in the moonlight, and pierced with black fissures and caves, at those steep, rugged slopes strewn with stones and loose boulders. In such black and horrible holes, among the bats and baboons, did these _abatagati_ dwell; and then we thought of the deadly little poison sticks coming at us in clouds from these dark dens, and our hearts were filled with rage and hatred against these miserable cowards, who would not fight fair, man to man and spear to spear, but met us with such unsoldierlike weapons as poisoned darts thrown from behind stones, and we vowed utterly to destroy, to the very last living thing, the whole of this evil and foul-dealing crew.

"Silently beneath the white light of the moon we swept up the deep, narrow defile which we knew led to the strongholds of these _abatagati_.

It was a dark and ugly place. Huge red cliff walls on either side rose high up to heaven, leaning forward as though about to fall against each other, and as we entered further and further it seemed that we were penetrating the gloomy heart of the earth.

"Just before day broke we saw a cloud of dust some distance ahead of us, and now every heart beat quicker, every eye brightened, every hand gripped weapon and shield. We were ordered to advance at a run, but even then it seemed we could get no nearer to that dust-cloud. But as the dawn fell we could see that it was caused by a large herd of cattle, which was being urged forward by a number of figures, which at that distance we could see were those of both men and women, also a few children.

"They were still a great way off, and, going uphill, could, accustomed as they were to mountains, travel every bit as fast as we could. Then they turned into another defile as gloomy and overhung as the first, and entering this, we came upon one of those we were pursuing.

"He was lying on the ground. As we leaped forward to make an end of him, we saw that others had spared us the trouble. He was still a living man, but his wrinkled carcase was bleeding from many wounds. He was a very old man, and could not keep up, so his kindred had speared him lest, falling into our hands, he should give information as to their position and resources. And this, in fact, he was just able to do, pointing out where their stronghold lay, though we could not understand the tongue with which he spoke. So we killed him at once--which, indeed, saved him much pain, as he could never have lived, because of the wounds his own people had inflicted upon him--and went our way again.

"And now, a long distance in front of us, we could see those of whom we were in pursuit, urging on their cattle. A long, steep, rugged slope led up to the cliff-belted summit of the mountain, and the highest point of this slope they had nearly gained. Then we saw the files of cattle enter and disappear into what seemed the base of the cliff itself, and after them their drivers. Ha! This, then, was their stronghold, a cave or some such dark hole, whence we must dislodge them? At any rate, there they were in a trap. At whatever loss to ourselves, we would score them off the face of the earth. So we were commanded to march slowly, in order that we might arrive sufficiently fresh to swarm up that steep slope and carry the place by storm.

"Then, as we marched up that deep, narrow defile--a sea of fierce, eager faces and glittering spear-points and tufted shields--we raised the war-song of Umzilikazi:

"'Yaingahlabi leyo'nkunzi!

Yai ukufa!'

"And the great overhanging cliff walls flung back from one to the other its booming thunder-notes in mighty echoes.

"When we arrived beneath their fastness, by order of Gungana one of our men called aloud that the Baputi should come down--they and their cattle, and their wives, and their children--and deliver themselves into the hand of the great King, the Mighty Elephant of the Amandebili, whose majesty they had offended, and this speedily, lest all be put to the a.s.segai. But, just when we thought we had cried to deaf ears, one of them appeared suddenly and high above us, shouting in a dark and uncouth tongue which none of as could understand. But he accompanied his speech with laughter and the most insulting of actions, and this we could understand; wherefore, at the word from Gungana, with a roar we surged up the slope.