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medicines and again bound the mat about the bundle。 But round the

throat of the still…born babe I tied a string of fibre as though I had

strangled it; and wrapped it loosely in a piece of matting。



Now for the first time I spoke to Baleka: 〃Woman;〃 I said; 〃and thou

also; Mother of the Heavens; I have done your wish; but know that

before all is finished this deed shall bring about the death of many。

Be secret as the grave; for the grave yawns for you both。〃



I went again; bearing the mat containing the dead child in my right

hand。 But the bundle of medicines that held the living one I fastened

across my shoulders。 I passed out of the Emposeni; and; as I went; I

held up the bundle in my right hand to the guards; showing them that

which was in it; but saying nothing。



〃It is good;〃 they said; nodding。



But now ill…fortune found me; for just outside the Emposeni I met

three of the king's messengers。



〃Greeting; son of Makedama!〃 they said。 〃The king summons you to the

Intunkulu〃that is the royal house; my father。



〃Good!〃 I answered。 〃I will come now; but first I would run to my own

place to see how it goes with Macropha; my wife。 Here is that which

the king seeks;〃 and I showed them the dead child。 〃Take it to him if

you will。〃



〃That is not the king's command; Mopo;〃 they answered。 〃His word is

that you should stand before him at once。〃



Now my heart turned to water in my breast。 Kings have many ears。 Could

he have heard? And how dared I go before the Lion bearing his living

child hidden on my back? Yet to waver was to be lost; to show fear was

to be lost; to disobey was to be lost。



〃Good! I come;〃 I answered。 And we walked to the gate of the

Intunkulu。



It was sundown。 Chaka was sitting in the little courtyard in front of

his hut。 I went down on my knees before him and gave the royal salute;

Bayete; and so I stayed。



〃Rise; son of Makedama!〃 he said。



〃I cannot rise; Lion of the Zulu;〃 I answered; 〃I cannot rise; having

royal blood on my hands; till the king has pardoned me。〃



〃Where is it?〃 he asked。



I pointed to the mat in my hand。



〃Let me look at it。〃



Then I undid the mat; and he looked on the child; and laughed aloud。



〃He might have been a king;〃 he said; as he bade a councillor take it

away。 〃Mopo; thou hast slain one who might have been a king。 Art thou

not afraid?〃



〃No; Black One;〃 I answered; 〃the child is killed by order of one who

is a king。〃



〃Sit down; and let us talk;〃 said Chaka; for his mood was idle。 〃To…

morrow thou shalt have five oxen for this deed; thou shalt choose them

from the royal herd。〃



〃The king is good; he sees that my belt is drawn tight; he satisfies

my hunger。 Will the king suffer that I go? My wife is in labour and I

would visit her。〃



〃Nay; stay awhile; say how it is with Baleka; my sister and thine?〃



〃It is well。〃



〃Did she weep when you took the babe from her?〃



〃Nay; she wept not。 She said; 'My lord's will is my will。'〃



〃Good! Had she wept she had been slain also。 Who was with her?〃



〃The Mother of the Heavens。〃



The brow of Chaka darkened。 〃Unandi; my mother; what did she there? My

myself I swear; though she is my motherif I thought〃and he ceased。



Thee was a silence; then he spoke again。 〃Say; what is in that mat?〃

and he pointed with his little assegai at the bundle on my shoulders。



〃Medicine; king。〃



〃Thou dost carry enough to doctor an impi。 Undo the mat and let me

look at it。〃



Now; my father; I tell you that the marrow melted in my bones with

terror; for if I undid the mat I feared he must see the child and

then〃



〃It is tagati; it is bewitched; O king。 It is not wise to look on

medicine。〃



〃Open!〃 he answered angrily。 〃What? may I not look at that which I am

forced to swallowI; who am the first of doctors?〃



〃Death is the king's medicine;〃 I answered; lifting the bundle; and

laying it as far from him in the shadow of the fence as I dared。 Then

I bent over it; slowly undoing the rimpis with which it was tied;

while the sweat of terror ran down by face blinding me like tears。

What would I do if he saw the child? What if the child awoke and

cried? I would snatch the assegai from his hand and stab him! Yes; I

would kill the king and then kill myself! Now the mat was unrolled。

Inside were the brown leaves and roots of medicine; beneath them was

the senseless bade wrapped in dead moss。



〃Ugly stuff;〃 said the king; taking snuff。 〃Now see; Mopo; what a good

aim I have! This for thy medicine!〃 And he lifted his assegai to throw

it through the bundle。 But as he threw; my snake put it into the

king's heart to sneeze; and thus it came to pass that the assegai only

pierced the outer leaves of the medicine; and did not touch the child。



〃May the heavens bless the king!〃 I said; according to custom。



〃Thanks to thee; Mopo; it is a good omen;〃 he answered。 〃And now;

begone! Take my advice: kill thy children; as I kill mine; lest they

live to worry thee。 The whelps of lions are best drowned。〃



I did up the bundle fastfast; though my hands trembled。 Oh! what if

the child should wake and cry。 It was done; I rose and saluted the

king。 Then I doubled myself up and passed from before him。 Scarcely

was I outside the gates of the Intunkulu when the infant began to

squeak in the bundle。 If it had been one minute before!



〃What;〃 said a soldier; as I passed; 〃have you got a puppy hidden

under your moocha;'1' Mopo?〃



'1' Girdle composed of skin and tails of oxen。…ED。



I made no answer; but hurried on till I came to my huts。 I entered;

there were my two wives alone。



〃I have recovered the child; women;〃 I said; as I undid the bundle。



Anadi took him and looked at him。



〃The boy seems bigger than he was;〃 she said。



〃The breath of life has come into him and puffed him out;〃 I answered。



〃His eyes are not as his eyes were;〃 she said again。 〃Now they are big

and black; like the eyes of the king。〃



〃My spirit looked upon his eyes and made them beautiful;〃 I answered。



〃This child has a birth…mark on his thigh;〃 she said a third time。

〃That which I gave you had no mark。〃



〃I laid my medicine there;〃 I answered。



〃It is not the same child;〃 she said sullenly。 〃It is a changeling who

will lay ill…luck at our doors。〃



Then I rose up in my rage and cursed her heavily; for I saw that if

she was not stopped this woman's tongue would bring us all to ruin。



〃Peace; witch!〃 I cried。 〃How dare you to speak thus from a lying

heart? Do you wish to draw down a curse upon our roof? Would you make

us all food for the king's spear? Say such words again; and you shall

sit within the circlethe Ingomboco shall know you for a witch!〃



So I stormed on; threatening to bring her to death; till at length she

grew fearful; and fell at my feet praying for mercy and forgiveness。

But I was much afraid because of this woman's tongue; and not without

reason。







CHAPTER VII



UMSLOPOGAAS ANSWERS THE KING



Now the years went on; and this matter slept。 Nothing more was heard

of it; but still it only slept; and; my father; I feared greatly for

the hour when it should awake。 For the secret was known by two women

Unandi; Mother of the Heavens; and Baleka; my sister; wife of the

king; and by two moreMacropha and Anadi; my wivesit was guessed

at。 How; then; should it remain a secret forever? Moreover; it came

about that Unandi and Baleka could not restrain their fondness for

this child who was called my son and named Umslopogaas; but who was

the son of Chaka; the king; and of the Baleka; and the grandson of

Unandi。 So it happened that very often one or the other of them would

come into my hut; making pretence to visit my wives; and take the boy

upon her lap and fondle it。 In vain did I pray them to forbear。 Love

pulled at their heart…strings more heavily than my words; and still

they came。 This was the end of itthat Chaka saw the child sitting on

the knee of Unandi; his mother。



〃What does my mother with that brat of thine; Mopo?〃 he asked of me。

〃Cannot she kiss me; if she will find a child to kiss?〃 And he laughed

like a wolf。



I said that I did not know; and the matter passed over for awhile。 But

after that Chaka caused his mother to be watched。 Now the boy

Umslopogaas grew great and strong; there was no such lad of his years

for a day's journey round。 But from a babe he was somewhat surly; of

few words; and like his father; Chaka; afraid of nothing。 In all the

world there were but two people whom he lovedthese were I; Mopo; who

was called his father; and Nada; she who was said to be his twin

sister。



Now it must be told of Nada that as the boy Umslopogaas was the

strongest and bravest of children; so the girl Nada was the gentlest

and most fair。 Of a truth; my father; I believe that her blood was not

all Zulu; though this I c

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