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〃Not yet awhile; I will endure this also; afterwards; if need be; I

can die。〃



〃I thank the king for his graciousness; and I will warm me at the

fire。 Speak on; O king; while I warm myself; and thou shalt hear true

words;〃 I said boldly。



Then; my father; I stretched out my left hand and plunged it into the

firenot into the hottest of the fire; but where the smoke leapt from

the flame。 Now my flesh was wet with the sweat of fear; and for a

little moment the flames curled round it and did not burn me。 But I

knew that the torment was to come。



For a short while Chaka watched me; smiling。 Then he spoke slowly;

that the fire might find time to do its work。



〃Say; then; Mopo; thou knowest nothing of this matter of the birth of

a son to thy sister Baleka?〃



〃I know this only; O king!〃 I answered; 〃that a son was born in past

years to thy wife Baleka; that I killed the child in obedience to thy

word; and laid its body before thee。〃



Now; my father; the steam from my flesh had been drawn from my hand by

the heat; and the flame got hold of me and ate into my flesh; and its

torment was great。 But of this I showed no sign upon my face; for I

knew well that if I showed sign or uttered cry; then; having failed in

the trial; death would be my portion。



Then the king spoke again; 〃Dost thou swear by my head; Mopo; that no

son of mine was suckled in thy kraals?〃



〃I swear it; O king! I swear it by thy head;〃 I answered。



And now; my father; the agony of the fire was such as may not be told。

I felt my eyes start forward in their sockets; my blood seemed to boil

within me; it rushed into my head; and down my face their ran two

tears of blood。 But yet I held my hand in the fire and made no sign;

while the king and his councillors watched me curiously。 Still; for a

moment Chaka said nothing; and that moment seemed to me as all the

years of my life。



〃Ah!〃 he said at length; 〃I see that thou growest warm; Mopo! Withdraw

thy hand from the flame。 I am answered; thou hast passed the trial;

thy heart is clean; for had there been lies in it the fire had given

them tongue; and thou hadst cried aloud; making thy last music; Mopo!〃



Now I took my hand from the flame; and for awhile the torment left me。



〃It is well; O king;〃 I said calmly。 〃Fire has no power of hurt on

those whose heart is pure。〃



But as I spoke I looked at my left hand。 It was black; my father

black as a charred stick; and the nails were gone from the twisted

fingers。 Look at it now; my father; you can see; though my eyes are

blind。 The hand is white; like yoursit is white and dead and

shrivelled。 These are the marks of the fire in Chaka's hutthe fire

that kissed me many; many years ago; I have had but little use of that

hand since this night of torment。 But my right arm yet remained to me;

my father; and; ah! I used it。



〃It seems that Nobela; the doctress; who is dead; lied when she

prophesied evil on me from thee; Mopo;〃 said Chaka again。 〃It seems

that thou art innocent of this offence; and that Baleka; thy sister;

is innocent; and that the song which the Mother of the Heavens sang

through the singing flames was no true song。 It is well for thee;

Mopo; for in such a matter my oath had not helped thee。 But my mother

is deaddead in the flames with thy wives and children; Mopo; and in

this there is witchcraft。 We will have a mourning; Mopo; thou and I;

such a mourning as has not been seen in Zululand; for all the people

on the earth shall weep at it。 And there shall be a 'smelling out' at

this mourning; Mopo。 But we will summon no witch…doctors; thou and I

will be witch…doctors; and ourselves shall smell out those who have

brought these woes upon us。 What! shall my mother die unavenged; she

who bore me and has perished by witchcraft; and shall thy wives and

children die unavengedthou being innocent? Go forth; Mopo; my

faithful servant; whom I have honoured with the warmth of my fire; go

forth!〃 And once again he stared at me through the reek of the flame;

and pointed with his assegai to the door of the hut。







CHAPTER XI



THE COUNSEL OF BALEKA



I rose; I praised the king with a loud voice; and I went from the

Intunkulu; the house of the king。 I walked slowly through the gates;

but when I was without the gates the anguish that took me because of

my burnt hand was more than I could bear。 I ran to and fro groaning

till I came to the hut of one whom I knew。 There I found fat; and

having plunged my hand in the fat; I wrapped it round with a skin and

passed out again; for I could not stay still。 I went to and fro; till

at length I reached the spot where my huts had been。 The outer fence

of the huts still stood; the fire had not caught it。 I passed through

the fence; there within were the ashes of the burnt hutsthey lay

ankle…deep。 I walked in among the ashes; my feet struck upon things

that were sharp。 The moon was bright; and I looked; they were the

blackened bones of my wives and children。 I flung myself down in the

ashes in bitterness of heart; I covered myself over with the ashes of

my kraal and with the bones of my wives and children。 Yes; my father;

there I lay; and on me were the ashes; and among the ashes were the

bones。 Thus; then; did I lie for the last time in my kraal; and was

sheltered from the frost of the night by the dust of those to whom I

had given life。 Such were the things that befell us in the days of

Chaka; my father; yes; not to me alone; but to many another also。



I lay among the ashes and groaned with the pain of my burn; and

groaned also from the desolation of my heart。 Why had I not tasted the

poison; there in the hut of Chaka; and before the eyes of Chaka? Why

did I not taste it now and make an end? Nay; I had endured the agony;

I would not give him this last triumph over me。 Now; having passed the

fire; once more I should be great in the land; and I would become

great。 Yes; I would bear my sorrows; and become great; that in a day

to be I might wreak vengeance on the king。 Ah! my father; there; as I

rolled among the ashes; I prayed to the Amatongo; to the ghosts of my

ancestors。 I prayed to my Ehlose; to the spirit that watches meay;

and I even dared to pray to the Umkulunkulu; the great soul of the

world; who moves through the heavens and the earth unseen and unheard。

And thus I prayed; that I might yet live to kill Chaka as he had

killed those who were dear to me。 And while I prayed I slept; or; if I

did not sleep; the light of thought went out of me; and I became as

one dead。 Then there came a vision to me; a vision that was sent in

answer to my prayer; or; perchance; it was a madness born of my

sorrows。 For; my father; it seemed to me that I stood upon the bank of

a great and wide river。 It was gloomy there; the light lay low upon

the face of the river; but far away on the farther side was a glow

like the glow of a stormy dawn; and in the glow I saw a mighty bed of

reeds that swayed about in the breath of dawn; and out of the reeds

came men and women and children; by hundreds and thousands; and

plunged into the waters of the river and were buffeted about by them。

Now; my father; all the people that I saw in the water were black

people; and all those who were torn out of the reeds were blackthey

wee none of them white like your people; my father; for this vision

was a vision of the Zulu race; who alone are 〃torn out of the reeds。〃

Now; I saw that of those who swam in the river some passed over very

quickly and some stood still; as it were; still in the wateras in

life; my father; some die soon and some live for many years。 And I saw

the countless faces of those in the water; among them were many that I

knew。 There; my father; I saw the face of Chaka; and near him was my

own face; there; too; I saw the face of Dingaan; the prince; his

brother; and the face of the boy Umslopogaas and the face of Nada; my

daughter; and then for the first time I knew that Umslopogaas was not

dead; but only lost。



Now I turned in my vision; and looked at that bank of the river on

which I stood。 Then I saw that behind the bank was a cliff; mighty and

black; and in the cliff were doors of ivory; and through them came

light and the sound of laughter; there were other doors also; black as

though fashioned of coal; and through them came darkness and the

sounds of groans。 I saw also that in front of the doors was set a

seat; and on the seat was the figure of a glorious woman。 She was

tall; and she alone was white; and clad in robes of white; and her

hair was like gold which is molten in the fire; and her face shone

like the midday sun。 Then I saw that those who came up out of the

river stood before the woman; the water yet running from them; and

cried aloud to her。



〃Hail; Inkosazana…y…Zulu! Hail; Queen of the Heavens!〃



Now the figure of the glorious woman held a rod in either hand; and

the rod in her right hand was white an

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