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〃Did I sleep or did I wake? Nay; I cannot tell。 But I know this; that

of a sudden I seemed to look up and see。 I saw a lightperchance;

Umslopogaas; it was the light of the moon; shining upon him that sat

aloft at the end of the cave。 It was a red light; and he glowed in it

as glows a thing that is rotten。 I looked; or seemed to look; and then

I thought that the hanging jaw moved; and from it came a voice that

was harsh and hollow as of one who speaks from an empty belly; through

a withered throat。



〃'Hail; Galazi; child of Siguyana!' said the voice; 'Galazi the Wolf!

Say; what dost thou here in the Ghost Mountain; where the stone Witch

sits forever; waiting for the world to die?'



〃Then; Umslopogaas; I answered; or seemed to answer; and my voice;

too; sounded strange and hollow:



〃'Hail; Dead One; who sittest like a vulture on a rock! I do this on

the Ghost Mountain。 I come to seek thy bones and bear them to thy

mother for burial。'



〃'Many and many a year have I sat aloft; Galazi;' answered the voice;

'watching the ghost…wolves leap and leap to drag me down; till the

rock grew smooth beneath the wearing of their feet。 So I sat seven

days and nights; being yet alive; the hungry wolves below; and hunger

gnawing at my heart。 So I have sat many and many a year; being dead in

the heart of the old stone Witch; watching the moon and the sun and

the stars; hearkening to the howls of the ghost…wolves as they ravened

beneath me; and learning the wisdom of the old witch who sits above in

everlasting stone。 Yet my mother was young and fair when I trod the

haunted forest and climbed the knees of stone。 How seems she now;

Galazi?'



〃'She is white and wrinkled and very aged;' I answered。 'They call her

mad; yet at her bidding I came to seek thee; Dead One; bearing the

Watcher that was thy father's and shall be mine。'



〃'It shall be thine; Galazi;' said the voice; 'for thou alone hast

dared the ghosts to me sleep and burial。 Hearken; thine also shall be

the wisdom of the old witch who sits aloft forever; frozen into

everlasting stonethine and one other's。 These are not wolves that

thou hast seen; that is no wolf which thou hast slain; nay; they are

ghostsevil ghosts of men who lived in ages gone; and who must now

live till they be slain by men。 And knowest thou how they lived;

Galazi; and what was the food they ate? When the light comes again;

Galazi; climb to the breasts of the stone Witch; and look in the cleft

which is between her breasts。 There shalt thou see how these men

lived。 And now this doom is on them: they must wander gaunt and hungry

in the shape of wolves; haunting that Ghost Mountain where they once

fed; till they are led forth to die at the hands of men。 Because of

their devouring hunger they have leapt from year to year; striving to

reach my bones; and he whom thou hast slain was the king of them; and

she at his side was their queen。



〃'Now; Galazi the Wolf; this is the wisdom that I give thee: thou

shalt be king of the ghost…wolves; thou and another; whom a lion shall

bring thee。 Gird the black skin upon thy shoulders; and the wolves

shall follow thee; all the three hundred and sixty and three of them

that are left; and let him who shall be brought to thee gird on the

skin of grey。 Where ye twain lead them; there shall they raven;

bringing you victory till all are dead。 But know this; that there only

may they raven where in life they ravened; seeking for their food。

Yet; that was an ill gift thou tookest from my motherthe gift of the

Watcher; for though without the Watcher thou hadst never slain the

king of the ghost…wolves; yet; bearing the Watcher; thou shalt thyself

be slain。 Now; on the morrow carry me back to my mother; so that I may

sleep where the ghost…wolves leap no more。 I have spoken; Galazi。'



〃Now the Dead One's voice seemed to grow ever fainter and more hollow

as he spoke; till at the last I could scarcely hear his words; yet I

answered him; asking him this:



〃'Who is it; then; that the lion shall bring to me to rule with me

over the ghost…wolves; and how is he named?'



〃Then the Dead One spoke once more very faintly; yet in the silence of

the place I heard his words:



〃'He is named Umslopogaas the Slaughterer; son of Chaka; Lion of the

Zulu。〃



Now Umslopogaas started up from his place by the fire。



〃I am named Umslopogaas;〃 he said; 〃but the Slaughterer I am not

named; and I am the son of Mopo; and not the son of Chaka; Lion of the

Zulu; you have dreamed a dream; Galazi; or; if it was no dream; then

the Dead One lied to you。〃



〃Perchance this was so; Umslopogaas;〃 answered Galazi the Wolf。

〃Perhaps I dreamed; of perhaps the Dead One lied; nevertheless; if he

lied in this matter; in other matters he did not lie; as you shall

hear。



〃After I had heard these words; or had dreamed that I heard them; I

slept indeed; and when I woke the forest beneath was like the clouds

of mist; but the grey light glinted upon the face of her who sits in

stone above。 Now I remembered the dream that I had dreamed; and I

would see if it were all a dream。 So I rose; and leaving the cave;

found a place where I might climb up to the breasts and head of the

stone Witch。 I climbed; and as I went the rays of the sun lit upon her

face; and I rejoiced to see them。 But; when I drew near; the likeness

to the face of a woman faded away; and I saw nothing before me but

rugged heaps of piled…up rock。 For this; Umslopogaas; is the way of

witches; be they of stone or fleshwhen you draw near to them they

change their shape。



〃Now I was on the breast of the mountain; and wandered to and for

awhile between the great heaps of stone。 At length I found; as it

were; a crack in the stone thrice as wide as a man can jump; and in

length half a spear's throw; and near this crack stood great stones

blackened by fire; and beneath them broken pots and a knife of flint。

I looked down into the crackit was very deep; and green with moss;

and tall ferns grew about in it; for the damp gathered there。 There

was nothing else。 I had dreamed a lying dream。 I turned to go; then

found another mind; and climbed down into the cleft; pushing aside the

ferns。 Beneath the ferns was moss; I scraped it away with the Watcher。

Presently the iron of the club struck on something that was yellow and

round like a stone; and from the yellow thing came a hollow sound。 I

lifted it; Umslopogaas; it was the skull of a child。



〃I dug deeper and scraped away more moss; till presently I saw。

Beneath the moss was nothing but the bones of menold bones that had

lain there many years; the little ones had rotted; the larger ones

remainedsome were yellow; some black; and others still white。 They

were not broken; as are those that hyenas and wolves have worried; yet

on some of them I could see the marks of teeth。 Then; Umslopogaas; I

went back to the cave; never looking behind me。



〃Now when I was come to the cave I did this: I skinned the she…wolf

also。 When I had finished the sun was up; and I knew that it was time

to go。 But I could not go alonehe who sat aloft in the cleft of the

cave must go with me。 I greatly feared to touch himthis Dead One;

who had spoken to me in a dream; yet I must do it。 So I brought stones

and piled them up till I could reach him; then I lifted him down; for

he was very light; being but skin and bones。 When he was down; I bound

the hides of the wolves about me; then leaving the leather bag; into

which he could not enter; I took the Dead One and placed him on my

shoulders as a man might carry a child; for his legs were fixed

somewhat apart; and holding him by the foot which was left on him; I

set out for the kraal。 Down the slope I went as swiftly as I could;

for now I knew the way; seeing and hearing nothing; except once; when

there came a rush of wings; and a great eagle swept down at that which

sat upon my shoulders。 I shouted; and the eagle flew away; then I

entered the dark of the forest。 Here I must walk softly; lest the head

of him I carried should strike against the boughs and be smitten from

him。



〃For awhile I went on thus; till I drew near to the heart of the

forest。 Then I heard a wolf howl on my right; and from the left came

answering howls; and these; again; were answered by others in front of

and behind me。 I walked on boldly; for I dared not stay; guiding

myself by the sun; which from time to time shone down on me redly

through the boughs of the great trees。 Now I could see forms grey and

black slinking near my path; sniffing at the air as they went; and now

I came to a little open place; and; behold! all the wolves in the

world were gathered together there。 My heart melted; my legs trembled

beneath me。 On every side were the brutes; great and hungry。 And I

stood still; with club aloft; and slowly they crept up; muttering and

growling as they came; till they formed a deep circle round me。 Yet

they did no

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