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Presently the Boers came in on foot and walked up to the king in a

body; and Dingaan greeted them kindly and shook hands with Retief;

their captain。 Then Retief drew the paper from a leather pouch; which

set out the boundaries of the grant of land; and it was translated to

the king by an interpreter。 Dingaan said that it was good; and put his

mark upon it; and Retief and all the Boers were pleased; and smiled

across their faces。 Now they would have said farewell; but Dingaan

forbade them; saying that they must not go yet: first they must eat

and see the soldiers dance a little; and he commanded dishes of boiled

flesh which had been made ready and bowls of milk to be brought to

them。 The Boers said that they had already eaten; still; they drank

the milk; passing the bowls from hand to hand。



Now the regiment began to dance; singing the Ingomo; that is the war

chant of us Zulus; my father; and the Boers drew back towards the

centre of the space to give the soldiers room to dance in。 It was at

this moment that I heard Dingaan give an order to a messenger to run

swiftly to the white Doctor of Prayers; who was staying without the

kraal; telling him not to be afraid; and I wondered what this might

mean; for why should the Prayer Doctor fear a dance such as he had

often seen before? Presently Dingaan rose; and; followed by all;

walked through the press to where the Captain Retief stood; and bade

him good…bye; shaking him by the hand and bidding him hambla gachle;

to go in peace。 Then he turned and walked back again towards the

gateway which led to his royal house; and I saw that near this

entrance stood the captain of the regiments; as one stands by who

waits for orders。



Now; of a sudden; my father; Dingaan stopped and cried with a loud

voice; 〃Bulalani Abatakati!〃 (slay the wizards); and having cried it;

he covered his face with the corner of his blanket; and passed behind

the fence。



We; the councillors; stood astounded; like men who had become stone;

but before we could speak or act the captain of the regiment had also

cried aloud; 〃Bulalani Abatakati!〃 and the signal was caught up from

every side。 Then; my father; came a yell and a rush of thousands of

feet; and through the clouds of dust we saw the soldiers hurl

themselves upon the Amaboona; and above the shouting we heard the

sound of falling sticks。 The Amaboona drew their knives and fought

bravely; but before a man could count a hundred twice it was done; and

they were being dragged; some few dead; but the most yet living;

towards the gates of the kraal and out on to the Hill of Slaughter;

and there; on the Hill of Slaughter; they were massacred; every one of

them。 How? Ah! I will not tell youthey were massacred and piled in a

heap; and that was the end of their story; my father。



Now I and the other councillors turned away and walked silently

towards the house of the king。 We found him standing before his great

hut; and; lifting our hands; we saluted him silently; saying no word。

It was Dingaan who spoke; laughing a little as he spoke; like a man

who is uneasy in his mind。



〃Ah; my captains;〃 he said; 〃when the vultures plumed themselves this

morning; and shrieked to the sky for blood; they did not look for such

a feast as I have given them。 And you; my captains; you little guessed

how great a king the Heavens have set to rule over you; nor how deep

is the mind of the king that watches ever over his people's welfare。

Now the land is free from the White Wizards of whose footsteps the

Black One croaked as he gave up his life; or soon shall be; for this

is but a beginning。 Ho! Messengers!〃 and he turned to some men who

stood behind him; 〃away swiftly to the regiments that are gathered

behind the mountains; away to them; bearing the king's words to the

captains。 This is the king's word: that the impi shall run to the land

of Natal and slay the Boers there; wiping them out; man; woman; and

child。 Away!〃



Now the messengers cried out the royal salute of Bayete; and; leaping

forward like spears from the hand of the thrower; were gone at once。

But we; the councillors; the members of the Amapakati; still stood

silent。



Then Dingaan spoke again; addressing me:



〃Is thy heart at rest now; Mopo; son of Makedama? Ever hast thou

bleated in my ear of this white people and of the deeds that they

shall do; and lo! I have blown upon them with my breath and they are

gone。 Say; Mopo; are the Amaboona wizards yonder all dead? If any be

left alive; I desire to speak with one of them。〃



Then I looked Dingaan in the face and spoke。



〃They are all dead; and thou; O King; thou also art dead。〃



〃It were well for thee; thou dog;〃 said Dingaan; 〃that thou shouldst

make thy meaning plain。〃



〃Let the king pardon me;〃 I answered; 〃this is my meaning。 Thou canst

not kill this white men; for they are not of one race; but of many

races; and the sea is their home; they rise out of the black water。

Destroy those that are here; and others shall come to avenge them;

more and more and more! Now thou hast smitten in thy hour; in theirs

they shall smite in turn。 Now THEY lie low in blood at thy hand; in a

day to come; O King; THOU shalt lie low in blood at theirs。 Madness

has taken hold of thee; O King; that thou hast done this thing; and

the fruit of thy madness shall be thy death。 I have spoken; I; who am

the king's servant。 Let the will of the king be done。〃



Then I stood still waiting to be killed; for; my father; in the fury

of my heart at the wickedness which had been worked I could not hold

back my words。 Thrice Dingaan looked on me with a terrible face; and

yet there was fear in his face striving with its rage; and I waited

calmly to see which would conquer; the fear or the rage。 When at last

he spoke; it was one word; 〃Go!〃 not three words; 〃Take him away。〃 So

I went yet living; and with me the councillors; leaving the king

alone。



I went with a heavy heart; my father; for of all the evil sights that

I have seen it seemed to me that this was the most evilthat the

Amaboona should be slaughtered thus treacherously; and that the impis

should be sent out treacherously to murder those who were left of

them; together with their women and children。 Ay; and they slewsix

hundred of them did they slayyonder in Weenen; the land of weeping。



Say; my father; why does the Umkulunkulu who sits in the Heavens above

allow such things to be done on the earth beneath? I have heard the

preaching of the white men; and they say that they know all about Him

that His names are Power and Mercy and Love。 Why; then; does He

suffer these things to be donewhy does He suffer such men as Chaka

and Dingaan to torment the people of the earth; and in the end pay

them but one death for all the thousands that they have given to

others? Because of the wickedness of the peoples; you say; but no; no;

that cannot be; for do not the guiltless go with the guiltyay; do

not the innocent children perish by the hundred? Perchance there is

another answer; though who am I; my father; that I; in my folly;

should strive to search out the way of the Unsearchable? Perchance it

is but a part of the great plan; a little piece of that pattern of

which I spokethe pattern on the cup that holds the waters of His

wisdom。 Wow! I do not understand; who am but a wild man; nor have I

found more knowledge in the hearts of you tamed white people。 You know

many things; but of these you do not know: you cannot tell us what we

were an hour before birth; nor what we shall be an hour after death;

nor why we were born; nor why we die。 You can only hope and believe

that is all; and perhaps; my father; before many days are sped I shall

be wiser than all of you。 For I am very aged; the fire of my life

sinks lowit burns in my brain alone; there it is still bright; but

soon that will go out also; and then perhaps I shall understand。







CHAPTER XXV



THE WAR WITH THE HALAKAZI PEOPLE



Now; my father; I must tell of how Umslopogaas the Slaughterer and

Galazi the Wolf fared in their war against the People of the Halakazi。

When I had gone from the shadow of the Ghost Mountain; Umslopogaas

summoned a gathering of all his headmen; and told them it was his

desire that the People of the Axe should no longer be a little people;

that they should grow great and number their cattle by tens of

thousands。



The headmen asked how this might be brought aboutwould he then make

war on Dingaan the King? Umslopogaas answered no; he would win the

favour of the king thus: and he told them of the Lily maid and of the

Halakazi tribe in Swaziland; and of how he would go up against that

tribe。 Now some of the headmen said yea to this and some said nay; and

the talk ran high and lasted till the evening。 But when the evening

was come Umslopogaas rose and said that he was chief under the Axe;

and none other; and it was his will that they should go up

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