NOMA SETS A SNARE
Thus ended the first night’s battle, since for this time the enemy had
fought enough. Nodwengo and his men had also had enough, for out of the
five thousand of them some eleven hundred were killed or wounded. Yet
they might not rest, for all that night, assisted by the women, they
laboured, building stone walls across the narrowest parts of the valley.
Also the cattle, women and children were moved along the gorge, which in
shape may be compared to a bottle with two necks, one at either end,
and encamped in the opening of the second neck, where was the spring
of water. This spot was chosen both because here alone water could be
obtained, without which they could not hold out more than a single day,
and because the koppie whereon grew the strange-looking euphorbia known
as the Tree of Doom afforded a natural rampart against attack.
Shortly after dawn, while the soldiers were resting and eating of
such food as could be procured--for the most part strips of raw or
half-cooked meat cut from hastily killed cattle--the onslaught was
renewed with vigour, Hafela directing his efforts to the forcing of the
natural archway. But, strive as he would, this he could not do, for it
was choked with stones and thorns and guarded by brave men.
“You do but waste your labour, Hafela,” said Noma, who stood by him
watching the assault.
“What then is to be done?” he asked, “for unless we come at them we
cannot kill them. It was clever of them to take refuge in this hole. I
thought surely that they would fight it out yonder, beneath the fences
of the Great Place.”
“Ah!” she answered, “you forgot that they had Hokosa on their side. Did
you then think to catch him sleeping? This retreat was Hokosa’s counsel.
I learned it from the lips of that wounded captain before they killed
him. Now, it seems that there are but two paths to follow, and you can
choose between them. The one is to send a regiment a day and a half’s
journey across the cliff top to guard the further mouth of the valley
and to wait till these jackals starve in their hole, for certainly they
can never come out.”
“It has started six hours since,” said Hafela, “and though the
precipices are steep, having the moon to travel by, it should reach the
river mouth of the valley before dawn to-morrow, cutting Nodwengo off
from the plains, if indeed he should dare to venture out upon them,
which, with so small a force, he will not do. Yet this first plan
of yours must fail, Noma, seeing that before they starve within, the
generals of Nodwengo will be back upon us from the mountains, catching
us between the hammer and the anvil, and I know not how that fight would
go.”
“Yet, soon or late, it must be fought.”
“Nay,” he answered, “for my hope is that should the _impi_ return to
find Nodwengo dead, they will surrender and acknowledge me as king, who
am the first of the blood royal. But what is your second plan?”
By way of answer, she pointed to the cliff above them. On the right-hand
side, facing the archway, was a flat ledge overhanging the valley, at a
height of about a hundred feet.
“If you can come yonder,” she said, “it will be easy to storm this gate,
for there lie rocks in plenty, and men cannot fight when stones are
dropping on their heads.”
“But how can we come to that home of vultures, where never man has set
a foot? Look, the cliff above is sheer; no rock-rabbit could stand upon
it.”
With her eye Noma measured the distance from the brink of the precipice
to the broad ledge commanding the valley.
“Sixty paces, not more,” she said. “Well, yonder are oxen in plenty, and
out of their hides ropes can be made, and out of ropes a ladder, down
which men may pass; ten, or even five, would be enough.”
“Well thought of Noma,” said Hafela. “Hokosa told us last night that to
him had passed the wisdom of the Messenger; but if this be so, I think
that to you has passed the guile of Hokosa.”
“It seems to me that some of it abides with him,” answered Noma
laughing.
Then the prince gave orders, and, with many workers of hides toiling at
it, within two hours the ladder was ready, its staves, set twenty inches
apart, being formed of knob-kerries, or the broken shafts of stabbing
spears. Now they lowered it from the top of the precipice so that its
end rested upon the ledge, and down it came several men, who swung upon
its giddy length like spiders on a web. Reaching this great shelf in
safety and advancing to the edge of it, these men started a boulder,
which, although as it chanced it hurt no one, fell in the midst of a
group of the defenders and bounded away through them.
“Now we must be going,” said Hokosa, looking up, “for no man can fight
against rocks, and our spears cannot reach those birds. Had the army
been taught the use of the bow, as I counselled in the past days, we
might still have held the archway; but they called it a woman’s weapon,
and would have none of it.”
As he spoke another stone fell, crushing the life out of a man who stood
next to him. Then they retreated to the first wall, which had been piled
up during the night, where it was not possible to roll rocks upon them
from the cliffs above. This wall, and others reared at intervals behind
it, they set to work to strengthen as much as they could, making the
most of the time that was left to them before the enemy could clear the
way and march on to attack.
Presently Hafela’s men were through and sweeping down upon them with
a roar, thinking to carry the wall at a single rush. But in this they
failed; indeed, it was only after an hour’s hard fighting and by the
expedient of continually attacking the work with fresh companies that at
length they stormed the wall.
When Hokosa saw that he could no longer hold the place, but before the
foe was upon him, he drew off his soldiers to the second wall, a quarter
of a mile or more away, and here the fight began again. And so it went
on for hour after hour, as one by one the fortifications were carried
by the weight of numbers, for the attackers fought desperately under the
eye of their prince, caring nothing for the terrible loss they suffered
in men. Twice the force of the defenders was changed by order of
Nodwengo, fresh men being sent from the companies held in reserve to
take the places of those who had borne the brunt of the battle. This
indeed it was necessary to do, seeing that it was impossible to carry
water to so many, and in that burning valley men could not fight for
long athirst. Only Hokosa stayed on, for they brought him drink in
a gourd, and wherever the fray was fiercest there he was always; nor
although spears were rained upon him by hundreds, was he touched by one
of them.
At length as the night fell the king’s men were driven back from their
last scherm in the western half of the valley, across the open space
back upon the koppie where stood the Tree of Doom. Here they stayed a
while till, overmatched and outworn, they were pushed from its rocks
across the narrow stretch of broken ground into the shelter of the great
stone scherm or wall that ran from side to side of the further neck of
the valley, whereon thousands of women and such men as could be spared
had been working incessantly during the past night and day.
It was as he retreated among the last upon this wall that Hokosa caught
sight of Noma for the first time since they parted in the house of the
Messenger. In the forefront of his troops, directing the attack, was
Hafela the prince, and at his side stood Noma, carrying in her hand a
little shield and a spear. At this moment also she saw him and called
aloud to him:--
“You have fought well, Wizard, but to-morrow all your magic shall avail
you nothing, for it will be your last day upon this earth.”
“Ay, Noma,” he answered, “and yours also.”
Then of a sudden a company of the king’s men rushed from the shelter of
the wall upon the attackers driving them back to the koppie and killing
several, so that in the confusion and gathering darkness Hokosa lost
sight of her, though a man at his side declared that he saw her fall
beneath the thrust of an assegai. Thus ended the second day.
Now when the watch had been set the king and his captains took counsel
together, for their hearts were heavy.
“Listen,” said Nodwengo: “out of five thousand soldiers a thousand have
been killed and a thousand lie among us wounded. Hark to the groaning of
them! Also we have with us women and children and sick to the number of
twelve thousand, and between us and those who would butcher them every
one there stands but a single wall. Nor is this the worst of it: the
spring cannot supply the wants of so great a multitude in this hot
place, and it is feared that presently the water will be done. What
way shall we turn? If we surrender to Hafela, perhaps he will spare the
lives of the women and children; but whatever he may promise, the most
of us he will surely slay. If we fight and are defeated, then once
his regiments are among us, all will be slain according to the ancient
custom of our people. I have bethought me that we might retreat through
the valley, but the river beyond is in flood; also it is certain that
before this multitude could reach it, the prince will have sent a force
to cut us off while he himself harasses our rear. Now let him who has
counsel speak.”
“King, I have counsel,” said Hokosa. “What were the words that the
Messenger spoke to us before he died? Did he not say: ‘Even now the
heathen is at your gates, and many of you shall perish on his spears;
but I tell you that he shall not conquer’? Did he not say: ‘Be faithful,
cling to the Cross, and do not dare to doubt your Lord, for He will
protect you, and your children after you, and He will be your Captain
and you shall be His people’? Did he not bid you also to listen to my
counsel? Then listen to it, for it is his: Your case seems desperate,
but have no fear, and take no thought for the morrow, for all shall yet
be well. Let us now pray to Him that the Messenger has revealed to us,
and Whom now he implores on our behalf in that place where he is to
guide us and to save us, for then surely He will hearken to our prayer.”
“So be it,” said Nodwengo, and going out he stood upon a pillar of stone
in the moonlight and offered up his supplication in the hearing of the
multitude.
Meanwhile, those of the camp of Hafela were also taking counsel. They
had fought bravely indeed, and carried the schanses; but at great cost,
since for every man that Nodwengo had lost, three of theirs had fallen.
Moreover, they were in evil case with weariness and the want of water,
as each drop they drank must be carried to them from the Great Place in
bags made of raw hide, which caused it to stink, for they had but few
gourds with them.
“Now it is strange,” said Hafela, “that these men should fight so
bravely, seeing that they are but a handful. There can be scarce three
thousand of them left, and yet I doubt not that before we carry those
last walls of theirs as many of us or more will be done. Ay! and after
they are done with, we must meet their great _impi_ when it returns, and
of what will befall us then I scarcely like to think.”
“Ill-fortune will befall you while Hokosa lives,” broke in Noma. “Had it
not been for him, this trouble would have been done with by now; but
he is a wizard, and by his wizardries he defeats us and puts heart into
Nodwengo and the warriors. You, yourself, have seen him this day defying
us, not once but many times, for upon his flesh steel has no power. Ay!
and this is but the beginning of evil, for I am sure that he leads you
into some deep trap where you shall perish everlastingly. Did he not
himself declare that the power of that dead white worker of miracles has
fallen upon him, and who can fight against magic?”
“Who, indeed?” said Hafela humbly; for like all savages he was
very superstitious, and, moreover, a sincere believer in Hokosa’s
supernatural capacities. “This wizard is too strong for us; he is
invulnerable, and as I know well he can read the secret thoughts of men
and can suck wisdom from the dead, while to his eyes the darkness is no
blind.”
“Nay, Hafela,” answered Noma, “there is one crack in his shield. Hear
me: if we can but catch him and hold him fast we shall have no need to
fear him more, and I think that I know how to bait the trap.”
“How will you bait it?” asked Hafela.
“Thus. Midway between the koppie and the wall behind which lie the men
of the king stands a flat rock, and all about that rock are stretched
the bodies of dead soldiers. Now, this is my plan: that when next one
of those dark storm-clouds passes over the face of the moon six of the
strongest of our warriors should creep upon their bellies down this way
and that, as though they were also numbered with the slain. This done,
you shall despatch a herald to call in the ears of the king that you
desire to treat with him of peace. Then he will answer that if this be
so you can come beneath the walls of his camp, and your herald shall
refuse, saying that you fear treachery. But he must add that if Nodwengo
will bid Hokosa to advance alone to the flat rock, you will bid me,
Noma, whom none can fear, to do likewise, and that there we can talk in
sight of both armies, and returning thence, make report to you and to
Nodwengo. Afterwards, so soon as Hokosa has set his foot upon the rock,
those men who seem to be dead shall spring upon him and drag him to
our camp, where we can deal with him; for once the wizard is taken, the
cause of Nodwengo is lost.”
“A good pitfall,” said the prince; “but will Hokosa walk into the trap?”
“I think so, Hafela, for three reasons. He is altogether without fear;
he will desire, if may be, to make peace on behalf of the king; and he
has this strange weakness, that he still loves me, and will scarcely
suffer an occasion of speaking with me to go past, although he has
divorced me.”
“So be it,” said the prince; “the game can be tried, and if it fails,
why we lose nothing, whereas if it succeeds we gain Hokosa, which is
much; for with you I think that our arms will never prosper while that
accursed wizard sits yonder weaving his spells against us, and bringing
our men to death by hundreds and by thousands.”
Then he gave his orders, and presently, when a cloud passed over the
face of the moon, six chosen men crept forward under the lee of the flat
rock and threw themselves down here and there amongst the dead.
Soon the cloud passed, and the herald advanced across the open space
blowing a horn, and waving a branch in his hand to show that he came
upon a mission of peace.