MOPO BARGAINS WITH THE PRINCES
Eight-and-twenty days went by, my father, and on the nine-and-twentieth
it befell that Chaka, having dreamed a dream in his troubled sleep,
summoned before him certain women of the kraal, to the number of a
hundred or more. Some of these were his women, whom he named his
“sisters,” and some were maidens not yet given in marriage; but all
were young and fair. Now what this dream of Chaka may have been I do
not know, or have forgotten, for in those days he dreamed many dreams,
and all his dreams led to one end, the death of men. He sat in front of
his hut scowling, and I was with him. To the left of him were gathered
the girls and women, and their knees were weak with fear. One by one
they were led before him, and stood before him with bowed heads. Then
he would bid them be of good cheer, and speak softly to them, and in
the end would ask them this question: “Hast thou, my sister, a cat in
thy hut?”
Now, some would say that they had a cat, and some would say that they
had none, and some would stand still and make no answer, being dumb
with fear. But, whatever they said, the end was the same, for the king
would sigh gently and say: “Fare thee well, my sister; it is
unfortunate for thee that there is a cat in thy hut,” or “that there is
no cat in thy hut,” or “that thou canst not tell me whether there be a
cat in thy hut or no.”
Then the woman would be taken by the slayers, dragged without the
kraal, and their end was swift. So it went on for the most part of that
day, till sixty-and-two women and girls had been slaughtered. But at
last a maiden was brought before the king, and to this one her snake
had given a ready wit; for when Chaka asked her whether or no there was
a cat in her hut, she answered, saying that she did not know, “but that
there was a half a cat upon her,” and she pointed to a cat’s-skin which
was bound about her loins.
Then the king laughed, and clapped his hands, saying that at length his
dream was answered; and he killed no more that day nor ever again—save
once only.
That evening my heart was heavy within me, and I cried in my heart,
“How long?”—nor might I rest. So I wandered out from the kraal that was
named Duguza to the great cleft in the mountains yonder, and sat down
upon a rock high up in the cleft, so that I could see the wide lands
rolling to the north and the south, to my right and to my left. Now,
the day was drawing towards the night, and the air was very still, for
the heat was great and a tempest was gathering, as I, who am a
Heaven-Herd, knew well. The sun sank redly, flooding the land with
blood; it was as though all the blood that Chaka had shed flowed about
the land which Chaka ruled. Then from the womb of the night great
shapes of cloud rose up and stood before the sun, and he crowned them
with his glory, and in their hearts the lightning quivered like a blood
of fire. The shadow of their wings fell upon the mountain and the
plains, and beneath their wings was silence. Slowly the sun sank, and
the shapes of cloud gathered together like a host at the word of its
captain, and the flicker of the lightning was as the flash of the
spears of a host. I looked, and my heart grew afraid. The lightning
died away, the silence deepened and deepened till I could hear it, no
leaf moved, no bird called, the world seemed dead—I alone lived in the
dead world.
Now, of a sudden, my father, a bright star fell from the height of
heaven and lit upon the crest of the storm, and as it lit the storm
burst. The grey air shivered, a moan ran about the rocks and died away,
then an icy breath burst from the lips of the tempest and rushed across
the earth. It caught the falling star and drove it on towards me, a
rushing globe of fire, and as it came the star grew and took shape, and
the shape it took was the shape of a woman. I knew her now, my father;
while she was yet far off I knew her—the Inkosazana who came as she had
promised, riding down the storm. On she swept, borne forward by the
blast, and oh! she was terrible to see, for her garment was the
lightning, lightnings shone from her wide eyes and lightnings were in
her streaming hair, while in her hand was a spear of fire, and she
shook it as she came. Now she was at the mouth of the pass; before her
was stillness, behind her beat the wings of the storm, the thunder
roared, the rain hissed like snakes; she rushed on past me, and as she
passed she turned her awful eyes upon me, withering me. She was there!
she was gone! but she spoke no word, only shook her flaming spear. Yet
it seemed to me that the storm spoke, that the rocks cried aloud, that
the rain hissed out a word in my ear, and the word was:—
“_Smite, Mopo!_”
I heard it in my heart, or with my ears, what does it matter? Then I
turned to look; through the rush of the tempest and the reek of the
rain, still I could see her sweeping forward high in air. Now the kraal
Duguza was beneath her feet, and the flaming spear fell from her hand
upon the kraal and fire leaped up in answer.
Then she passed on over the edge of the world, seeking her own place.
Thus, my father, for the third and last time did my eyes see the
Inkosazana-y-Zulu, or mayhap my heart dreamed that I saw her. Soon I
shall see her again, but it will not be here.
For a while I sat there in the cleft, then I rose and fought my way
through the fury of the storm back to the kraal Duguza. As I drew near
the kraal I heard cries of fear coming through the roaring of the wind
and the hiss of the rain. I entered and asked one of the matter, and it
was told me that fire from above had fallen on the hut of the king as
he lay sleeping, and all the roof of the hut was burned away, but that
the rain had put out the fire.
Then I went on till I came to the front of the great hut, and I saw by
the light of the moon, which now shone out in the heavens, that there
before it stood Chaka, shaking with fear, and the water of the rain was
running down him, while he stared at the great hut, of which all the
thatch was burned.
I saluted the king, asking him what evil thing had happened. Seeing me,
he seized me by the arm, and clung to me as, when the slayers are at
hand, a child clings to his father, drawing me after him into a small
hut that was near.
“What evil thing has befallen, O King?” I said again, when light had
been made.
“Little have I known of fear, Mopo,” said Chaka, “yet I am afraid now;
ay, as much afraid as when once on a bygone night the dead hand of
Baleka summoned something that walked upon the faces of the dead.”
“And what fearest thou, O King, who art the lord of all the earth?”
Now Chaka leaned forward and whispered to me: “Hearken, Mopo, I have
dreamed a dream. When the judgment of those witches was done with, I
went and laid me down to sleep while it was yet light, for I can
scarcely sleep at all when darkness has swallowed up the world. My
sleep has gone from me—that sister of thine, Baleka, took my sleep with
her to the place of death. I laid me down and I slept, but a dream
arose and sat by me with a hooded face, and showed me a picture. It
seemed to me that the wall of my hut fell down, and I saw an open
place, and in the centre of the place I lay dead, covered with many
wounds, while round my corpse my brothers Dingaan and Umhlangana
stalked in pride like lions. On the shoulders of Umhlangana was my
royal kaross, and there was blood on the kaross; and in the hand of
Dingaan was my royal spear, and there was blood upon the spear. Then,
in the vision of my dream, Mopo, thou didst draw near, and, lifting thy
hand, didst give the royal salute of _Bayéte_ to these brothers of
mine, and with thy foot didst spurn the carcase of me, thy king. Then
the hooded Dream pointed upwards and was gone, and I awoke, and lo!
fire burned in the roof of my hut. Thus I dreamed, Mopo, and now, my
servant, say thou, wherefore should I not slay thee, thou who wouldst
serve other kings than I, thou who wouldst give my royal salute to the
princes, my brothers?” and he glared upon me fiercely.
“As thou wilt, O King!” I answered gently. “Doubtless thy dream was
evil, and yet more evil was the omen of the fire that fell upon thy
hut. And yet—” and I ceased.
“And yet—Mopo, thou faithless servant?”
“And yet, O King, it seems to me in my folly that it were well to
strike the head of the snake and not its tail, for without the tail the
head may live, but not the tail without the head.”
“Thou wouldst say, Mopo, that if these princes die never canst thou or
any other man give them the royal names. Do I hear aright, Mopo?”
“Who am I that I should lift up my voice asking for the blood of
princes?” I answered. “Judge thou, O King!”
Now, Chaka brooded awhile, then he spoke: “Say, Mopo, can it be done
this night?”
“There are but few men in the kraal, O King. All are gone out to war;
and of those few many are the servants of the princes, and perhaps they
might give blow for blow.”
“How then, Mopo?”
“Nay, I know not, O King; yet at the great kraal beyond the river sits
that regiment which is named the Slayers. By midday to-morrow they
might be here, and then—”
“Thou speakest wisely, my child Mopo; it shall be for to-morrow. Go
summon the regiment of the Slayers, and, Mopo, see that thou fail me
not.”
“If I fail thee, O King, then I fail myself, for it seems that my life
hangs on this matter.”
“If all the words that ever passed thy lips are lies, yet is that word
true, Mopo,” said Chaka: “moreover, know this, my servant: if aught
miscarries thou shalt die no common death. Begone!”
“I hear the king,” I answered, and went out.
Now, my father, I knew well that Chaka had doomed me to die, though
first he would use me to destroy the princes. But I feared nothing, for
I knew this also, that the hour of Chaka was come at last.
For a while I sat in my hut pondering, then when all men slept I arose
and crept like a snake by many paths to the hut of Dingaan the prince,
who awaited me on that night. Following the shadow of the hut, I came
to the door and scratched upon it after a certain fashion. Presently it
was opened, and I crawled in, and the door was shut again. Now there
was a little light in the hut, and by its flame I saw the two princes
sitting side by side, wrapped about with blankets which hung before
their brows.
“Who is this that comes?” said the Prince Dingaan.
Then I lifted the blanket from my head so that they might see my face,
and they also drew the blankets from their brows. I spoke, saying:
“Hail to you, Princes, who to-morrow shall be dust! Hail to you, sons
of Senzangacona, who to-morrow shall be spirits!” and I pointed towards
them with my withered hand.
Now the princes were troubled, and shook with fear.
“What meanest thou, thou dog, that thou dost speak to us words of such
ill-omen?” said the Prince Dingaan in a low voice.
“Where dost thou point at us with that white and withered hand of
thine, Wizard?” hissed the Prince Umhlangana.
“Have I not told you, O ye Princes!” I whispered, “that ye must strike
or die, and has not your heart failed you? Now hearken! Chaka has
dreamed another dream; now it is Chaka who strikes, and ye are already
dead, ye children of Senzangacona.”
“If the slayers of the king be without the gates, at least thou shalt
die first, thou who hast betrayed us!” quoth the Prince Dingaan, and
drew an assegai from under his kaross.
“First hear the king’s dream, O Prince,” I said; “then, if thou wilt,
kill me, and die. Chaka the king slept and dreamed that he lay dead,
and that one of you, the princes, wore his royal kaross.”
“Who wore the royal kaross?” asked Dingaan, eagerly; and both looked
up, waiting on my words.
“The Prince Umhlangana wore it—in the dream of Chaka—O Dingaan, shoot
of a royal stock!” I answered slowly, taking snuff as I spoke, and
watching the two of them over the edge of my snuff-spoon.
Now Dingaan scowled heavily at Umhlangana; but the face of Umhlangana
was as the morning sky.
“Chaka dreamed this also,” I went on: “that one of you, the princes,
held his royal spear.”
“Who held the royal spear?” asked Umhlangana.
“The Prince Dingaan held it—in the dream of Chaka—O Umhlangana, sprung
from the root of kings!—and it dripped blood.”
Now the face of Umhlangana grew dark as night, but that of Dingaan
brightened like the dawn.
“Chaka dreamed this also: that I, Mopo, your dog, who am not worthy to
be mentioned with such names, came up and gave the royal salute, even
the _Bayéte_.”
“To whom didst thou give the _Bayéte_, O Mopo, son of Makedama?” asked
both of the princes as with one breath, waiting on my words.
“I gave it to both of you, O twin stars of the morning, princes of the
Zulu—in the dream of Chaka I gave it to both of you.”
Now the princes looked this way and that, and were silent, not knowing
what to say, for these princes hated each other, though adversity and
fear had brought them to one bed.
“But what avails it to talk thus, ye lords of the land,” I went on,
“seeing that, both of you, ye are already as dead men, and that
vultures which are hungry to-night to-morrow shall be filled with meat
of the best? Chaka the king is now a Doctor of Dreams, and to clear
away such a dream as this he has a purging medicine.”
Now the brows of these brothers grew black indeed, for they saw that
their fate was on them.
“These are the words of Chaka the king, O ye bulls who lead the herd!
All are doomed, ye twain and I, and many another man who loves us. In
the great kraal beyond the river there sits a regiment: it is
summoned—and then—good-night! Have ye any words to say to those yet
left upon the earth? Perhaps it will be given to me to live a little
while after ye are gone, and I may bring them to their ears.”
“Can we not rise up now and fall upon Chaka?” asked Dingaan.
“It is not possible,” I said; “the king is guarded.”
“Hast thou no plan, Mopo?” groaned Umhlangana. “Methinks thou hast a
plan to save us.”
“And if I have a plan, ye Princes, what shall be my reward? It must be
great, for I am weary of life, and I will not use my wisdom for a
little thing.”
Now both the princes offered me good things, each of them promising
more than the other, as two young men who are rivals promise to the
father of a girl whom both would wed. I listened, saying always that it
was not enough, till in the end both of them swore by their heads, and
by the bones of Senzangacona, their father, and by many other things,
that I should be the first man in the land, after them, its kings, and
should command the impis of the land, if I would but show them a way to
kill Chaka and become kings. Then, when they had done swearing, I
spoke, weighing my words:—
“In the great kraal beyond the river, O ye Princes, there sit, not one
regiment but two. One is named the Slayers and loves Chaka the king,
who has done well by them, giving them cattle and wives. The other is
named the Bees, and that regiment is hungry and longs for cattle and
girls; moreover, of that regiment the Prince Umhlangana is the general,
and it loves him. Now this is my plan—to summon the Bees in the name of
Umhlangana, not the Slayers in the name of Chaka. Bend forward, O
Princes, that I may whisper in your ears.”
So they bent forward, and I whispered awhile of the death of a king,
and the sons of Senzangacona nodded their heads as one man in answer.
Then I rose up, and crept from the hut as I had entered it, and rousing
certain trusty messengers, I dispatched them, running swiftly through
the night.