"Many moons had now waxed and waned, and at length we began to feel
secure from all pursuit and danger at the hands of Tshaka, and of a
truth the _impis_ of the Great King would have found it a difficult
matter to travel over the dreadful waste we had left behind us. For we
had carried off all the cattle and destroyed the crops of such tribes as
we had fallen in with, and that designedly, in order to delay and harass
by scarcity of food a force so large as would of necessity be sent in
pursuit of us. Now, moreover, we began to feel great, for our flocks
and herds had become considerable, and many captives had we spared in
order to tend these along the march.
"We had come to a fair land, well watered with flowing streams, and
waving with sweet grass. Here the King ordered a large kraal to be
built, which was done, and this great circle, in size as that of
Nodwengu, stood fair and large upon these plains where surely never such
a royal dwelling was seen before. The huts stood three deep within the
ring-fences of mimosa, and the great open space in the centre served for
mustering the warriors and holding dances and ceremonies of state. At
the upper side was the _Isigodhlo_, or royal enclosure, partitioned off
by palisades of finely woven grass, and containing the King's dwelling,
together with the huts of the royal women and those of the _Izinceku_,
or court attendants, of whom I was now one. It was a noble kraal, and
we who had wandered those many moons a homeless people, looking upon our
work with a shout of pride, named it `Ekupumuleni'--`the place of rest.'
"At that time the jealousy wherewith I was regarded by many, including
some of the _indunas_, grew apace, and by none was it shown more freely
than by my father, Ntelani, and the _induna_ Gungana. These were not
slow to whisper abroad that I, being so young a man and unringed, was
not the one to hold such a position of trust as that of _inceku_, having
free access at all times to the _Isigodhlo_ or royal enclosure; for this
office was usually held by middle-aged or elderly men, and wearing the
ring. But if any of such talk reached the ears of the King, as, indeed,
what did not? he gave no sign of being influenced thereby, for he kept
me about him, showing me the same favour as before. So I troubled not
overmuch about the ill-will of the _izinduna_, but made light of it;
wherein, _Nkose_, I was the very first among fools.
"Another party was there who regarded me with even greater hostility,
and this was that of the _izanusi_; for had I not been the means of
bringing old Masuka among them to make their magic of no effect against
his? So they plotted day and night to accuse me before the King, and
procure my death and that of the old Mosutu. Yet were they fearful to
do this, for Umzilikazi loved one stalwart and daring warrior more than
a whole regiment of _izanusi_, in whose powers he was in his heart at no
time a great believer; wherefore I felt safe, and laughed to myself at
the malice of both _izanusi_ and _izinduna_.
"About two days' march from where we had planted our kraal there arose
ranges of mountains rugged and steep, their summits crowned with
straight cliffs, and their bases split up into rifts and chasms and
great gloomy ravines. Here there dwelt a tribe, or tribes, men of which
we had encountered during our scouting or hunting expeditions. They
were men of short, broad stature, and seemed not altogether without
valour, for although in the fewness of their numbers they would flee
before our armed legions, yet when they found themselves among the
towering crags of their rocky retreat, which they scaled with surprising
agility and fearlessness, they would turn and hurl at us defiance and
jeering insult. In aspect they were like the kindred of old Masuka, but
shorter and broader, and many were armed with bows and arrows as well as
with assegai and battle-axe. These the King was for leaving in peace as
long as they kept to their mountain retreat, for they seemed to possess
but few cattle. But when we found any of them out upon the plain we
would pursue them, at times killing some, for that land we considered as
the hunting-ground of the King alone, and who were these dogs that they
should kill game upon it?
"Soon there came a time, however, when the King's forbearance made them
over-bold, for a band of them dared to creep down from their mountain
home, and at night, entering our cattle kraals, which were situated
outside our great kraal, drove off quite a number of the King's oxen.
Then, indeed, did these mad ones bring death upon themselves, for who
shall smite the trunk of the Great Elephant with a wand and live to
boast thereof? An _impi_ was sent in pursuit, and, coming up with the
robbers, slew many, and, indeed, not one would have escaped but that
darkness came on, and thus a few slipped away. Yet those who were slain
did not lie down and beg for mercy. They fought--oh yes, they fought,
dying hard like trapped lions; moreover, their little arrows, being
tipped with a strong and subtle poison, caused the death of those who
received so much as a scratch. Then Umzilikazi, enraged, ordered out a
powerful _impi_ to scour out the mountains and utterly destroy these
vermin, that not one should be left on the face of the earth.
"Before this was done, however, our _izanusi_ thought they saw their
opportunity, and accordingly they came before the King, dancing and
howling in all their array of `charms' and magic, and clamoured for the
death of Masuka, declaring that these were his own people, and accusing
him of having bewitched our warriors, for since such a tiny scratch
caused by so contemptible a weapon as those little arrows produced death
where a great spear-gash failed to prove fatal, it was clear that
_tagati_ was at work. Indeed, such a riot did they make, and so loud
and persistent was their clamour, that Umzilikazi ordered the old Mosutu
to stand forth and answer the charge. Now, this befell immediately upon
our return from punishing the cattle-robbers, whom we had overtaken not
half a day distant from our kraal.
"`These are not of my people, O King,' said Masuka, `although they are
akin to them. They are Baputi mixed with men of the Gqunaqua race,
whose arrows thus deal death. But if I have bewitched the "hunting
dogs" of the King, at least I can cure them. Can Isilwana do the like?'
"The man named, _Nkose_, was the chief of our _izanusi_. When he heard
Masuka's words he howled the louder, for now he began to fear.
"`That is a fair answer,' said the King--`a fair test, too. Let those
wounded by the arrows be brought.'
"Now, of those thus wounded but two remained alive, the remainder having
died on the way. These two were soon brought before the King. Both
were young men of my own age, both were in a state of stupor and
breathing heavily. One was wounded in the shoulder, the other in the
leg, but both wounds were mere scratches. The latter of these was
selected by Masuka, who directed that he should be taken to his hut,
and, ordering all others out, entered and shut himself up with the
warrior alone. Round the other wounded man our witch-doctors danced and
howled. One produced from him a snake, another a lizard, another a hard
pellet made of the hair of animals and the fibres of trees intertwined,
but all to no purpose. The stupor of the young man grew heavier and
heavier, and at length all could see that he was dead.
"Then a deep silence fell, and the face of the King wore a look such as
I would not have liked to see, beholding it through the eyes of
Isilwana. And upon the silence could be heard the low humming
incantation song, rising every now and again into a shrill chant, from
Masuka's hut; and this lasted until the sun touched the distant
mountains. Then the old Mosutu came forth.
"`What of the wounded man?' said the King; `does he live?'
"`He lives, Black Elephant,' answered Masuka. `If he is left in my hut
the night through with the King's guard over it, he shall walk forth in
the morning to fight the battles of the Great Great One again.'
"`Ha! that is well. And this one--does he live?'
"Now, all the _izanusi_ cried out that he did, and that he would
presently stand up alive and well. But we, who at a sign from the King
had stepped forward, shouted that this was not so. The warrior was
dead. His jaw had fallen, and his eyeballs, strained and sightless,
stared blankly up to heaven. Then the King spoke:
"`It is clear that if witchcraft has been used it is not by Masuka,
since his _muti_ can restore life where that of Isilwana cannot. And
since the _muti_ of Isilwana is of no use, clearly Isilwana is an
impostor and no _isanusi_ at all. _Take him hence_!'
"So Isilwana was seized and dragged forth by the executioners, to find,
beneath their knobsticks, the same death which he had been the cause of
bringing upon others, and while the remainder of the _izanusi_ lay on
their faces groaning, in dread lest the same fate should overtake
themselves, all the people loudly acclaimed the justice of the King. I,
however, great as my faith in Masuka was, began to fear greatly lest his
_muti_ also should prove unavailing, in which case the people would
certainly cry for his death with such accord that Umzilikazi could
hardly refuse compliance; in which event my own would seem within more
measurable distance, for it seemed that my fate was linked and
interwoven in some manner with his. Howbeit, that night we danced the
war-dance and were doctored, and then, in the joy of anticipated battle,
I lost sight of all fears; nor need I, indeed, have felt any, for on the
morrow the wounded man walked forth alive and well, into the midst of
those who had been sent by the King to guard Masuka's hut.
"We started before daylight, two thousand strong, for we had got tidings
that the Baputi numbered more than we had at first thought, and that
they had several caves and fortified strongholds which would require a
large force and some hard fighting to overcome. But the insult offered
to our King and nation was so great that, at all hazards, this pestilent
tribe must be stamped off the face of the earth. A damp mist lay upon
the land, and as we paraded before the King, we could not see more than
a few spear-lengths along the ranks. The roar of the _Bayete_ went up
from every throat, and, wheeling, we marched down the great kraal, and
filed out through the lower gate.
"Outside the kraal gates a company of girls had gathered, singing a
martial song to encourage us to deeds of daring. They were divided into
two ranks, and as we passed between, I caught the eye of Nangeza
standing among the crowd, and it seemed as though she were singing to me
alone. And as I looked, I saw that another was feasting his glance upon
her, and that one was Gungana, the _induna_ in command of the
expedition. He was gazing upon her approvingly, and also with an air as
though she were already his. The look seemed to say, `When I return,
thy father shall be satisfied, Nangeza. He shall have the _lobola_ he
has named.' This was what the look seemed to say, _Nkose_, and that as
plain as words; and reading it thus, I said to myself as I gripped my
weapons: `Ha, Gungana! not yet! A powerful _induna_ has no more lives
than an ordinary warrior, and the life of this one is between two
deaths--that dealt out by the King's enemies, and that by the King's
soldier whose bravery thou hast stolen, and whose bride thou wouldst
fain steal also. Be careful, Gungana, be careful!' Thus, with the fire
of vengeance in my heart, I marched forth with the _impi_, and
re-echoing in full chorus the fierce notes of the battle-song which the
girls had led, we left Ekupumuleni far behind us, taking our way on and
on into the enshrouding mist.
"All that day we marched, keeping as much as possible in bushy ravines
and low-lying ground, the while throwing out scouts some distance on
either side to cut off wandering Baputi who might convey tidings of our
arrival to their people. Then at evening we saw the rugged and towering
mountain-range against the sky in front. We halted awhile for a brief
rest, then pushed on the night through, albeit we would have preferred
more darkness to conceal our advance, for the moon was bright and nearly
at half.
"Even in all our pride of war we felt some stirring of misgiving as we
looked upon those great rock walls, grim and threatening in the
moonlight, and pierced with black fissures and caves, at those steep,
rugged slopes strewn with stones and loose boulders. In such black and
horrible holes, among the bats and baboons, did these _abatagati_ dwell;
and then we thought of the deadly little poison sticks coming at us in
clouds from these dark dens, and our hearts were filled with rage and
hatred against these miserable cowards, who would not fight fair, man to
man and spear to spear, but met us with such unsoldierlike weapons as
poisoned darts thrown from behind stones, and we vowed utterly to
destroy, to the very last living thing, the whole of this evil and
foul-dealing crew.
"Silently beneath the white light of the moon we swept up the deep,
narrow defile which we knew led to the strongholds of these _abatagati_.
It was a dark and ugly place. Huge red cliff walls on either side rose
high up to heaven, leaning forward as though about to fall against each
other, and as we entered further and further it seemed that we were
penetrating the gloomy heart of the earth.
"Just before day broke we saw a cloud of dust some distance ahead of us,
and now every heart beat quicker, every eye brightened, every hand
gripped weapon and shield. We were ordered to advance at a run, but
even then it seemed we could get no nearer to that dust-cloud. But as
the dawn fell we could see that it was caused by a large herd of cattle,
which was being urged forward by a number of figures, which at that
distance we could see were those of both men and women, also a few
children.
"They were still a great way off, and, going uphill, could, accustomed
as they were to mountains, travel every bit as fast as we could. Then
they turned into another defile as gloomy and overhung as the first, and
entering this, we came upon one of those we were pursuing.
"He was lying on the ground. As we leaped forward to make an end of
him, we saw that others had spared us the trouble. He was still a
living man, but his wrinkled carcase was bleeding from many wounds. He
was a very old man, and could not keep up, so his kindred had speared
him lest, falling into our hands, he should give information as to their
position and resources. And this, in fact, he was just able to do,
pointing out where their stronghold lay, though we could not understand
the tongue with which he spoke. So we killed him at once--which,
indeed, saved him much pain, as he could never have lived, because of
the wounds his own people had inflicted upon him--and went our way
again.
"And now, a long distance in front of us, we could see those of whom we
were in pursuit, urging on their cattle. A long, steep, rugged slope
led up to the cliff-belted summit of the mountain, and the highest point
of this slope they had nearly gained. Then we saw the files of cattle
enter and disappear into what seemed the base of the cliff itself, and
after them their drivers. Ha! This, then, was their stronghold, a cave
or some such dark hole, whence we must dislodge them? At any rate,
there they were in a trap. At whatever loss to ourselves, we would
score them off the face of the earth. So we were commanded to march
slowly, in order that we might arrive sufficiently fresh to swarm up
that steep slope and carry the place by storm.
"Then, as we marched up that deep, narrow defile--a sea of fierce, eager
faces and glittering spear-points and tufted shields--we raised the
war-song of Umzilikazi:
"`Yaingahlabi leyo'nkunzi!
Yai ukufa!'
"And the great overhanging cliff walls flung back from one to the other
its booming thunder-notes in mighty echoes.
"When we arrived beneath their fastness, by order of Gungana one of our
men called aloud that the Baputi should come down--they and their
cattle, and their wives, and their children--and deliver themselves into
the hand of the great King, the Mighty Elephant of the Amandebili, whose
majesty they had offended, and this speedily, lest all be put to the
assegai. But, just when we thought we had cried to deaf ears, one of
them appeared suddenly and high above us, shouting in a dark and uncouth
tongue which none of as could understand. But he accompanied his speech
with laughter and the most insulting of actions, and this we could
understand; wherefore, at the word from Gungana, with a roar we surged
up the slope.
"_Whau, Nkose_! How shall I tell what followed? We had reached the top
of the slope, albeit somewhat breathless, and saw nothing before us but
the cliff face. Then suddenly the mountain seemed to crack and totter,
and there fell forward upon us with a sound as of thunder such huge
masses of rock that we thought the whole cliff had come away upon us.
_Hau_! that was a sight! Clouds of dust rose from the slope and towered
aloft to the heavens as these immense rocks struck the ground and went
tearing and crashing downward as though the earth were rent up by the
roots; and then the wild, shrill yells of surprise and alarm which went
up from our people as they rolled and flung themselves out of the way of
the falling mountain--as we thought it! _Hau_! Many were crushed,
powdered, lying there stamped flat into the earth as the rocks had
passed over them; and I--I had escaped the same fate by no wider a space
than the thickness of my shield.
"The way was clear for us now, for we saw before us a great dark opening
in the base of the cliff extending for some length. But before we could
gain it there was a high ridge, as it were a rampart of rock, crowning
the rounded spur in a semicircle. Soaring the war-shout, we were about
to leap across this, when a loud call from our leaders peremptorily
forbade as, and we paused in the very leap.
"Not all, though. Some in the wild impetuosity of their course had
already sprung, and these were writhing below in the agony of death and
wounds, writhing transfixed. For on the other side of this ridge lay a
depressed hollow studded with bristling spear-points, standing upright
from the ground.
"And now, as we stood there massed upon the ridge, assegais began to
whiz among as, hurled from the dark mouth in the cliff in front; arrows,
too, the dreaded little poison sticks, one scratch from which would kill
a man. Yet here our broad shields stood us in good stead, and were soon
quivering with spears and arrows, which but for them would have found a
home in our bodies. But we stayed not there. Following our _indunas_,
we leapt along the ridge, making for each end thereof; and so fiercely
was this done that Gungana and Kalipe, the second _induna_ in command
under him, both entered the cave at the head of their divisions at the
same time. _Hau_! Then it was that the fight began. With a roar that
seemed to split the heart of the very mountain itself we sprang at them.
They could not stand against our furious charge and the weight of our
numbers, yet as fast as we beat them down beneath our knobsticks and
shields they would half rise, or, lying wounded unto death, would grip
the legs of our warriors and overthrow them, driving their spears or
poisoned arrows into their bodies, until we were veritably treading our
way over piles and layers of the slain, both friend and foe. Still
others would rise up in front of us just when we reckoned the last were
reached. _Whau_! How they fought, those wizards who dwelt in caves!
how they died! It seemed as though a warrior who had fought right hard
before only began to fight after he had been beaten down, for then it
was that, fierce and desperate, and in the throes of death, he would
grip and stab, and even tear with his teeth, those who were slaying him.
_Haul_ I was mad that day! I was bleeding from wounds, but at this I
laughed, even though they might be the poison wounds for which there is
no cure. I struck till my heavy knobstick was painted with gore. I
slashed with my broad _umkonto_, and it seemed that my arm was shivered
beneath the blows that rained upon my great war-shield. Yet fought I no
more bravely than many another.
"Further and further had we pressed them back into the cavern, until now
we were fighting almost beyond the light of day, and still fresh
warriors seemed to rise up to meet us, only to be borne back beneath the
weight of our numbers, the fury of our blows. And, indeed, had more
than twice our own numbers sprung suddenly upon us, we could not have
fallen back had we wished, for the eagerness of those who pressed on
behind. But where were their women, where their cattle?
"Stumbling, rolling, catching our footing again, choking with the dust
and hot foetid atmosphere, we beat them backward step by step, the now
black gloom ringing with a deafening and hideous clamour, the roar of
our war-shout, the shrill, vengeful yells of the maddened Baputi, and
the shrieks and groans of the wounded and dying. _Hau_! I saw flames,
sparks! I bathed in a sea of fire, of blood! That was a fight! That
was a fight!
"And then the gloom seemed to brighten, and we saw a glimmer of daylight
in front. This came from above; and now we could see that the cavern
branched out into several forks, some seeming to ascend into the light,
others holding on straight into the blackest of gloom. And down these
latter we heard the lowing of cattle, the shrill voices of women and of
children.
"`Ha! Izinkomo!' shouted the bulk of our warriors, pouring after these
in pursuit. But I, with several others, was so hard engaged with an
extra fierce and resolute body of Baputi that we thought little of spoil
either in cattle or women, in the delirious madness of hard fighting.
We pressed this group step by step up one of these lightening tunnels,
slaying and being slain, until at length we gained the outer day; and
here, poised high above the world, we continued the battle in the golden
sunlight once more, on the flat-topped summit of the mountain. Then our
enemies broke and fled, but flee as they would we followed them swift of
foot, sheathing our spears in their backs as they ran, or in their
breasts as they turned. One whom I had pursued till I could draw breath
no longer ran straight to the brow of the cliff. _Au_! it was an awful
and dizzy height, as though one were looking down from the heaven
itself. I sprang after him roaring, my assegai--now wet and foul with
blood--uplifted. He did not wait, though. He leaped forth into space,
but in the very act of leaping from that dreadful brink he half turned
and hurled his knobstick; and as I saw him leap the heavy knob met me in
the forehead with a mighty crash. Then was whirling, roaring night, and
after it silent darkness."