"FAREWELL, GUNGANA!"
"To that night of dreamless sleep there came an awakening at last. The
sun was pouring down upon my naked shoulders, and, wounded and exhausted
as I was, it seemed that I had awakened in the fire. We had begun the
fight at daybreak, but now, as I lifted my head and looked about, the
sun was within an hour of his rest. A silence as of the dead reigned
around, and from the lofty height where I lay I could see other
mountain-tops, some flat like this one, others rent into jagged peaks,
rolling around in a confused sea.
"A shadow swept between me and the sun, followed by another and another.
I looked up. They were vultures. Then came a flap, flap of wings as a
number of them rose from the corpse of a slain Baputi upon which they
had already been feeding. A little longer of sleep, of insensibility,
and the horrible creatures would have begun upon me likewise!
"Then I rose to my feet. I was covered with blood, and stiff and sore.
I ached all over from the blows I had received, but as I stretched my
limbs I knew that not a bone was injured, although my bruises were many.
But now--to get away from here.
"I looked around. There was no sign of life on the flat summit of the
mountain. I looked over the brink of the cliff, which fell straight and
sheer to a great depth. There was no sign of life beneath. Our _impi_
would long since have departed, driving before it the spoils in cattle
and women, and yet, as I looked down, I seemed not to be looking into
the defile by which we had advanced. I, of course, would not be much
missed. I should simply be reported as one of the slain.
"And now, as I took in thoroughly the situation, I reckoned that I must
have covered a long distance in pursuit of the flying Baputi; for I
could not find the outlet by which I had emerged, though more than once
I nearly fell headlong into a black fissure or hole which, well-nigh
hidden in the long grass, yawned for the bodies of men. These pits,
_Nkose_, were ugly to look upon, so straight and black did they go down.
And the depth! _Whau_! I would drop a stone in and listen, but it
seemed long before any sound was heard, and then so far down. Nor was
that all; for again I would hear it farther down still, and yet again,
till it was enough to chill a man's blood to listen, such was the depth
of these black and horrible holes. And so many of them were there that
the difficulty of finding the one by which I had come up would be very
great.
"Yet this must be done, for by the flat formation of the mountain, and
the height and straightness of the cliffs that belted it, I feared there
was no way hence but that by which I had come; and could I even find
this, now that the heat of battle was over, I relished not the task of
creeping back alone through that gruesome cavern in the darkness,
treading over those stark and piled-up corpses both of our warriors and
of our foes. _Hau_! that would be a feat of terror indeed. And then
came back to me the visions I had beheld in the _muti_ bowl of old
Masuka, and I, who feared no man, nor any number of men coming against
me with spear and shield, now trembled. For had not his magic so far
proved true--the mountain, the dark crowd of men swarming like ants up
the slope, the crash and splitting of the rock, the towering cloud of
dust? _Ou_! it was terrible. The first vision had been fulfilled
exactly as I had beheld it in the bowl. In the heat of the assault, the
fierceness of the battle, I had lost sight of this; but now it came back
with renewed force. As to the other visions also, my memory was
strangely beclouded, yet that they too would befall I doubted not.
"Now, as I explored the summit of the mountain, I did so warily, and not
showing myself over-much at the edge, for it might well be that some of
our enemies had escaped and called together others of the tribe, if
others there were, and these, catching sight of me from beneath, might
well waylay and kill me by whatever way I might manage to descend. Also
I proceeded cautiously, with my broad-bladed, short-hafted assegai in my
right hand and my large war-shield in readiness in my left, and thus was
prepared for any enemy who might spring up, as it were, out of the
ground. Yet, if I would find my way down that night, it must be
quickly, for the sun was already touching the mountain-peaks opposite,
causing the great ironstone cliff faces to glow like fire.
"Suddenly, rounding a large rock, I came upon a man--a tall man--armed.
Up went his shield and assegai in readiness, even as did mine, as I
stopped short. Then I saw he was one of ourselves.
"`Greeting, son of Ntelani,' he said. `What do you here?'
"`Greeting, Gungana, _induna_ of the King,' I answered. `What do _you_
here?'
"`_Au_!' he cried, springing up from the rock against which he had been
leaning, his eyes flashing with anger. `Is it in that tone thou talkest
to me, thou jackal-whelp--to _me_, dog-cub?'
"`Spare me, father,' I answered in mock fear, for I had a design in
deceiving him, `spare me! My head has had a hard knock. It may be
that.'
"`In truth, thou speakest only just in time to save thy head from a far
harder knock, _umfane_, for the knobsticks of the King's executioners
come down hard upon the skulls of rebellious soldiers who disobey and
insult their commanders.'
"Now, _Nkose_, my blood boiled within me. The sneering `_umfane_' to
me, who, although not ringed, was yet an _inceku_, was too much.
Gungana should pay for that sneer. Moreover, self-preservation called
out loudly within me. For nothing less than my death would satisfy this
chief, the deadly import of whose words struck full upon my mind. A
charge of mutiny and disobedience brought against me by a commander of
Gungana's standing, the King, reproaching me as he often did with
rashness and lack of judgment, could hardly discredit, and would
certainly not pardon. It was my death or that of Gungana. But I
answered with deference:
"`How is it you are all alone here, my father? Have all men gone away
and left their chief?'
"`They have, but they shall mourn for it,' he answered. `I followed
those _abatagati_ dogs up here alone, but so many and so perilous are
the holes that I know not by which one of them we came up nor by which
we shall go down.'
"`By none of them shall _we_ go down, my father,' I shouted. `By none
of them shall _we_ go down, for one of us shall remain up here for
ever!'
"`Truly that knock on the head was a hard one,' he said. `The _umfane_
has gone mad, quite mad!'
"`Not so, _induna_ of the King,' I answered. `It is your death or mine.
Now--stand ready!'
"I could have rushed upon and killed him in his first surprise, _Nkose_,
and this was my original intention, yet, much as I hated him, he was a
brave man, and had led me to battle almost ever since I was able to
fight. Nor, though I have slain many, did I ever like to strike a man
unprepared. Wherefore I called upon him to stand to his defence.
"I had not to call upon him twice. As soon as he saw that I meant my
words, no time did he give me, for he came at me with his spear
uplifted. But I caught it on my shield, and at the same time the stab
which I aimed at him glanced off the surface of his. Not a moment did
we thus remain together, for, withdrawing, we sprang at each other
again. Still, each was so dexterous in the art of handling his shield
that we could not hurt each other. Our chests heaved and panted, and
our eyes glared, yet not a word did we speak, not a sound did we utter;
in silence we fought, for this was a combat to the death.
"As we charged each other for the third time, I hurled my heavy
knobstick with all my force at Gungana's forehead. But so quick was his
eye that he just moved his head and the kerrie went whizzing away into
the grass behind him. Then once more we closed. Ha, I was wounded!
The keen flash of the blade ripped and seared my shoulder like hot iron,
but, regardless of risk, I now became impetuous, and struck down wildly
over his guard. But this the chief easily parried, uttering a short
contemptuous laugh, which angering me, I pressed him so hard that he
began to fall back step by step, nor could he get in a fair stroke at
me, so close put to it was he to defend himself from mine.
"And now it seemed that his age was beginning to go against him, for,
skilful fighter as he was, Gungana was long past the flower of his
youth, and in a protracted struggle my strength was bound to tell. Yet
even then I know not how the matter might have ended but for what next
befell.
"I had pressed him back further and further. He was on higher ground
than myself. _Yau_! sometimes I see him now in my thoughts as he stood
that evening, thrown out blackly against the heavens, which were flaming
blood red where the sun had just sunk down. I myself had drawn back a
few paces to make a feint before rushing in at him again, when suddenly
he disappeared feet foremost as he stood; disappeared into the earth,
flinging his shield and assegais wildly on high as he clutched at the
grass and roots in vain.
"I sprang to the spot warily, for I knew what had befallen. He had sunk
into one of those chasms or fissures of which I have spoken as gaping
half concealed by the grass. Kneeling at the brink, I peered in, and
doing so I thought I could hear the sound of laboured breathing.
"`Are you alive, my father?' I called out. `Is the hole deep?'
"`I have not reached the bottom, Untuswa,' he answered. `I am holding
myself up where the chasm narrows. There are some bushes growing where
we met. Go, cut some, that you may draw me out.'
"But at this I laughed.
"`I am young, O my father--only an _umfane_, as you said just now--but I
am not completely a fool. The knobsticks of the King's executioners
come down hard upon the skulls of rebellious soldiers, O Gungana,
_induna_ of the King,' I mocked.
"`I was but angry, Untuswa. Thou art young, and hast fought right well.
I will name thee to the King, and will "point at" thee in the next
_Tyay'igama_ dance.'
"`Not so, my father. It is Kalipe who will do that--Kalipe, who will
now be in chief command of the King's troops; Kalipe, who does _not_ try
and rob one of the King's brave soldiers of more than half the praise
due to him; Kalipe, who does _not_ rob the soldier of the chance of
obtaining his head-ring, who does _not lobola_ for the girl that soldier
wants. So now, Gungana, I will promote Kalipe to command the King's
army--I, Untuswa the _inceku_; I, Untuswa the _umfane_--and I will do
this _by making the post vacant_.'
"`Thou jackal whelp!' he snarled, disdaining further to ask for mercy,
realising, too, that it was useless, for he knew he had intended my
death, and that I was fully aware he had. `Thou jackal whelp! I would
that I had not spared thee all this while!'
"`It has been a day too long, my father,' I jeered. `Now I shall go
back, and the King will allow me to _tunga_, for he has promised it. I
will _lobola_ for Nangeza, and soon I shall be an _induna_, and she
shall be my "great wife." Then, O Gungana, I will not rest until I have
all your sons and kindred "smelt out" as _abatagati_, and "eaten up."
Old Masuka will see to that; so you may soon expect them in the world of
shades.'
"_Whau, Nkose_! It was not well done, thus to mock and taunt a brave
man and an _induna_ of the King, being helpless. But I was young then,
and I hated Gungana beyond describing. I thought of Nangeza, and how he
would have robbed me of her; I thought of his continual designs to
compass my ruin and death, and I knew there was not room in this world
for him and myself together, and my heart became hard and ferocious as
that of a wild beast.
"`Is it comfortable down there, _induna_ of the King?' I jeered. `Ha!
It is not much of a death for a warrior, for a brave commander of the
King's armies, to die like an ant-bear in a dark hole. Oh no, it is not
much of a death!'
"`Yet shalt thou die a worse one, O dog-whelp!' he answered. `A worse
one--forget not that!'
"`Ha-ha!' I laughed. Then I arose and went a little way, and soon
returned with some large stones. Bending over the hole, as soon as my
eyes became accustomed to the blackness of its depths, I could just make
out the shimmer of Gungana's head-ring some way down. I took the
largest of the stones in both hands, and, poising it over this, I let it
fall. There was a crunching sound, and a deep, convulsive groan; then
the noise of a heavy body rolling and sliding further and further.
"`_Hlala gahle_, Gungana!' I shouted mockingly. `_Hlala gahle_!'
[`Rest in peace.' Zulu form of farewell from a person going away.]
Then I got up to go away.
"But as I rose from the spot, I did not feel glad. The sound of the
stone as it struck Gungana's head, that quavering groan which shot
upward into outer air, seemed to awaken other feelings within me but
those of rejoicing. No, it was not well done, _Nkose_--yet it was to be
my death or his. Still--it was not well done.
"Now the night drew on, and there was a rush of stars out into the
blackness of the heavens, and I dared not move because of the holes and
pitfalls which lay around. So I crouched down beneath the rock beside
which I had first met Gungana, and shivered; for it was cold high up on
that mountain-top, and my light war-adornments were of no use against
the cold. Moreover, I was very hungry, having eaten nothing since
before the attack--that is to say, before daybreak. Then a soft wind
sprang up and wailed mournfully in the long grasses, and again I
shivered, but not only with cold, for it seemed to me that the whole of
that wild mountain-top was haunted--was peopled with the ghosts of those
who had been slain that day, crying and whispering around me in the
darkness; and ever and again I would hear the crunch of the stone upon
Gungana's shaven skull, till I would fain stop my ears to shut out the
sound; but that was of no use, because the sound was in my brain. And
it seemed that Gungana's ghost had come up out of the earth, and was
standing over me with hollow and blazing eyes, till at last I could bear
it no longer, and rose up, resolved to get away from that spot, at any
rate. So I walked on cautiously, and singing softly to myself to drive
away these evil shapes of the darkness, and, wearied as I was, I
preferred movement, for it warmed me.
"But towards morning a thick mist sprang up, and now I knew no longer
what direction I was taking. I snuffed the wind, but it was coming in
fitful puffs equally from every direction. Fearing to walk over the
cliff, I returned to retrace my steps, and then--_Au_! that is a moment
I can never forget, even now, old as I am. The ground failed beneath
me, and I shot downwards feet foremost into the earth. For one
sickening moment thus I fell, then stopped with a jerk. The stick of my
shield, my hold of which I had not relaxed, had wedged somehow crosswise
and arrested my fall; and there I hung suspended in this black chasm,
even as Gungana had hung suspended.
"But the straight drop seemed to end here, for I could now feel the rock
with my feet sloping obliquely down. However, it was all the same, for
I could not climb up; I had fallen too far and the sides were too
straight for that. _Whau_! Gungana had spoken truly when he had
predicted for me a worse death than his. For no merciful hand was there
to crush in my skull with a stone from above, and so end my sufferings
at once. No! I was destined to hours of horror down in my living tomb,
holding on by a most frail support, to leave go when exhaustion should
overpower me, and sink, buried alive, into the awful heart of the earth.
Did ever living man feel as I felt, _Nkose_, as I clung there,
realising that never again was I to behold the light of day? Surely
not.
"And then a most unutterably fearsome thing happened. Strange, uncouth
whisperings seemed to sound beneath, rising upward from the blackness of
the pit. Then something grabbed me by the leg in a firm and bony grip.
The stick of the shield gave way, and, with a last awful cry of wild
terror and despair, I felt myself being dragged down--down!"