aspect arrested my arm.

"He was, as I have said, very wrinkled and white-bearded. But his
eyes--ah, such eyes! bright, keen, glittering--they were the eyes of a
youth who, shoulder to shoulder with his fellow-warriors, is sweeping
down upon his first enemy, instead of the filmy orbs of an old man who
is tired of looking on this world. They seemed to burn, to pierce
through me, to wither up all the strength of my right arm. I could not
strike the spear down into his vitals; I could not remove my gaze from
his. It was terrible! If his eyes burned like this while he was weak
and wounded, and almost lifeless, what would they be like in the full
vigour of health? And then I saw that his neck and body were hung with
trappings and charms such as the _izanusi_ [Witch-doctors] use.

"`Strike and slay me, if thou wilt, son of the King's _induna_,' he
said, and his eyes seemed to glitter more fiercely, like those of a
snake. `But if so, thou shalt never attain thy dearest desire.'

"`Son of the King's _induna_,' he had said. This was _tagati_
[Wizardry] indeed. How did he know my estate?

"`And what desire I the most at this moment?' said I.

"`The head-ring,' he whispered.

"`All young warriors desire that,' I answered with a laugh. `Tell me, O
my father, if thy _muti_ is strong enough, what desire I further,
together with the _isicoco_?'

"`The dark-handled assegai of the King,' he answered, without a moment's
pause.

"`_Whau_!' I cried, bringing my hand to my mouth, and starting back in
staring, open-mouthed amazement. This was more than marvellous. The
promise which Umzilikazi had made to me, half laughingly, when we two
were alone together, was known to this old sorcerer of an alien race,
who must have been many days distant at the time. Nor, of course, had
he ever seen Nangeza, who alone shared the secret. My desire for the
head-ring proved nothing as to his wonder-working powers, because, as I
had said, all young men wished for that. But this! In truth it was
more than marvellous!

"`Thy _muti_ is indeed strong, O my father!' I went on when I had
recovered a little. `But say--shall I obtain that which I desire?'

"`If I die here thou shalt never obtain it. If I live thou shalt have
the King's dark-handled assegai.'

"Now, while I had been talking with this wonderful old man, my comrades
and the bulk of our _impi_ had been seated on the ground resting after
the violence and fury of the fight