e_, I
believe I should have felt little surprise had the thing come to life
again, head and all, so great was the awe it had set up among us. I am
not even sure that I did not once or twice hear the voice of old
Gasitye, and behold his spidery old form shambling among the trees. The
dawn came at last, however, but before it came Jambula, with a number of
the iron-working slaves. These were in great delight over the slain
monster who had destroyed so many of them, yet no time did I allow them
to give way to their joy over dancing and such. It behoved us to return
to the Great Great One with all speed, for on the next night the moon
would be at full.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

THE FAITH OF A KING.

The news of what had been done had already spread fast and far, and
before I reached Maqandi's kraal a great crowd of the iron-workers had
assembled. These increased more and more, and presently a vast number
of these people had joined in my train, dancing in their joy, and
singing songs of triumph and of praise of myself, who had rid them of a
twofold terror--of destruction by this thing of _tagati_, and of peril
of wholesale death by the assegai when the patience of the King should
become exhausted. But little attention did I pay to all this, for my
allotted time had nearly expired, and it would be all I could do to
reach Kwa'zingwenya ere it had quite. So I levied upon Maqandi for a
large body of slaves, and pushed on, travelling night and day, and
taking little or no rest.

No time even had I to visit my own kraal, which was somewhat off the
line of my nearest road. However, I sent messengers there, and swift
runners to Kwa'zingwenya, that news of my success might reach the King
as early as possible.

But as I travelled on swiftly through the night, whose dawn should see
me laying my trophies at the feet of the Great Great One, my mind was
torn by many misgivings, and many an anxious glance did I send upward to
the heavens. _The moon was at the full_.

Fair and splendid rose the dawn of that day, and as I came in sight of
our Great Place, and of the people flocking thither--for here, too, the
news had spread, and all were eager to hear about what had been done,
and, if possible, to behold the actual skin and horns of the great
_tagati_ beast--I forgot my fears, and felt proud and light-hearted as
ever when I had accomplished something great. And thus I stalked into
the great circle, looking neither to right nor