position by force of arms if
need be; whereas now I was a fugitive, without home or nation.
Umzilikazi still lived, and would pursue me with untiring and relentless
purpose; and, worse than all, Lalusini was unavenged.

_Still_ unavenged, should I not have said? for as I fled a new thought
came into my mind. One plan of vengeance had failed, another might not;
and, _Nkose_, if you are thinking, as I see you are, what kind of
vengeance a nationless fugitive, fleeing for his very life, could hope
to compass against a mighty king sitting at the head of a warrior
nation, I can only answer that it was as a nationless fugitive I could
best hope to compass that vengeance, as you will see. Anyhow, though my
scheme had failed, Lalusini's _muti_ had availed to save my life--that,
too in the direst extremity. For what purpose, then, had my life been
saved, but to carry out that scheme of vengeance by some other means?

When the dawn broke, I had already placed a great distance between
myself and Kwa'zingwenya, and now the most perilous part of my flight
began. The kraals of our own people were scattered about the land, and
did any inhabiting these catch so much as a glimpse of me, the pursuers
already on my track would not be long in finding me. I dared not lie
hidden during the day, for, long as it really was, the distance between
myself and Kwa'zingwenya was far too short. Well I knew Umzilikazi
would cover the land with searching parties, and that many leaders of
these would pay with their lives for failure to discover me. No more
deadly crime had been committed since our nation was a nation. I had
offered violence to the King's person; had attempted the life of the
Great Great One, and only by the merest accident had foiled to take it.
The offence of the conspiration of Ncwelo's Pool was an easily
pardonable one compared with mine.

Carefully I travelled throughout the day. I could see the kraals of our
people both near and far, and now and then parties of people themselves,
but of the pursuers nothing as yet. Fortunately the ground was broken
and bushy, and I was able to avoid observation. For arms I had but one
assegai, no blanket to cover me from the night chills, and no food.

You will be wondering, _Nkose_, how it was that so experienced a
campaigner as myself should have made no sort of preparation for this
flight by storing provisions and necessaries in some place of
concealment where I could readily take