ings of Zulu. Even as the
great Tshaka had died the death of the spear at his hand, so died he the
death of the spear, being struck in his sleep. But he died as he had
lived, and his was the death of a true warrior-king--his last gaze upon
the ranks of his assembled army--face to face with it--his last words to
it, words of commendation and loving farewell--and who shall say,
_Nkose_, that such was not a great and glorious death?

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

CONCLUSION.

We buried the King with great ceremony and the sacrifice of beasts; and
the whole army sat around in deep silence, the silence of grief and
mourning for that the nation was now left without a head; but it was a
silence that was rendered more awesome by the death-rites of the
_izanusi_ and the wailings of the women. Only for a short while,
however, was the Great Great One to sit upon that seat, for he was taken
up again in the dead of night and removed to a secret grave, known to
but very few, as the custom is to keep secret the burial-places of
kings.

Yes, with the passing away of Dingane the army was as a body without a
head. At such a time the thought would often be in my mind how Lalusini
would have me seize the opportunity of putting myself in Dingane's
place; for I too was of a royal tree--that of Dingiswayo, of the tribe
of Umtetwa, whose place had been seized by Tshaka--yet not near enough
was I to the stem of that tree, being but a branch. But I could clearly
see that if opportunity there had been it was now no more. The loyalty
of the army to the House of Senzangakona was too great; and now, being
without a head, the warriors began to talk among themselves of the
expediency of doing _konza_ to the other Great One of that House. So we
consulted together--I and Silwane and some of the principal war-chiefs--
and in a short time we sent messengers to Mpande, who was the rightful
King now, however he might owe his seat to the Amabuna. But with the
army that had followed the Great One who was dead turned into his own
army, Mpande might perhaps remedy even that.

Our messengers returned accompanied by others, including an induna of
note, assuring us of the royal favour. That decided us.

It was a great day, the day that saw the nation reunited once more.
Mpande sat in state, as our army filed in to his kraal near the Tugela--
for Nodwengu had not then been erected--singing songs of war and praises
to the new King; and when as one man th