aight, and
touch the rock with thy right hand."

I liked not this order, but, _Nkose_, I had ever had to do with
magicians, and had dipped somewhat into their art, as I have already
shown. Here, I thought, was more sorcery to be looked into, and how
should I root out the sorcery of the Red Magic save by the aid of other
sorcery? So I advanced boldly, yet warily. And then, indeed, amazement
was my lot.

For, as my right hand touched it, the hard rock moved, shivered. Then a
portion of this smooth, unbroken wall seemed to fall inward, leaving a
black gaping hole like a doorway, through which a man might enter
upright.

"Ho, ho! Untuswa!" cackled the voice again, now from within the hole.
"Welcome, valiant fighter. Enter. Yet, wilt thou not leave thy weapons
outside?"

"Not until I stand once more in the presence of him who sent me do I
disarm, O Unknown One. And now, where art thou? for I like better to
talk to a man with a voice than to a voice without the man."

"And how knowest thou that I am a man, O Fearless One? Yet, enter,
weapons and all. Ha! Knowest thou not _this_ voice?"

_Whau_! It seemed to me then that my flesh crept indeed, for I did know
that voice. Ah, yes, well indeed; and it was the voice of one who had
long since sat down in the sleep of death--the voice of old Masuka, the
mightiest magician our nation had ever seen.

Then, indeed, did I enter, for, even though dead, the voice was that of
one who had done naught but well by me during life, and I feared not a
change the other way now. I entered, and, as I did so, I stood in
darkness once more. The rock wall had closed up behind me.

Now my misgivings returned, for, _Nkose_, no living man, be he never so
brave, can find himself suddenly entombed within the heart of the earth
alone, the voice of one who has long been dead talking with him in the
black, moist darkness, and not feel some alarm. Again the voice spoke,
and this time it was not that of Masuka, but the mocking cackle which
had at first startled me.

"Ho, ho! Untuswa, the valiant, the fearless. Dost thou not tremble--
thou who art even now within the portal of the Great Unknown? Did ever
peril of spear, or of the wrath of kings, make thy face cold as it now
is? Ha, ha!"

True indeed were the words, for the position was fearful; but then so
was that which had been the means of driving me into it. But I
answered:

"I have seen strange and mysterious and terrifyi