ces and gleaming
spear-blades. The whole population had mustered within the kraal, and
were crowding up, striving to obtain a view of the chief and his
councillors and the white prisoner; and again and again from the savage
roaring throats went up the fiendish shout.

"To The Tooth! to The Tooth!"

"Even now I do not fear you, Ingonyama," went on the trader, intrepidly.
"For my death will surely be avenged--ay, as surely as yonder sun will
rise to-morrow. It may be that the might of the king will rise up and
stamp flat this tribe of _abatagati_ [those who practise arts of
wizardry]; it may be that my own countrymen will. But it shall surely
be done, ye who call yourselves Igazipuza, and my death shall be
avenged."

Again the wild, roaring clamour drowned his words. The intrepidity of
the man exasperated them while compelling their admiration. Of the
latter, however, Ingonyama felt none. He only remembered his own
humiliation at this man's hands, here on this very spot. His features
working, his eyes rolling in fury, he said slowly--

"Let him be bitten on the point of The Tooth."

"Ha! on the point of The Tooth! on the point of The Tooth!" roared the
ferocious crowd in deafening chorus. And a multitude of eager hands
were stretched forward to seize the unfortunate man, and drag him away
to his hideous death of torture.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

THE KING'S "HUNTING-DOGS."

To attempt to describe the fearful despair, the agony of self-reproach,
which took possession of poor Gerard's heart as he awoke to find himself
once more in the power of the savages is impossible. The very stars in
their courses seemed to be fighting against him. Had he not gone
through enough in all conscience? And now all his past perils and
experiences were thrown away. He and his comrade were no better off
than before his attempted escape, probably indeed worse. Again, it was
while he slept that the enemy had stolen upon him--while he slept. He
had sacrificed his companion for the sake of a few hours' sleep! Well,
he himself deserved all he might meet with; but Dawes--he had sold him--
had fallen asleep at his post like a cowardly and untrustworthy
sentinel. The poor fellow was in agonies of self-torment at the
thought.

But for the perturbed and flurried state of mind, into which these
reflections had thrown him, he would have perceived that the Zulus were
every bit as astonished at his appearance as he was at theirs.