t,
Paw of the Lion!" they howled, rolling on the ground before the chief,
beside themselves with fear as they looked upon the blood-stained
weapons and threatening scowls of the king's warriors. The old hags,
especially, kept up their dismal, quavering screech. The younger women
were for the most part less scared or stonily resigned. All, however,
expected immediate massacre.

"Peace, witches--night cats!" thundered Sobuza. "Say, while ye may.
Where is Ingonyama?"

Whether in the bewilderment of her terror, or out of sheer force of
habit, the foremost of the women, a hideous wrinkled hag, to whom the
question seemed in particular addressed, replied--

"We know not, father; we know not--"

"Ha! Ye know not!" said Sobuza, making a sign.

Immediately a warrior stepped forward, and without a word, drove his
great assegai through the hag's body.

"I give you all one more chance," roared the chief again, cutting short
the howl of terror which went up. "Where is Ingonyama?"

"On The Tooth, father. On The Tooth!" eagerly yelled a whole chorus of
voices.

"If this is a lie, then shall every one of you be even as she," said the
chief, sternly, pointing with his foot at the corpse of the one who had
been ill-advised enough to protest ignorance.

"It is no lie, father!" they cried lustily. "He is there. It is no
lie."

"Ill will it be for yourselves if it is," said Sobuza, darkly. "And
now, witches, this nest of yours shall burn."

Half a dozen warriors sprang eagerly forward, and in as many moments
flames were bursting from the straw huts. Disappointed in their hopes
of thus smoking out any fighting men who might have crept in there for
shelter, the warriors amused themselves by spearing the dogs as they
rushed forth, shouting with laughter as a whole cloud of assegais
whizzed past some one more fortunate or more fleet than the rest,
without transfixing him. But no further violence was offered to the
women and children. The king's sentence had gone forth only against
such as should offer resistance, and did not include these.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

THE LAST OF THE FREEBOOTERS.

Meanwhile Gerard, with a perfect agony of dread and apprehension at his
heart, was speeding with his young Zulu allies in the direction of "The
Tooth." Though they could hardly hope to gain it unobserved, yet by way
of neglecting no precaution, they crept along as much as possible under
cover of the bush. Fortunately, t