you to Zululand."

"I never said that I was going to Zululand, Nombe."

"Yet your heart has gone there already, Macumazahn, and you must
follow your heart. Does not the image which was carved with the
knife you gave, hold a white heart in its hand, and although it
seems to be but a bit of Umzimbeete wood, is it not alive and
bewitched, which perhaps is why you could never make up your mind
to burn it, Macumazahn?"

"I wish I had," I replied angrily; but having thrown this last
spear, with a flash of her unholy eyes Nombe had turned and gone.

A clever woman and thoroughly coached, thought I. Well, Zikali
was never one to suffer fools, and doubtless she is another of
the pawns whom he uses on his board of policy. Oh! she, or
rather he was right; my heart was in Zululand, though not in the
way he thought, and I longed to see the end of that great game
played by a wizard against a despot and his hosts.

So we went to Zululand because after talking it over we all came
to the conclusion that this was the best thing to do, especially
as there we seemed to be sure of a welcome. For later in the day
Nombe repeated to Anscombe and Heda the invitation which she had
delivered to me, assuring them also that in Zululand they would
come to no harm.

It was curious to watch the meeting between Heda and Nombe. The
doctoress appeared just as we had risen from breakfast, and Heda,
turning round, came face to face with her.

"Is this your witch, Mr. Quatermain?" she asked me in her
vivacious way. "Why, she is different from what I expected,
quite good-looking and, yes, impressive. I am not sure that she
does not frighten me a little."

"What does the Inkosikaasi (i.e., the chieftainess) say
concerning me, Macumazahn?" asked Nombe.

"Only what I said, that you are young who she thought would be
old, and pretty who she thought would be ugly."

"To grow old we must first be young, Macumazahn, and in due
season all of us will become ugly, even the Inkosikaasi. But I
thought she said also that she feared me."

"Do you know English, Nombe?"

"Nay, but I know how to read eyes, and the Inkosikaasi has eyes
that talk. Tell her that she has no reason to fear me who would
be her friend, though I think that she will bring me little
luck."

It was scarcely necessary, so far as Heda was concerned, but I
translated, leaving out the last sentence.

"Say to her that I am grateful who have few friends, and that I
will fear her