at once, adding that I must "speak softly" to
him, as he was "very angry."

So off we went across the great cattle kraal where a regiment of
young men, two thousand strong or so, were drilling with a fierce
intensity which showed they knew that they were out for more than
exercise. About the sides of the kraal also stood hundreds of
soldiers, all of them talking and, it seemed to me, excited, for
they stamped upon the ground and even jumped into the air to give
point to their arguments. Suddenly some of them caught sight of
me, whereon a tall, truculent fellow called out--

"What does a white man at Ulundi at such a time, when even John
Dunn dare not come? Let us kill him and send his head as a
present to the English general across the Tugela. That will
settle this long talk about peace or war."

Others of a like mind echoed this kind proposal, with the result
that presently a score or so of them made a rush at me,
brandishing their sticks, since they might not carry arms in the
royal kraal. Goza did his best to keep them off, but was swept
aside like a feather, or rather knocked over, for I saw him on
his back with his thin legs in the air.

"You must climb out of this pit by yourself," he began,
addressing me in his pompous and figurative way. Then somebody
stamped on his face, and fixing his teeth in his assailant's
heel, he grew silent for a while.

The truculent blackguard, who was about six feet three high and
had a mouth like a wolf's throat, arrived in front of me and,
bending down, roared out--

"We are going to kill you, White Man."

I had a pistol in my pocket and could perfectly well have killed
him, as I was much tempted to do. A second's reflection showed
me, however, that this would be useless, and in a sense put me in
the wrong, though when the matter came on for argument it would
interest me no more. So I just folded my arms and, looking up at
him, said--

"Why, Black Man?"

"Because your face is white," he roared.

"No," I answered, "because your heart is black and your eyes are
so full of blood that you do not know Macumazahn when you see
him."

"Wow!" said one, "it is Watcher-by-Night whom our fathers knew
before us. Leave him alone."

"No," shouted the great fellow, "I will send him to watch where
it is always night, I who keep a club for white rats," and he
brandished his stick over me.

Now my temper rose. Watching my opportunity, I stretched out my
right foot and h