g:--

"In this cup, which I drink on behalf of the nation, I pledge you, my
people."

It was the signal for the royal salute, for which each regiment had been
prepared. As the last word left the king's lips, every one of the thirty
thousand men present in that great place began to rattle his kerry
against the surface of his ox-hide shield. At first the sound produced
resembled that of the murmur of the sea; but by slow and just degrees
it grew louder and ever louder, till the roar of it was like the deepest
voice of thunder, a sound awe-inspiring, terrible.

Suddenly, when its volume was most, four spears were thrown into the
air, and at this signal every man ceased to beat upon his shield. In the
place itself there was silence, but from the mountains around the echoes
still crashed and volleyed. When the last of them had died away, the
king brought the cup to the level of his lips. Owen saw, and knowing its
contents, was almost moved to cry out in warning. Indeed, his arm was
lifted and his mouth was open, when by chance he noted Hokosa watching
him, and remembered. To act now would be madness, his time had not yet
come.

The cup touched the king's lips, and at the sign from every throat
in that countless multitude sprang the word "_King!_" and every foot
stamped upon the ground, shaking the solid earth. Thrice the monarch
drank, and thrice this tremendous salute, the salute of the whole nation
to its ruler, was repeated, each time more loudly than the last. Then
pouring the rest of the liquor on the ground, Umsuka set aside the cup,
and in the midst of a silence that seemed deep after the crash of the
great salute, he began to address the multitude:--

"Hearken, Councillors and Captains, and you, my people, hearken. As you
know, I have two sons, calves of the Black Bull, princes of the land--my
son Hafela, the eldest born, and my son Nodwengo, his half-brother----"

At this point the king began to grow confused. He hesitated, passing his
hand over his eyes, then slowly and with difficulty repeated those words
which he had already said.

"We hear you, Father," cried the councillors in encouragement, as for
the second time he paused. While they still spoke, the veins in the
king's neck were seen to swell suddenly, foam flecked with blood burst
from his lips, and he fell headlong to the ground.

CHAPTER VII

THE RECOVERY OF THE KING

For a moment there was silence, then a great cry arose--a cry of "Our
f