to silence. Sinking down in a half-sitting
posture, quivering with suppressed excitement, their dark forms bent
forward like those of so many crouching leopards, their eyeballs rolling
in the lurid glow, the Kafirs rested eagerly, awaiting what was to
follow.

A group of chiefs advanced within the circle of light. A little in
front of these, prominent among them by reason of his towering stature
and herculean build, was a warrior of savage and awe-inspiring aspect.
His countenance bore an evil, scowling sneer, which looked habitual, and
his eyes glowed like live coals. He wore a headdress of monkey skins,
above which waved a tuft of plumes from the tail of the blue crane. His
body was nearly naked, and his muscular limbs, red with ochre, were
decorated with fringes of cows' tails and tufts of flowing hair. On his
left arm, above the elbow, he wore a thick; square armlet of solid
ivory, and in his hand he carried a large, broad-bladed assegai. One
shoulder was swathed in a rude bandage, the latter nearly concealed by
fantastic hair adornments.

A hum of suppressed eagerness went round the crowd of excited barbarians
as this man stood forth in their midst. It subsided into a silence that
might be felt as he spoke:

"I am Hlangani, the son of Ngcesiba, the Herald of the Great Chief
Sarili [Or Kreli], the son of Hintza, of the House of Gcaleka. Hear my
word, for it is the word of Sarili, the Great Chief--the chief paramount
of all the children of Xosa.

"This is the word of the Great Chief to his children of the House of
Ngqika [Or Gaika]. Lo, the time has come when the Amanglezi [English]
seek a quarrel with us. We can no longer live side by side, say they.
There is no room for the Ama-Gcaleka in the land they have hitherto
dwelt in. They must go.

"So they have located our dogs, the cowardly Amafengu (Fingoes), our
slaves and our dogs, on the next land to ours, that we may have a
continual plague to scourge us, that our sides may be wrung with the
pest of these stinging flies, that our name may be spat upon and laughed
at by those who were our own dogs. Thus would these English provoke us
to quarrel.

"Who were these Amafengu? Were they not our dogs and our slaves? Who
are they now? Still dogs--but not _our_ dogs. Who will they be
shortly? Not our dogs--not our slaves--but--our masters! Our masters!"
roared the fierce savage, shaking the broad assegai which he held, until
it quivered like a band