t Vooda as though he would say, "What do you think of
that; is he not a most terribly potent war-doctor?" All the other men
looked extremely terrified.

Dead silence reigned for a few moments, and then Vooda spoke:

"O Chief, the magic of your war-doctor is indeed dreadful to behold,
but, believe me, the magic of U-Sessellodes and Indabeni is stronger,
and I can prove it."

This caused a murmur of incredulity and indignation. The magic
paraphernalia of the war-doctor rattled ominously in the gloom.

"U-Sessellodes," continued Vooda, "has found the Lightning Bird sitting
upon its nest, and plucked its feathers; he has discovered how to make
water burn, and he has robbed the cave of Icanti of its eggs, which he
can strew over the land to hatch in the sun, and produce snakes that
will kill all who see them. These secrets he has taught to Indabeni,
and Indabeni has taught them to me so that I might warn you, and having
warned, prove the truth of my words."

At this a loud "ho, ho," accompanied by a rattling noise, was heard
from the war-doctor. Sololo laughed sarcastically. Several of the
audience did the same. Then Sololo said:

"Are we children, to believe these things?"

"My Chief," said Vooda, impressively, "you are not a child, neither is
Indabeni; as you know,--nor is the potent war-doctor, nor are any of
these great men (madoda roakulu) that I see around me. For that
matter, neither am I a child. I have said that I can prove my words,
and I say so again."

"Prove them, then," said Sololo.

"Three things will I do to show the magic of U-Sessellodes, which he
has taught to Indabeni--I will show you a feather of the Lightning
Bird, I will make water burn like dry wood, and I will produce some of
the eggs of Icanti and make them, when touched with fire, hatch into
young serpents before your eyes."

There was not a breath of wind. Vooda seized a small firebrand, and
stepped a few yards away from the fire. He held the firebrand in his
left hand, and put his right into one of the pockets of his tunic.
This pocket contained a quantity of loose lycopodium powder. He filled
his hand with this, waved it over his head several times, and then
projected the handful of powder high into the air with a sweeping
throw. Then he slowly lifted the firebrand, and as the cloud of powder
descended, it ignited with a silent, blinding flash. A loud "Mawo" from
the spectators greeted the success of the experiment.

The war-do