from a lying heart?
Do you wish to draw down a curse upon our roof? Would you make us all
food for the king's spear? Say such words again, and you shall sit
within the circle--the Ingomboco shall know you for a witch!"

So I stormed on, threatening to bring her to death, till at length she
grew fearful, and fell at my feet praying for mercy and forgiveness.
But I was much afraid because of this woman's tongue, and not without
reason.

CHAPTER VII. UMSLOPOGAAS ANSWERS THE KING

Now the years went on, and this matter slept. Nothing more was heard of
it, but still it only slept; and, my father, I feared greatly for
the hour when it should awake. For the secret was known by two
women--Unandi, Mother of the Heavens, and Baleka, my sister, wife of the
king; and by two more--Macropha and Anadi, my wives--it was guessed at.
How, then, should it remain a secret forever? Moreover, it came about
that Unandi and Baleka could not restrain their fondness for this child
who was called my son and named Umslopogaas, but who was the son of
Chaka, the king, and of the Baleka, and the grandson of Unandi. So it
happened that very often one or the other of them would come into my
hut, making pretence to visit my wives, and take the boy upon her lap
and fondle it. In vain did I pray them to forbear. Love pulled at their
heart-strings more heavily than my words, and still they came. This was
the end of it--that Chaka saw the child sitting on the knee of Unandi,
his mother.

"What does my mother with that brat of thine, Mopo?" he asked of me.
"Cannot she kiss me, if she will find a child to kiss?" And he laughed
like a wolf.

I said that I did not know, and the matter passed over for awhile.
But after that Chaka caused his mother to be watched. Now the boy
Umslopogaas grew great and strong; there was no such lad of his years
for a day's journey round. But from a babe he was somewhat surly, of few
words, and like his father, Chaka, afraid of nothing. In all the world
there were but two people whom he loved--these were I, Mopo, who was
called his father, and Nada, she who was said to be his twin sister.

Now it must be told of Nada that as the boy Umslopogaas was the
strongest and bravest of children, so the girl Nada was the gentlest and
most fair. Of a truth, my father, I believe that her blood was not all
Zulu, though this I cannot say for certain. At the least, her eyes were
softer and larger than those of our people, her hair long