that thou dost speak to us words of such
ill-omen?" said the Prince Dingaan in a low voice.

"Where dost thou point at us with that white and withered hand of thine,
Wizard?" hissed the Prince Umhlangana.

"Have I not told you, O ye Princes!" I whispered, "that ye must strike
or die, and has not your heart failed you? Now hearken! Chaka has
dreamed another dream; now it is Chaka who strikes, and ye are already
dead, ye children of Senzangacona."

"If the slayers of the king be without the gates, at least thou shalt
die first, thou who hast betrayed us!" quoth the Prince Dingaan, and
drew an assegai from under his kaross.

"First hear the king's dream, O Prince," I said; "then, if thou wilt,
kill me, and die. Chaka the king slept and dreamed that he lay dead, and
that one of you, the princes, wore his royal kaross."

"Who wore the royal kaross?" asked Dingaan, eagerly; and both looked up,
waiting on my words.

"The Prince Umhlangana wore it--in the dream of Chaka--O Dingaan, shoot
of a royal stock!" I answered slowly, taking snuff as I spoke, and
watching the two of them over the edge of my snuff-spoon.

Now Dingaan scowled heavily at Umhlangana; but the face of Umhlangana
was as the morning sky.

"Chaka dreamed this also," I went on: "that one of you, the princes,
held his royal spear."

"Who held the royal spear?" asked Umhlangana.

"The Prince Dingaan held it--in the dream of Chaka--O Umhlangana, sprung
from the root of kings!--and it dripped blood."

Now the face of Umhlangana grew dark as night, but that of Dingaan
brightened like the dawn.

"Chaka dreamed this also: that I, Mopo, your dog, who am not worthy to
be mentioned with such names, came up and gave the royal salute, even
the Bayete."

"To whom didst thou give the Bayete, O Mopo, son of Makedama?" asked
both of the princes as with one breath, waiting on my words.

"I gave it to both of you, O twin stars of the morning, princes of the
Zulu--in the dream of Chaka I gave it to both of you."

Now the princes looked this way and that, and were silent, not knowing
what to say, for these princes hated each other, though adversity and
fear had brought them to one bed.

"But what avails it to talk thus, ye lords of the land," I went on,
"seeing that, both of you, ye are already as dead men, and that vultures
which are hungry to-night to-morrow shall be filled with meat of the
best? Chaka the king is now a Doctor of Dreams, and to clear away such a