still I could not say
what it might be; now it swelled and swelled, and I knew it--it was the
sound of wild beats at chase. Nearer came the music, the rocks rang with
it, and its voice set the blood beating but to hearken to it. That pack
was great which ran a-hunting through the silent night; and now it was
night, on the other side of the slope only, and the sound swelled so
loud that those who were with me awoke also and looked forth. Now of a
sudden a great koodoo bull appeared for an instant standing out against
the sky on the crest of the ridge, then vanished in the shadow. He was
running towards us; presently we saw him again speeding on his path with
great bounds. We saw this also--forms grey and gaunt and galloping, in
number countless, that leaped along his path, appearing on the crest of
the rise, disappearing into the shadow, seen again on the slope, lost in
the valley; and with them two other shapes, the shapes of men.

Now the big buck bounded past us not half a spear's throw away, and
behind him streamed the countless wolves, and from the throats of the
wolves went up that awful music. And who were these two that came with
the wolves, shapes of men great and strong? They ran silently and swift,
wolves' teeth gleamed upon their heads, wolves' hides hung about their
shoulders. In the hands of one was an axe--the moonlight shone upon
it--in the hand of the other a heavy club. Neck and neck they ran; never
before had we seen men travel so fast. See! they sped down the slope
towards us; the wolves were left behind, all except four of them; we
heard the beating of their feet; they came, they passed, they were gone,
and with them their unnumbered company. The music grew faint, it died,
it was dead; the hunt was far away, and the night was still again!

"Now, my brethren," I asked of those who were with me, "what is this
that we have seen?"

Then one answered, "We have seen the Ghosts who live in the lap of the
old Witch, and those men are the Wolf-Brethren, the wizards who are
kings of the Ghosts."

CHAPTER XXIII. MOPO REVEALS HIMSELF TO THE SLAUGHTERER

All that night we watched, but we neither saw nor heard any more of the
wolves, nor of the men who hunted with them. On the morrow, at dawn, I
sent a runner to Bulalio, chief of the People of the Axe, saying that a
messenger came to him from Dingaan, the king, who desired to speak with
him in peace within the gates of his kraal. I charged the messenger,