ng. But when he saw
them he vanished suddenly.

"There is the place," said Galazi, "and the fox has gone to earth in
it."

Now they ran to the spot and saw a little hole in the rock, scarcely
bigger than an ant-bear's burrow, and through the hole came sounds and
some light.

"Now where is the hyena who will try a new burrow?" cried Umslopogaas.
"A hundred head of cattle to the man who wins through and clears the
way!"

Then two young men sprang forward who were flushed with victory and
desired nothing more than to make a great name and win cattle, crying:--

"Here are hyenas, Bulalio."

"To earth, then!" said Umslopogaas, "and let him who wins through hold
the path awhile till others follow."

The two young men sprang at the hole, and he who reached it first went
down upon his hands and knees and crawled in, lying on his shield and
holding his spear before him. For a little while the light in the burrow
vanished, and they heard the sound of his crawling. Then came the noise
of blows, and once more light crept through the hole. The man was dead.

"This one had a bad snake," said the second soldier; "his snake deserted
him. Let me see if mine is better."

So down he went on his hands and knees, and crawled as the first had
done, only he put his shield over his head. For awhile they heard him
crawling, then once more came the sound of blows echoing on the ox-hide
shield, and after the blows groans. He was dead also, yet it seemed that
they had left his body in the hole, for now no light came through. This
was the cause, my father: when they struck the man he had wriggled back
a little way and died there, and none had entered from the farther side
to drag him out.

Now the soldiers stared at the mouth of the passage and none seemed to
love the look of it, for this was but a poor way to die. Umslopogaas and
Galazi also looked at it, thinking.

"Now I am named Wolf," said Galazi, "and a wolf should not fear the
dark; also, these are my people, and I must be the first to visit
them," and he went down on his hands and knees without more ado. But
Umslopogaas, having peered once more down the burrow, said: "Hold,
Galazi; I will go first! I have a plan. Do you follow me. And you, my
children, shout loudly, so that none may hear us move; and, if we win
through, follow swiftly, for we cannot hold the mouth of that place for
long. Hearken, also! this is my counsel to you: if I fall choose another
chief--Galazi the Wolf