es her beauty
often seems the loveliest, or because there was truth in the tale of her
white blood and the fashion came to her with the blood. I do not know,
my father; at the least she did so.

Now I took Nada by the hand and led her through the morning air to the
place of assembly, and ah! she was sweeter than the air and fairer than
the dawn.

There were many people in the place of assembly, for it was the day of
the monthly meeting of the council of the headmen, and there also were
all the women of the kraal, and at their head stood Zinita. Now it had
got about that the girl whom the Slaughterer went to seek in the caves
of the Halakazi had come to the kraal of the People of the Axe, and all
eyes watched for her.

"Wow!" said the men as she passed smiling, looking neither to the right
nor to the left, yet seeing all--"Wow! but this flower is fair! Little
wonder that the Halakazi died for her!"

The women looked also, but they said nothing of the beauty of Nada; they
scarcely seemed to see it.

"That is she for whose sake so many of our people lie unburied," said
one.

"Where, then, does she find her fine clothes?" quoth another, "she who
came here last night a footsore wanderer?"

"Feathers are not enough for her: look! she must bear flowers also.
Surely they are fitter to her hands than the handle of a hoe," said a
third.

"Now I think that the chief of the People of the Axe will find one to
worship above the axe, and that some will be left mourning," put in a
fourth, glancing at Zinita and the other women of the household of the
Slaughterer.

Thus they spoke, throwing words like assegais, and Nada heard them all,
and knew their meaning, but she never ceased from smiling. Only Zinita
said nothing, but stood looking at Nada from beneath her bent brows,
while by one hand she held the little daughter of Umslopogaas, her
child, and with the other played with the beads about her neck.
Presently, we passed her, and Nada, knowing well who this must be,
turned her eyes full upon the angry eyes of Zinita, and held them there
awhile. Now what there was in the glance of Nada I cannot say, but I
know that Zinita, who was afraid of few things, found something to fear
in it. At the least, it was she who turned her head away, and the Lily
passed on smiling, and greeted Umslopogaas with a little nod.

"Hail, Nada!" said the Slaughterer. Then he turned to his headmen and
spoke: "This is she whom we went to the caves o