king that any
would answer him, since for some years none had dared to stand before
his might. Yet three men stepped forward, and of these two were
captains, and men whom the Slaughterer loved. With all the people, he
looked at them astonished.

"How is this?" he said in a low voice to that captain who was nearest
and who would do battle with him.

For answer the man pointed to the Lily, who stood by. Then Umslopogaas
understood that because of the medicine of Nada's beauty all men desired
to win her, and, since he who could win the axe would take her also, he
must look to fight with many. Well, fight he must or be shamed.

Of the fray there is little to tell. Umslopogaas killed first one man
and then the other, and swiftly, for, growing fearful, the third did not
come up against him.

"Ah!" said Galazi, who watched, "what did I tell you, Mopo? The curse
begins to work. Death walks ever with that daughter of yours, old man."

"I fear so," I answered, "and yet the maiden is fair and good and
sweet."

"That will not mend matters," said Galazi.

Now on that day Umslopogaas took Nada the Lily to wife, and for awhile
there was peace and quiet. But this evil thing came upon Umslopogaas,
that, from the day when he wedded Nada, he hated even to look upon
Zinita, and not at her alone, but on all his other wives also. Galazi
said it was because Nada had bewitched him, but I know well that the
only witcheries she used were the medicine of her eyes, her beauty, and
her love. Still, it came to pass that henceforward, and until she had
long been dead, the Slaughterer loved her, and her alone, and that is a
strange sickness to come upon a man.

As may be guessed, my father, Zinita and the other women took this ill.
They waited awhile, indeed, thinking that it would wear away, then they
began to murmur, both to their husband and in the ears of other people,
till at length there were two parties in the town, the party of Zinita
and the party of Nada.

The party of Zinita was made up of women and of certain men who loved
and feared their wives, but that of Nada was the greatest, and it was
all of men, with Umslopogaas at the head of them, and from this division
came much bitterness abroad, and quarrelling in the huts. Yet neither
the Lily nor Umslopogaas heeded it greatly, nor indeed, anything, so
lost and well content were they in each other's love.

Now on a certain morning, after they had been married three full moons,
Na