iet's advice, I was determined to keep it there, if
possible; although there was this disadvantage about the arrangement,
that the king, with his group of indunas, was far enough forward on my
left front to be just within my range of vision, and any sudden movement
upon the part of any of them was liable to attract my attention from my
antagonist and leave me open to his attack. But I quickly made up my
mind to dismiss them altogether from my thoughts; and at the instant
when I came to this resolution 'Mfuni, with a sudden spring, leapt
within arm's length of me, with his spear upraised in the act of
striking.

Instantly I threw up my blade in position, ready to parry; but beyond
this, and coming to a halt, I took no notice of my antagonist's
movement, for I had already made my plans for the fight, these
consisting simply in acting upon the defensive until a favourable
opportunity should reveal itself--and keeping my back to the sun. But
'Mfuni was as quick as myself to recognise the advantage that the latter
would give me, and did his utmost to deprive me of it by springing first
to one side and then to the other, hoping no doubt that I should be
tempted to turn and face him, until, by repeated turns, he should
contrive to get the sun in my eyes. I defeated this amiable project,
however, by keeping my eyes steadfastly fixed upon his, and thus reading
and forestalling his intentions--for I have found that the eye is the
one feature of the human countenance that will not lend itself to
deception; and thus for several minutes we danced hither and thither,
right and left, my opponent continually flashing his spear before my
eyes and making feints, while I simply held myself ready to parry his
stroke the moment that I should see it coming. And presently it came in
good earnest, for the patience of the savage is soon worn down--came
with the quickness of a lightning flash. But, quick as it was, I
intercepted it; the moment I saw that it was really coming, round
whirled my blade, and down fell the point of the spear, shorn clean off
at its junction with the haft, and 'Mfuni stood disarmed before me.

For the fraction of a second he stood gazing with dilated eyes,
apparently unable to realise that he was beaten; then, to my amazement,
he stooped swiftly and snatched the severed spearhead from the ground.
Unprepared as I was for the action, I yet had enough presence of mind to
spring back and away from him; and well was i