xed
upon the broad bright spear. For a while he held it still, then he moved
it round and round in a circle, muttering as he did so, and still their
gaze followed it. For my part, I watched his movements with the greatest
anxiety. That assegai had already been nearer my person than I found at
all pleasant, and I had no desire to make a further acquaintance with
it. Nor, indeed, was I sure that Indaba-zimbi was not really going to
kill me. I could not understand his proceedings at all, and at the best
I did not relish playing the _corpus vile_ to his magical experiments.

"_Look! look! look!_" he screamed.

Then suddenly the great spear flashed down towards my breast. I felt
nothing, but, to my sight, it seemed as though it had passed through me.

"See!" roared the Zulus. "Indaba-zimbi has speared him; the red assegai
stands out behind his back."

"Roll over, Macumazahn," Indaba-zimbi hissed in my ear, "roll over and
pretend to die--quick! quick!"

I lost no time in following these strange instructions, but falling
on to my side, threw my arms wide, kicked my legs about, and died as
artistically as I could. Presently I gave a stage shiver and lay still.

"See!" said the Zulus, "he is dead, the Spirit is dead. Look at the
blood upon the assegai!"

"Stand back! stand back!" cried Indaba-zimbi, "or the ghost will haunt
you. Yes, he is dead, and now I will call him back to life again. Look!"
and putting down his hand, he plucked the spear from wherever it was
fixed, and held it aloft. "The spear is red, is it not? Watch, men,
watch! _it grows white!_"

"Yes, it grows white," they said. "Ou! it grows white."

"It grows white because the blood returns to whence it came," said
Indaba-zimbi. "Now, great Spirit, hear me. Thou art dead, the breath has
gone out of thy mouth. Yet hear me and arise. Awake, White Spirit, awake
and show thy power. Awake! arise unhurt!"

I began to respond cheerfully to this imposing invocation.

"Not so fast, Macumazahn," whispered Indaba-zimbi.

I took the hint, and first held up my arm, then lifted my head and let
it fall again.

"He lives! by the head of T'Chaka he lives!" roared the soldiers,
stricken with mortal fear.

Then slowly and with the greatest dignity I gradually arose, stretched
my arms, yawned like one awaking from heavy sleep, turned and looked
upon them unconcernedly. While I did so, I noticed that old Indaba-zimbi
was almost fainting from exhaustion. Beads of perspir