I watched, an awful flash of light shot from the head of
the cloud, circled it about as though with a crown of living fire, and
vanished.

"Aha," chuckled old Indaba-zimbi, "my little boy is putting on his man's
ring," and he tapped the gum ring on his own head, which natives assume
when they reach a certain age and dignity. "Now, white man, unless you
are a bigger wizard than either of us you had better clear off, for the
fire-fight is about to begin."

I thought this sound advice.

"Good luck go with you, my black uncle," I said. "I hope you don't feel
the iniquities of a mis-spent life weighing on you at the last."

"You look after yourself, and think of your own sins, young man," he
answered, with a grim smile, and taking a pinch of snuff, while at that
very moment a flash of lightning, I don't know from which storm, struck
the ground within thirty paces of me. That was enough for me, I took
to my heels, and as I went I heard old Indaba-zimbi's dry chuckle of
amusement.

I climbed the hill till I came to where the chief was sitting with his
indunas, or headmen, and sat down near to him. I looked at the man's
face and saw that he was intensely anxious for his son's safety, and
by no means confident of the young man's powers to resist the magic of
Indaba-zimbi. He was talking in a low voice to the induna next to him.
I affected to take no notice and to be concentrating my attention on
the novel scene before me; but in those days I had very quick ears, and
caught the drift of the conversation.

"Hearken!" the chief was saying, "if the magic of Indaba-zimbi prevails
against my son I will endure him no more. Of this I am sure, that when
he has slain my son he will slay me, me also, and make himself chief in
my place. I fear Indaba-zimbi. _Ou!_"

"Black One," answered the induna, "wizards die as dogs die, and, once
dead, dogs bark no more."

"And once dead," said the chiefs, "wizards work no more spells," and he
bent and whispered in the induna's ear, looking at the assegai in his
hand as he whispered.

"Good, my father, good!" said the induna, presently. "It shall be done
to-night, if the lightning does not do it first."

"A bad look-out for old Indaba-zimbi," I said to myself. "They mean to
kill him." Then I thought no more of the matter for a while, the scene
before me was too tremendous.

The two storms were rapidly rushing together. Between them was a gulf of
blue sky, and from time to time flashes of b