ke freely of it. We talked together in a low voice and made our
plans.

Morning dawned. We stepped outside our hut, and, lo! all things looked
as usual. Women were passing to their ordinary work. Cattle were being
milked--those fine blue cattle of which these people were so fond.
Young men lounged about, scarcely armed, laughing with the girls, and
old men sat taking snuff and chattering. As we stood before our door,
their attention was drawn to us, though their remarks were uttered too
low for us to catch.

"Of a truth, some of these Bakoni maidens are good to look upon!"
murmured my brother, as a string of girls, calabash on head, stepped by.

"Peace, boy," I answered sternly. "What have we to do with such, we who
bear the `word' of the King?"

Taking a rod, I planted it upright in the earth. We stood watching it;
but no message came from the Chief of the Blue Cattle. The shadow
thrown out by the rod was now scarcely twice the length of a man's
finger. Then I directed Mgwali to cause our four slaves to gather
together their loads, for the time for departure had arrived. Only
three, however, appeared. The fourth was not to be found. Clearly he
had deserted. This looked badly.

The sun had reached his highest. The rod which I had planted in the
earth cast no shadow now.

At a word from me we stepped forth, my brother and I together, the three
remaining slaves but a few paces behind. As we passed through the town
we noticed some of those strange-looking stone walls we had seen on our
first arrival. These were about the height of a man's head--though, in
places, higher--and were built in a round formation, seeming to encircle
a second enclosure. We noticed just then that the outer wall was
entered by a narrow opening just wide enough to admit the body of a man.

But now all our attention was turned upon ourselves, for we were
suddenly encompassed by a crowd of armed Bakoni. These, flourishing
their weapons, ordered us, in angry and jeering tones, to return to the
hut we had occupied. Oh, those fools, who thought to dictate orders to
the second _induna_ of the army of the Great King!

We did not even halt; but, instead of assailing us, a number of them
rushed upon our slaves, and speared them under our eyes. _Haul_ they
fell, those unfortunate Amaholi, simply cut into strips. What happened
then, _Nkose_, I scarcely knew. I saw red. We both "saw red." The
thunder of our fierce war shout frig