of one of
the smaller kinds of buck.

Few, indeed, _Nkose_, were the white men, except Amabuna, we had seen in
those days, and that this was not one of those we felt certain. Mgwali
was the first to recover from his astonishment.

"_Whau_!" he grunted. "I know not how yon _isanusi_--white though he
be--dare come here and make _muti_ without leave from the Great Great
ONE. It may be _tagati_."

"No hurt lurks beneath such _muti_, son of my father: of that I feel
sure," I answered. "But I think it is time to have speech with these."

"_Yeh-bo_," assented Mgwali, grinning. "And I think that quarter of
meat roasting yonder seems too large for only two men. _Au_! but the
smell of it is good."

We went forward, and as we discovered ourselves but small was the
surprise shown by these two strangers. The head-ringed man, who was
attending to the fire and the roast, returned our salutation in the
usual form, not heeding us much. But the other, speaking with our
tongue, though haltingly, said:

"Welcome, my sons! Draw near, and seat yourselves; for our morning meal
is nearly ready, and there is enough for all."

Mgwali's eyes glistened, and his mouth broadened into a grin; for he was
younger than I, and hungry; and, in truth, the meat smelt good. He
uttered a word or two of emphatic assent, and made a movement to comply.
But I, remembering my dignity as an _induna_ of the King, still stood.
Then I said:

"First tell me, O white stranger, by whose leave you have entered this
country, and made _muti_ in the land of the Great Great One by whose
light we live?"

"By whose leave?" he echoed; his face brightening up. "Ha! By the
leave--nay, by the order--of the Great Great One in whose light we
live." Then, seeing that I frowned, and looked suspicious, he
explained. "I will not pretend to misunderstand you; but I came into
the country of your King by favour of even a greater than he."

"_Hau_! You are joking, my father!" I answered, with a sneer, though
my first thought was that he was speaking of Dingane. "Yet such words
uttered here are dangerous, and would mean death to him who uttered
them. Where, now, is he who is greater than Umzilikazi, the Mighty
Elephant? Our young regiments are consumed with a longing to wet their
spears; and there, I think, is the chance. Where is he who is greater
than our king?"

"_Pezulu_!" [up above] replied the stranger, simply, pointing upward to
the heavens.

Then