nation afresh. But my words were laughed at.

"What, Untuswa? Shall I show my back to an enemy because he is strong?"
had said Umzilikazi. "Have the horns of the Bull been cut off that he
can no longer gore? _Whau_! thou art brave, son of Ntelani--braver
there is none--but young. The generalship that rolled back the _impi_
of Tshaka shall roll back that of Dingane, or--_Whau_! I would rather
die with a great nation than live to reign over a small one."

Thus spake Umzilikazi, and I think, _Nkose_, he knew that the life of
our nation was an uncertain thing that day, for he took in all the lay
of the ground, every stone, every rock, every place or point that could
offer us the smallest advantage, with the eye of the great leader he
was. Yet with my generalship he interfered not one jot, thoroughly
approving it.

Beneath us lay the entrance to the pass, where I had beheld the huge
ghost-animal squatted howling, and this widened out into a broad hollow,
opening on the outer side, as it were, through great gates between
slanting ridges or spurs, rocky and steep; and on the nearer side of
these ridges ran up the two great rifts: one on the right hand, the
other on the left.

Our force was divided into three. Under cover of the darkness, as the
moon sank low, we disposed companies of warriors in each of these side
rifts, while, some little way back, within the pass, and where the rocks
narrowed, so that but a few men could hold it against an army, were
posted picked fighters, including a section of my regiment, The
Scorpions. These were to hold the passage against the invaders, while
we, swooping down upon them from either side, would have them in a trap.

The party within the pass was under one Gasibona, a brother of that
Gungana who had held the command which was now mine, and a brave and
skilful fighter. The bulk of The Scorpions were under the second chief,
Xulawayo, for the King had ordered me to remain with him during the
earlier part of the battle.

"The white shield will be needed later, son of Ntelani," he said. And I
understood.

The sun rose in a ball of flame, and the world grew light. Faraway over
the plain beneath us we could see the dewdrops sparkling on the grass
and in the bush sprays; but there was no game in sight, not even a small
buck. It had fled from the disturbing presence of the Zulu host. Fair
and bright now seemed this place, which seen by night was awesome and
ghostly. Time we