time loud and clear, and strong--the melody which
turned our hearts to iron once more--the Song of the Shield.

Its words were caught up by our warriors, and thundered forth in a
frenzy of delight. Now we believed we should defeat that huge host.
_Au_! and we were to them but a handful!

The song of Dingane had ceased now, and in silence the great _impi_ was
climbing the spur of the hill, which it had already shut in with the
dense half-circle of its formation. Behind us was the hard, smooth
cliff--the face of the mountain--before us, Mhlangana's spears. _Whau_!
it recalled to my mind the day we stormed the fortified hill of the
Bakoni. Only to-day these should find lions--not miserable jackals--
lions who knew how to die biting.

Now, looking up to the high point where the King sat and watched the
battle, and at times directed it, I beheld a signal--a strange signal,
whereat I marvelled greatly, for it directed me to leave the high
position we were on and charge down upon the densest ranks of the Zulu
"horn." But discipline among the King's troops was absolute, wherefore
I hesitated not a moment, but crying to my "Scorpions" to follow me, I
went--we all went--I waving the white shield aloft. Below we could see
the astonished looks of those whose spears were upraised to receive us.

The place we were now in, _Nkose_, was a hollow, half way up the slope,
and shut in by steep walls and terraces of rock like the stairs in a
white man's house. And now I beheld another signal--the signal to turn
and stand.

Down the stair-like place a crowd of men were pouring after us. Yet
their look was not that of warriors in triumphant pursuit, such as it
ought to be, for these men were the men of Mhlangana and they were sure
of us, had us securely trapped, we being shut in between lines of
spears. They wore rather the look of men who flee, and, indeed, such it
appeared was the case, for above I could see the other half of my
regiment of "Scorpions" showering down assegais upon them, pressing them
hard down this steep and stony path which they knew not, but which we
knew.

Now as we rushed forward to make an end of them before those below could
climb up, I beheld upon one of the rock stairs a man--a tall, broad man,
whose back was turned to me as he gave some order to those he led.
_Whau_! I knew that back, for I had seen it before; had seen it rise
out of nowhere, the night that the moon grew black. I was about to
lau