on victory. "I almost looked to see you give way, for the
host of Dingane was terrible in its might, and ye--ye looked but a
mouthful to it."

"See yonder, Great Great One," I said, pointing upward to the cliff.
"No living thing surely could find foothold there, yet thence floated
forth a wondrous song, and that song saved the day, Calf of a Black
Bull. For it hardened our hearts, which were already sinking, so that
we fell upon our enemies each man with the strength of ten. And that
song was the Song of the Shield!"

"What tale is this, Untuswa?" said the King, mockingly. "Thy song must
have been piped by a bird, then, for assuredly nothing human could find
foothold there."

"One man may, in truth, be mistaken, Father," I answered. "Yet--ask
these, ask all who followed the white shield this day."

Now a murmur arose among those who were with me attending on the King--
Xulawayo and Mgwali, and other fighting leaders.

"_Yeh-bo_!" they cried. "It is even as Untuswa has said, Father. The
Song of the Shield was the same as that sung by the stranger sorceress
when we went forth to war."

Umzilikazi's countenance clouded somewhat, I thought.

"The sorceress has won," he muttered. "Yet is all this passing
strange."

That night we lay upon the heights of Inkume in battle formation, for we
knew not whether another _impi_ might come against us. Yet, weary as we
were, we slept not over-much, for when the moon rose it seemed to look
down blood-red upon the field of strife; and we--we thought we could see
the bodies of those who were slain and gashed rise up once more and
fight and slay each other again. _Whau_! And of the slain there were
thousands, for in those days we met shield to shield, spear to spear,
and every man slew his enemy or was slain by him. Thousands were there,
and when the day dawned the rising of the sun was well-nigh darkened by
soaring clouds of vultures, swooping and wheeling on their great soft
pinions, awaiting our departure to settle down upon their feast.

With great triumph did we return to Kwa'zingwenya, for although we who
had gone forth thence came back with little more than half our number,
yet with Kalipe's force--which, joining us in time to turn the conflict
into a rout, had suffered but small loss--we made a brave show; for we
had won a great victory, and, I think, _Nkose_, we had a strangely
swelled opinion of ourselves, and that every man thought himself the
greatest warr