life for the
sake of a girl; but since then--_au_! had the whole nation turned
against the King, I, even if the only one, would have kept faithful to
him, would have given my life for his. Further, my father's intended
treachery towards myself--towards the King and the nation--made my blood
flow hot; for no promises of advantage on the part of these lying
Amabuna would ever have deceived me, even could I see of what advantage
they could be to us. I began to "see red." It was all I could do not
to plunge down the rocks and slay Ntelani where he sat, even though he
were my own father. And something of this must have shown itself--I
know not how--for again that grasp of iron was upon my shoulder,
pressing me down, and the King's voice breathed into my ear--

"_Gahle, gahle_, Untuswa. Hast thou not even yet learned sound
judgment, thou who art no more a boy, but a _kehla_, and the leader of
warriors in battle? Give ear now while these creeping scorpions advance
even further and further into the black jaws of death."

So we lay and listened, and presently we knew all there was to know,
and, in truth, the news was great, for many things had been hatching
within the womb of Time. We learned that Tshaka, the Mighty One, the
Lion of Zulu, was no more, and that Dingane, a brother of that Elephant,
had reddened his spear in the Great One's blood, and now sat as King in
Zululand. We learned that the Amabuna were coming up out of the west--
advancing in great numbers, with guns and horses, desiring the land
which lay between the Tugela and the sea--and to obtain this, their
leaders sought the aid of our nation, promising to set up as King in
Zululand he who should aid them the most in their war against Dingane.
But before this should happen, Umzilikazi must be sent to join his
father, for great as he might have reason to dread the power of Dingane,
these plotters knew that he hated that of the Amabuna still more, and
that by no inducement whatever could he be brought to listen to their
promises, still less to trust in them.

All this we drank in as we lay there among the rocks, listening to that
dark midnight plot--all this and more: how the old men were
dissatisfied, because of the favour shown to the younger ones--yet this
was necessary, _Nkose_, for ours was a young nation, which had to carve
out its own place with the arms and assegais of its warriors, most of
whom were young. So we lay in the black midnight stillness