d assegai in his right hand, for the man who wanders at night does
well to be prepared for peril at every step. As for me, I desired
nothing better than to have at them then and there; but that restraining
grasp relaxed not on my shoulder, and the will of the Great Great One
was sufficient. So we let those traitors go for the moment, but better
had it been for them had we stricken them down in the darkness as they
walked.

We regained the _isigodhlo_ by the same secret way, and perceived of
none. But before dismissing me for the night the King whispered a few
orders. And then I knew that the morrow would witness terrible things--
that, for some at least, it should bring forth that which might well
make them wish they had never been born.

CHAPTER FOUR.

THE "SMELLING-OUT."

On the morrow, ere yet the sun was up, heralds went running throughout
Ekupumuleni, crying aloud that none might venture away from the kraal on
pain of death. Others, again ran swiftly to the cattle outposts and
outlying kraals, ordering all men to assemble immediately at the royal
place. But before this I had already despatched several armed parties,
picked warriors of my own regiment, who should form a belt round the
kraals at a great distance, so that, being distributed in pickets, none
might pass.

Now a great fear fell upon all the people when these ominous
preparations became known; and this deepened, as presently it got noised
abroad that the King's dreams had been bad, for it was certain that a
great witch-finding impended--greater, indeed, than had been known since
Ekupumuleni was erected. An uneasy feeling of restlessness and
suspicion had been astir for some little time, and now men whispered to
each other with their blankets over their heads, fearing lest their
words should fall upon the wrong ears.

Throughout the morning people continued to stream in from the outlying
places, men and women, for children were not cited, the former carrying
no weapons but sticks only. But all the warriors of my own regiment, to
the number of several hundreds, were fully armed. Kalipe, also, the
other war-captain, had as many of his own men under arms. The bulk of
the people, however, were, as I said, unarmed.

"_Au_!" cried Nangeza, as I went into my hut to put on some of my
war-adornments, "I think, Untuswa, this reminds me not a little of the
morning following upon the death of the sleeping sentinel, Sekweni.
They say, too, that t