pened chambers, unroofed
now, that the bathers used as dressing-rooms, while between these
chambers stood the remains of statues. One at the end indeed, where an
alcove had protected it from sun and weather, was still quite perfect,
except for the outstretched arms which were gone (the right hand I
noticed lying at the bottom of the bath). It was that of a nude young
woman in the attitude of diving, a very beautiful bit of work, I
thought, though of course I am no judge of sculpture. Even the smile
mingled with trepidation upon the girl's face was most naturally
portrayed.

This statue showed two things, that the bath was used by females and
that the people who built it were highly civilised, also that they
belonged to an advanced if somewhat Eastern race, since the girl's nose
was, if anything, Semitic in character, and her lips, though prettily
shaped, were full. For the rest, the basin was so clean that I presume
it must have been made ready for me or other recent bathers, and at
its bottom I discovered gratings and broken pipes of earthenware which
suggested that in the old days the water could be warmed by means of a
furnace.

This relic of a long-past civilisation excited Hans even more than it
did myself, since having never seen anything of the sort, he thought it
so strange that, as he informed me, he imagined that it must have been
built by witchcraft. In it I had a most delightful and much-needed bath.
Even Hans was persuaded to follow my example--a thing I had rarely known
him to do before--and seated in its shallowest part, splashed some water
over his yellow, wrinkled anatomy. Then we returned to our house, where
I found an excellent breakfast had been provided which was brought to
us by tall, silent, handsome women who surveyed us out of the corners of
their eyes, but said nothing.

Shortly after I had finished my meal, Billali, who had disappeared, came
back again and said that She-who-commands desired my presence as she
would speak with me; also that I must come alone. So, after attending to
the wounded, who both seemed to be getting on well, I went, followed by
Hans armed with his rifle, though I only carried my revolver. Robertson
wished to accompany me, as he did not seem to care about being left
alone with the Zulus in that strange place, but this Billali would not
allow. Indeed, when he persisted, two great men stepped forward and
crossed their spears before him in a somewhat threatening fashion.