come
to the ears of the White Lady who "hid her face from men because it was
so ugly," and she had sent women to attend to the sick ones, with
word that they should be well cared for. All of this proved to be true
enough, but I need not enter into the details.

In the end off we went, I in my litter following Billali's, with an
express and a repeating rifle and plenty of ammunition for both, and
Hans, also well armed, in that which had been sent for Umslopogaas, who
preferred to walk with Goroko and the two other Zulus.

For a little while Hans enjoyed the sensation of being carried by
somebody else, and lay upon the cushions smoking with a seraphic smile
and addressing sarcastic remarks to the bearers, who fortunately did not
understand them. Soon, however, he wearied of these novel delights and
as he was still determined not to walk until he was obliged, climbed on
to the roof of the litter, astride of which he sat as though it were
a horse, looking for all the world like a toy monkey on a horizontal
stick.

Our road ran across the level, fertile plain but a small portion of
which was cultivated, though I could see that at some time or other,
when its population was greater, every inch of it had been under crop.
Now it was largely covered by trees, many of them fruit-bearing,
between which meandered streams of water which once, I think, had been
irrigation channels.

About ten o'clock we reached the foot of the encircling cliffs and began
the climb of the escarpment, which was steep, tortuous and difficult.
By noon we reached its crest and here found all our little army encamped
and, except for the sentries, sleeping, as seemed to be the invariable
custom of these people in the daytime.

I caused the chief captains to be awakened and with them made a circuit
of the camp, reckoning the numbers of the men which came to about 3,250
and learning what I could concerning them and their way of fighting.
Then, accompanied by Umslopogaas and Hans with the Zulus as a guard,
also by three of the head-captains of the Amahagger, I walked forward to
study the lie of the land.

Coming to the further edge of the escarpment, I found that at this place
two broad-based ridges, shaped like those that spring from the boles of
certain tropical forest trees, ran from its crest to the plain beneath
at a gentle slope. Moreover I saw that on this plain between the ends
of the ridges an army was encamped which, by the aid of my glasses,