rd to give them an example, which, to be just to
them, they took.

"This is the mound on which Red-Beard should be," cried Hans as we faced
a little slope.

I ran up it and through the gloom which precedes the actual dawn, saw a
group of men gathered round something, as people collect about a street
accident.

"Red-Beard on the stone. They are killing him," screeched Hans again.

It was so; at least several white-robed priests were bending over a
prostrate figure with knives in their hands, while behind stood the huge
fellow whom I took to be Rezu, staring towards the east as though he
were waiting for the rim of the sun to appear before he gave some order.
At that very moment it did appear, just a thin edge of bright light on
the horizon, and he turned, shouting the order.

Too late! For we were on them. Umslopogaas cut down one of the priests
with his axe, and the men about me dealt with the others, while Hans
with a couple of sweeps of his long knife, severed the cords with which
Robertson was tied.

The poor man who in the growing light I could see was raving mad, sprang
up, calling out something in Scotch about "the deil." Seizing a great
spear which had fallen from the hand of one of the priests, he rushed
furiously at the giant who had given the order, and with a yell drove
it at his heart. I saw the spear snap, from which I concluded that this
man, whom rightly I took to be Rezu, wore some kind of armour.

Next instant the axe he held, a great weapon, flashed aloft and down
went Robertson before its awful stroke, stone dead, for as we found out
afterwards, he was cloven almost in two. At the sight of the death of
my poor friend rage took hold of me. In my hand was a double-barrelled
rifle, an Express loaded with hollow-pointed bullets. I covered the
giant and let drive, first with one barrel and then with the other, and
what is more, distinctly I heard both bullets strike upon him.

Yet he did not fall. He rocked a little, that is all, then turned and
marched off towards a hut, that whereof Hans had told me, which stood
about fifty yards away.

"Leave him to me," shouted Umslopogaas. "Steel cuts where bullets cannot
pierce," and with a bound like to that of a buck, the great Zulu leapt
away after him.

I think that Rezu meant to enter the hut for some purpose of his own,
but Umslopogaas was too hard upon his tracks. At any rate he ran past it
and down the other slope of the little hill on to the plai