ore since
I lost the opportunity of making an examination of the body of this
troll-like man, and of ascertaining what kind of armour it was he wore
beneath that great beard of his, which was strong enough to stop my
bullets, and even the razor edge of the axe _Inkosikaas_ driven with all
the might of the arms of the Zulu, Bulalio. For when I looked again
at the sickening sight the giant was but scattered fragments and the
armour, whatever it might have been, was gone, rent to little pieces and
carried off, doubtless, by the Amahagger, perhaps to be divided between
them to serve as charms.

So of Rezu I know only that he was the hugest, most terrible-looking
man I have ever seen, one too who carried his vast strength very late
in life, since from the aspect of his countenance I imagine that he must
have been nigh upon seventy years of age, though his supposed unnatural
antiquity of course was nothing but a fable put about by the natives for
their own purposes.

Presently Umslopogaas seemed to recover from the kind of faint into
which he had fallen and opening his eyes, looked about him. The first
person they fell on was old Billali who stood stroking his white beard
and contemplating the scene with an air which was at once philosophic
and satisfied. This seemed to anger Umslopogaas, for he cried,

"I think it was you, ancient bag of words and sweeper of paths for the
feet of the great, who made a mock of me but now, when you thought
that I fled before the horns of yonder man-eating bull--" and he nodded
towards the fragments of what once had been Rezu. "Find now his axe
and though I am weak and weary, I will wash away the insult with your
blood."

"What does this glorious black hero say, Watcher-by-Night?" asked
Billali in his most courteous tones.

I told him word by word, whereon Billali lifted his hands in horror,
turned and fled. Nor did I see him again until we arrived at Kor.

At the sight of the fall of their giant chief Rezu whom they believed
to be invulnerable, his followers, who were watching the fray, set up
a great wailing, a most mournful and uncanny noise to hear. Then, as I
think did the hosts of the Philistines when David brought down Goliath
by his admirable shot with a stone, they set out for their homes
wherever these may have been, at an absolutely record pace and in the
completest disarray.

Our Amahagger followed them for a while, but soon were left standing
still. So they contented t