their number."

"It seems that this is the case with all of us, Umslopogaas."

"Not so, Macumazahn. That child of the King will give you safe-conduct.
It is I and mine whose blood he seeks, as he has the right to do, since
it is true that I would have raised rebellion against the King, I who
wearied of my petty lot and knew that by blood his place was mine. In
this quarrel you have no share, though you, whose heart is as white as
your skin, are not minded to desert me. Moreover, even if you wished
to fight, there is one in the waggon yonder whose life is not yours to
give. The Lady Sad-Eyes is as a child in your arms and her you must bear
to safety."

Now this argument was so unanswerable that I did not know what to say.
So I only asked what he meant to do, as escape was impossible, seeing
that we were surrounded on every side.

"Make a glorious end, Macumazahn," he said with a smile. "I will go out
with those who cling to me, that is with all who remain of my men, since
my fate must be theirs, and stand back to back on yonder mound and there
wait till these dogs of the King come up against us. Watch a while,
Macumazahn, and see how Umslopogaas, Bearer of the Axe, and the warriors
of the Axe can fight and die."

Now I was silent for I knew not what to say. There we all stood silent,
while minute by minute I watched the shadow creeping forward towards a
mark that the head messenger had made with his spear upon the ground,
for he had said that when it touched that mark he would return for his
answer.

In this rather dreadful silence I heard a dry little cough, which I knew
came from the throat of Hans, and to be his method of indicating that he
had a remark to make.

"What is it?" I asked with irritation, for it was annoying to see him
seated there on the ground fanning himself with the remains of a hat and
staring vacantly at the sky.

"Nothing, Baas, or rather, only this, Baas: Those hyenas of Zulus are
even more afraid of the Great Medicine than were the cannibals up north,
since the maker of it is nearer to them, Baas. You remember, Baas, they
knelt to it, as it were, when we were going out of Zululand."

"Well, what of it, now that we are going into Zululand?" I inquired
sharply. "Do you want me to show it to them?"

"No, Baas. What is the use, seeing that they are ready to let you
pass, also the Lady Sad-Eyes, and me and the cattle with the driver and
_voorlooper_, which is better still, and all the othe