`The word
of the chief.'

"But Luluzela did not wait to hear more. With a roar of rage, he and
those that were with him, hurled themselves upon the rainmakers. But
these had come prepared, and had a goodly following too, all armed, many
who were dissatisfied with Luluzela's rule--where is there a chief
without some dissatisfied adherents?--and who had benefited by the rain.
Then there was a great fight, and in it the chief was slain, but
Kukuleyo came out without a scratch. This led to other fighting, and
the tribe was broken up, some wandering one way, some another. But ever
since then the Amazolo have been in request. The scattered remnants
thus drifted, but whenever a severe drought occurred some of them were
sure to be found. With them they took the tradition of the sacrifice of
Luluzela's son."

"But," I said. "Do they sacrifice someone every time rain is wanted?"

"Not every time, _Nkose_. Still it is done, and that to a greater
extent than you white people have any idea of. And it would have
continued to be done if Ukozi had not conceived the idea of turning to
white people for his victims. Hence the disappearance of Nyamaki. This
time it was intended to seize Umsindo, but he is a great fighting bull,
and would not only have injured others, but would most certainly have
got injured himself; and it is essential that the victim who is put
through _ukuconsa_ as it is called, shall be entirely uninjured. So
they chose the _Inkosikazi_ instead."

"But, Jan Boom," put in Kendrew. "How on earth did they manage, in the
case of my uncle, to spirit him away as they did--and leave no trace?"

"That I cannot tell you, _Nkose_. You must get that from Ukozi, if he
will tell."

"Here is another thing," I said. "Even if Ukozi belongs to this tribe,
Atyisayo and Ivondwe do not. They are of Tyingoza's people."

"That is true, _Nkose_. But the thing is no longer confined to the
Amazolo. It has become a close and secret brotherhood, and all may
belong. They are called _Abangan 'ema zolweni_, the Comrades--or
Brotherhood--of the Dew. And--it is everywhere. You remember what we
found in Majendwa's country? Well that was a victim of _ukuconsa_ and
it surprised me, because I had not thought the custom had found its way
into Zululand."

"And what of the pool here, and the big serpent, and Ukozi feeding it
with the kid?" I asked, for I had already told him about this.

"The snake embodies the Water Spir