nce fell, and the face of the King wore a look such as
I would not have liked to see, beholding it through the eyes of
Isilwana. And upon the silence could be heard the low humming
incantation song, rising every now and again into a shrill chant, from
Masuka's hut; and this lasted until the sun touched the distant
mountains. Then the old Mosutu came forth.

"`What of the wounded man?' said the King; `does he live?'

"`He lives, Black Elephant,' answered Masuka. `If he is left in my hut
the night through with the King's guard over it, he shall walk forth in
the morning to fight the battles of the Great Great One again.'

"`Ha! that is well. And this one--does he live?'

"Now, all the _izanusi_ cried out that he did, and that he would
presently stand up alive and well. But we, who at a sign from the King
had stepped forward, shouted that this was not so. The warrior was
dead. His jaw had fallen, and his eyeballs, strained and sightless,
stared blankly up to heaven. Then the King spoke:

"`It is clear that if witchcraft has been used it is not by Masuka,
since his _muti_ can restore life where that of Isilwana cannot. And
since the _muti_ of Isilwana is of no use, clearly Isilwana is an
impostor and no _isanusi_ at all. _Take him hence_!'

"So Isilwana was seized and dragged forth by the executioners, to find,
beneath their knobsticks, the same death which he had been the cause of
bringing upon others, and while the remainder of the _izanusi_ lay on
their faces groaning, in dread lest the same fate should overtake
themselves, all the people loudly acclaimed the justice of the King. I,
however, great as my faith in Masuka was, began to fear greatly lest his
_muti_ also should prove unavailing, in which case the people would
certainly cry for his death with such accord that Umzilikazi could
hardly refuse compliance; in which event my own would seem within more
measurable distance, for it seemed that my fate was linked and
interwoven in some manner with his. Howbeit, that night we danced the
war-dance and were doctored, and then, in the joy of anticipated battle,
I lost sight of all fears; nor need I, indeed, have felt any, for on the
morrow the wounded man walked forth alive and well, into the midst of
those who had been sent by the King to guard Masuka's hut.

"We started before daylight, two thousand strong, for we had got tidings
that the Baputi numbered more than we had at first thought, and that
they