y thickly
bushed, but, by advancing carefully and taking advantage of every bit of
cover, he might manage to get well above the scene of the rout. Slowly,
tediously, he crawled, for the most part on his hands and knees. The
firelight, throwing out a dull glow, reached the hill-slopes--what if
the white of his face should show up to the keen-eyed savages? And
then, as he reached a point whence the whole scene lay revealed before
him, Dick Selmes felt that the risk he had undertaken was amply repaid.

Beneath, in an immense open space, several huge fires were burning--
their light showing up clusters of round, conical-roofed huts studded
all along the valley. But the broad level was covered with human
beings, if so weird and satanic-looking a crew could be defined as
human. There must have been considerably over a thousand of them,
decided the spectator, allowing for those who were taking part in the
performance alone; for, on the outside of the actual arena, squatted
several rows of women, who formed a not ineffective sort of
accompaniment, by a rhythmical clapping of hands, to the war-chant of
the warriors. The latter were arrayed in trappings of the most
fantastic nature, tufts of cow-hair flowing from leg and arm;
monkey-skins, with here and there that of the leopard; wild-cat tails
too, and bunches of crane feathers sticking up from their heads. All
seemed bristling with assegais, but there were no shields.

As Dick Selmes took in all this the chant suddenly ceased, and the
entire mass stood in motionless silence. Then one man came forward and
harangued them. He was of tall, commanding figure, and the spectator
wondered if this was Vunisa, the redoubtable chief, himself. Not long,
however, did he talk, but more and more did his speech work up to what
seemed to the listener the highest pitch of fierce frenzy. Every head
was bent forward, eagerly drinking in every word; and the deep-toned
murmurs of assent which greeted some of his periods reminded Dick of
those which hailed the successful shooting of the Police artillery, the
first time he had seen any large number of savages together.

There was a sudden tightening of the ranks. The orator had ceased. Now
arose the rhythmical strophes of the war-song, low at first and fierce,
then rising till it reached a perfect roar, terror-striking in the
degree of ferocity unchained which it expressed, while the stamp of
feet, in perfect unison, shook the ground as