ce. Turning, I beheld a fighting chief arrayed in
the war dress of the Imbele-bele regiment.

"It seems to me that this is not our first meeting. Wanderer from the
North," said this man.

"Ha! I should know thee," I replied, "for we have exchanged hard blows
in a great battle, Silwane. More than that, thou didst once cry me the
`_Bayete_' and didst take orders from me as to the disposal of the
invading host of Zulu."

At those words Silwane stared as though he were face to face with a
madman. But I brought him to my hut, and there alone, over a bowl of
good _tywala_, I told him of those things which had happened during the
blackening of the moon which preceded that great battle which was the
saving of a nation's life, and of which I have told you, _Nkose_, in
another tale. When I had done, Silwane stared harder than ever,
thinking perhaps I was the most wonderful strategist he had ever heard
tell of, or the most wonderful liar.

"And now, having saved thy nation, thou art to be the means of
destroying it, Untuswa?" he said. "Well, if thou art as good at
fighting for us as thou wert against us it will go hard for Umzilikazi's
army. Well do I remember that great white shield of thine in the thick
of the battle. _Whau_! but we thought it was Umzilikazi himself."

Thus we talked, we two leaders of men--and often afterwards--and we two
who had exchanged hard blows face to face now became friends, who were
to deal hard blows side by side.

Almost were we ready to march northward, I say, and now the spirit of
Lalusini would appear to me in my dreams, but glad and smiling, and by
this I knew the omen of our success was good. But on one night I row
her thus more plainly than ever, and it seemed I could touch her, and
then her face changed, and grew quick and watchful, as though in
warning, and it seemed as though the weight of some great peril lay upon
me.

Now as I woke, in something very like fear, I found that one of my Swazi
wives, who slept at my side, had sprung up and was shaking with fear.
She declared that the form of a woman had passed through the hut; that
it was a spirit, for assuredly no living woman possessed such beauty of
form or face.

I knew not what to make of this; yet, while affecting to scorn her tale,
I questioned the girl closely. If she, like myself, had but dreamed,
why then it was passing strange that our dream should have shown us both
the same vision. In truth, I knew not what t