night.

"It is enough," he said. "Here among us, at any rate, is one to whom
such mysteries are not unknown. The Queen of the Bakoni _muti_--who
shall explain them better than she?"

The words, taken up by the _izanusi_ and bellowed aloud, soon went
rolling in chorus among the densely-packed multitude, and from every
mouth went up shouts for Lalusini--the Queen of the Bakoni _muti_.
Then, _Nkose_, the whole plot burst in upon my mind. Our witch doctors
had always hated my _inkosikazi_, because she was greater than they;
even as they had always hated me, because I had old Masuka on my side,
and was high in the King's favour, and therefore cared nothing about
them, never making them gifts. Now their chance had come, since old
Masuka was dead and could befriend me no more, and my favour in the
King's sight was waning. Moreover, they had long suspected that of
Lalusini the Great Great One would fain be rid; yet not against her had
they dared to venture upon the "smelling out" in the usual way, lest she
proved too clever for them; for the chief of the _izanusi_ had a lively
recollection of the fate of Notalwa and Isilwana, his predecessors.
Wherefore they had carefully and craftily laid their plot, using for the
purpose the meanest of the conquered peoples whose very existence we had
by that time forgotten.

Now the shouts for Lalusini were deafening, and should have reached my
kraal, which, from where I sat, I could just see away against the
hillside. But the shouters had not long to shout, for again a way was
opened up, and through it there advanced she whom they sought.

No dread or misgiving was on the face of my beautiful wife, as she
advanced with a step majestic and stately as became her royal blood.
She drew near to the King, then halted, and, with hand upraised, uttered
the "_Bayete_" for no prostration or humbler mode of address was
Umzilikazi wont to exact from her, the daughter of Tshaka the Terrible,
by reason of her mighty birth. Thus she stood before the King, her head
slightly thrown back, a smile of entire fearlessness shining from her
large and lustrous eyes.

"Greeting, Daughter of the Great," said Umzilikazi, speaking softly.
"Hear you what these say?"

"I have heard them, son of Matyobane," she answered.

"Ha! Yet they spoke low, and thou wert yet afar off," went on the King
craftily.

"What is that to me, Founder of a New Nation? Did I not hear the quiver
of the spear-hafts of Mhlanga