he flew
from one to the other and flapped his wings in their faces till the
beasts were blinded, and each believed it was his fellow who attacked
him. And they fell to, and fought; they gored one another's sides till
the field was red with blood and the ground shook beneath them. The
birds sat by and watched; and when the blood flowed they walked round
and round. And when the strength of the two beasts was exhausted they
fell to earth. Then the birds settled down upon them, and feasted; till
their maws were full, and their long bare necks were wet; and they stood
with their beaks deep in the entrails of the two dead beasts; and looked
out with their keen bright eyes from above them. And he who was king of
all plucked out the eyes, and fed on the hearts of the dead beasts. And
when his maw was full, so that he could eat no more, he sat on his stone
hard by and flapped his great wings.'

"Peter Simon Halket, cry to the white men and women of South Africa:
'You have a goodly land; you and your children's children shall scarce
fill it; though you should stretch out your arms to welcome each
stranger who comes to live and labour with you. You are the twin
branches of one tree; you are the sons of one mother. Is this goodly
land not wide enough for you, that you should rend each other's flesh
at the bidding of those who will wet their beaks within both your
vitals?--Look up, see, they circle in the air above you!'"

Almost Peter Halket started and looked upward; but there was only the
black sky of Mashonaland over his head.

The stranger stood silent looking downward into the fire. Peter Halket
half clasped his arms about his knees.

"My master," he cried, "how can I take this message? The Dutchmen of
South Africa will not listen to me, they will say I am an Englishman.
And the Englishmen will say: 'Who is this fellow who comes preaching
peace, peace, peace? Has he not been a year in the country and he has
not a share in a single company? Can anything he says be worth hearing?
If he were a man of any sense he would have made five thousand pounds at
least.' And they will not listen to me. Give me another labour!"

And the stranger said: "Take a message to one man. Find him, whether he
sleep or wake, whether he eat or drink; and say to him: 'Where are the
souls of the men that you have bought?'

"And if he shall answer you and say: 'I bought no men's souls! The souls
that I bought were the souls of dogs?' Then ask him thi