tence was not fair to
Tabitha, who, as she saw, watching her with a mother's eye, was becoming
impregnated with the native atmosphere. She who ought to be at a
Christian school now talked more Zulu than she did English, and was
beginning to look at things from the Zulu point of view and to use their
idioms and metaphors even when speaking her own tongue. She had become
a kind of little chieftainess among these folk, also, Christian and
heathen alike. Indeed, now most of them spoke of her as the Maiden
_Inkosikazi_, or Chieftainess, and accepted her slightest wish or order
as law, which was by no means the case where Dorcas herself and even
Thomas were concerned.

In fact, one or twice they had been driven to make a request through
the child, notably upon an important occasion that had to do with the
transport-riding of their furniture, to avoid its being left for a
couple of months on the farther side of a flooded river. The details
do not matter, but what happened was that when Tabitha intervened
that which had been declared to be impossible proved possible, and the
furniture arrived with wonderful celerity. Moreover, Tabitha made no
request; as Dorcas knew, though she hid it from Thomas, she sent for the
headmen, and when they were seated on the ground before her after their
fashion, Menzi among them, issued an order, saying:

"What! Are my parents and I to live like dogs without a kennel or cattle
that lack a winter kraal, because you are idle? Inspan the wagons and
fetch the things or I shall be angry. _Hamba_--Go!"

Thereon they rose and went without argument, only lifting their
right hands above their heads and murmuring, "_Ikosikaas! Umame!_
(Chieftainess! Mother!) we hear you." Yes, they called Tabitha "Mother!"

It was all very wrong, thought Dorcas, but she supposed, being a pious
little person, that she must bear her burden and trust to Providence to
free her from it, and she closed her eyes to wipe away a tear.

When Dorcas opened them again something very strange seemed to have
happened. She felt wide awake, and yet knew that she must be dreaming
because the room had disappeared. There was nothing in sight except the
bare rock upon which the house stood. For instance, she could see the
gorge behind as it used to be before they made it into a garden, for she
recognised some of the very trees that they had cut down. Moreover,
from one of the caves at the end of it issued a procession, a horrible
proc