d annoyance of everyone, that Zero had succeeded
in filing through his fetters, and had decamped in the night, together
with the Zulu Amaxosa and the Chieftain of the Stick, and, therefore,
said the stern judges, when these men were recaptured, all three would
be crucified without mercy, and Zero, for this additional offence, would
be _nailed head-downwards to the awful cross_.

The prophet then proceeded to say that, after due and careful
consideration of the whole peculiar circumstances of the case, the Holy
Three had decided to give life and unconditional freedom to all the rest
of the prisoners, both white and black, and to present them in addition
with large and handsome rewards for the way in which they had acted, as
there could be no doubt that the fearful slaughter inflicted by the
English party upon the rebel crew, had alone saved the Mormon community
from having to fight several severe battles, from losing very many lives
of valued men, and perhaps, owing to their lack of knowledge of the
district, failing, after all, to accomplish their desired object. For
the gentle English lady, and for the injured "People of the Stick," the
Holy Three had nothing but sympathy, and had, therefore, decided to
apportion the immense spoil taken from Zero--amounting to nearly a
million of money--into three equal parts: one for the Mormon community,
one for the Atagbondo--to enable them to rebuild their kraals, to buy
new wives and weapons, and stock their enclosures with oxen and with
goats--and the third share for the English-Zulu party, who had behaved
so well and fought so grandly, and amongst whom was classed Detective
Kenyon of Uncle Sam's police.

It was a bold course to take, and the old Mormon had unquestionably done
a wise thing when he weeded out, and started on the home journey in
charge of the women and children of Equatoria, all the possible
malcontents of his own band. Still, the Mormons had already seen such a
lot of bloodshed that they probably thought the course adopted by their
leaders to be the wisest; at all events, they raised no voice against
it.

The aged Prophet had, as he afterwards confided to Kenyon, positively no
other course open to him under his instructions: either he must declare
the party guilty, and cut them off, one and all, absolutely without
exception; or he must liberate them unconditionally, congratulate them
upon the success of their actions, and give them large rewards for the
valua